Evening star., 1952-03-18
Cannon Urges
Separate Budget
For City Schools
Would Have Bourd
Hundle Own Funds;
Building Plan okoyed

Ab0btOtS OWu O1uOSF
Building Plan 0koyed
The suggestion that District
school financing be divorced from
the rest Of the city budget was
advanced today by DR.. James A.
Cannon, member of the Board of
Education.
Dr.. Cannon brought up the pos
Sibility during a discussion of the
six-year $70.7 million school
building schedule presented to
board members by Supt. Of Schools
Hobart M. Corning in answer to
a request from the Commission
erS.
The schedule was approved at
this mornings meeting of the
boards Building and Grounds
Committee as a flexible plan" for
filling school construction needs
IN the next several years.
Changes Expected.
DR.. Corning emphasized that the
committee was not adopting spe-
clf1c projects, but that each would
be brought before the board in
olvldually as a budget item before
f1nal approval. He pointed out
that changes may have to be made
from time to time.
DR.. Corning reiterated his opin-
ion that better system of fipanc-
ing than the existing pay-as-you-
go program followed by the Com
missioners would have to be found
II school needs were to be met.
He has advocated the borrowine
program.
He pointed out that the $12 mil
lion construction outlay requested
by the Board Of Education for
fiscal 1858 had been cut to about
SIS million in the budget as it
now awaits action by Congress.
School officials normally can pre-
sent their case to Congress only
on items included in the budget.
he noted.
1--WE Know Our Needs"
DIR. Cannon declared that Con-
gress ought to appropriate sep
arate funds for the public schools.
I'VE know our needs" he said.
I'VE can argue for them. When
the Commissioners start to con-
slider our needs among all the
other headaches, they can't have
sympathy with us that we require.
Il believe somebody ought to
start a campaign for the schools
to handle their own funds and
that they should be appropriated
separately to u.s."
DR.. Cannon said he thought the
Commissioners would be glad to
get rid Of the job.
Questions Cost Of Projects.
In discussing the six-year build
ing program presented by DR..
Corning, DR.. Phillip r. johnson,
member Of the board. raised some
questions about the cost estimates
for various projects. He particu-
larly referred to proposed SIS mil
lion .outlays for white and colored
teachers college requirements in
the third year of the program. He
said he understood that teachers
college for 500 students awarding
a masters degree would cost in
the neighborhood of 50 million.
Mrs. Elyiria Magdeburger,
chairman of the Buildings and
Grounds Committee, reported that
the new Spingarn High School,
the Terrell Junior High School
and the Douglass Junior High
School would be ready for STU
dents in September.
The committee approved the
turning over Of the Blake Elemen-
tary School to the District when
the Terrell school is ready. It
indorsed use of the site as the
location of the new women's bu-
reau.
Approve Emergency Use.
The committee also approved
use of several schools for civil
defense emergency welfare serv-
ices in the event of disaster. They
are Burdick Vocational High
School, Bancroft Elementary,
Park View Elementary, Langdon
Elementary, Browne Junior High,
Miller Junior High, Beers Ell
ementary and Patterson Elemen-
tary.
The student activities commit
tee, which also met this morning,
took no action to change the cadet
uniforms, which have become
short because Of increased cadet
enrolment, since the school years
is almost over.
Individual schools will be left
to meet the problem, but judges
In competitions will be instructed
to make allowances for differences
in uniforms to avoid any penalty