Evening star., 1953-06-14
P1As 10 Press
Fight for More
School Funds
Shortage in Teachers
Seen as. Letters to
Senators Are Urged
By jones 6. Deone

Parent teacher associations
are planning a battle to get Con-
gress to increase the Districts
pending $28 million school ap-
preparation.
The District PTA Congress has
warned that schools will lose
teachers next fall unless more
funds are granted. The PTA
organization has urged its 81
member groups to lombard key
Senators with letters, and it has
asked for a hearing.
A forecast Of q shortage Of
los teachers prompted the PTA
action.
School officials made the fore
cast after the House slashed the
school appropriation two weeks
ago.
No Funds for Raises.
The House allowed no funds
for mandatory pay raises that
the law requires for teachers
already on the rolls. Officials
said this means 81 teacher posts
must be left vacant to save
money for the raises.
The pending bill also provides
nothing for an estimated 81
teachers needed to meet an ex-
pected enrolment increase.
The teacher shortage, Supt.
Hobart M. Corning said, will do
serious damage, in the form of
diversified classes and other cur
tailments.
PTAs were aroused last winter
by a similar situation. Twenty
six teacher posts were left empty
this term to save money for pay
increases, and a slash in sub
stitute service and other hard
ships resulted.
More Glass Mergers.
Glasses sometimes were merged
when no substitute could be pro-
vided, and this situation is
threatened on an even bigger
scale next winter.
Mrs. Richard Radue, PTA leg
iSlative chairman, sent a letter
to each of the "a PTA presidents
last week urging action on the
emergency.
She suggested that individual
parents write or telephone Sena-
tors and also that each PTA
reinforce the PTA Congress re-
quest for a hearing.
The PTA Congress is concen-
trating it's main fire on House
deletion of a $113.400 item. This
was the main amount school off,
cials asked for the mandatory
pay raises, and Mrs. Radue said
PTA leaders are anxious to have
it restored.
But this amount is actually
only about half the total needed
for the raises. And at least
another $240,000 would be needed
to hire enough extra teachers to
meet the expected enrolment
jump. School officials didn't ask
for these extra amounts, they
said, because city budget off,
cials wouldn't allow them to.
White Schools Hit.
Both white and colored schools
will be hit by the teacher short
age, but white schools stand to
suffer most, according to school
officers. This is because the COL
ored schools have fewer teachers
in relation to pupils, and the
House Appropriations Commit
tee said it understands" the
pupil-teacher ratio will be equal
lied.
Theoretically. the House
approved appropriations includes
funds for lit new Negro teach
ers. But not even all Of these
can be hired if funds aren't in
creased, according to the super
intendent.
Senator Dirksen, Republican,
Of Illinois, is chairman of the
subcommittee which will review
the appropriation bill. He has
been on an Asiatic trip, however,
and it isn't known when the
committee will get to work.
Other committee members are
Senators Ferguson, of Michigan,
Mccarthy of Wisconsin and Thye
of Minnesota. all Republicans,
and Hill Of Alabama, Magnuson
Of Washington, and Mcclellan of
Arkansas, Democrats.