Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-02-15
Many Schools
Share Problem
0fCrowding
Situation to Grow
Worse for Both
White and CoIored
By jones G. Deone


weeks, has no monopoly on COM
plants about crowded class
rooms. Many District public
school children have scant elbow
room.
Payne parents, for the second
time in little more than a year,
decided on a walkout to drama
tie a space shortage. Schools
wrestling with similar problems
are doing it quietly.
Payne's colored pupils first
struck for four days in December.
1851. School authorities later
began an addition, planned be-
fore the strike. The addition
opened last month. but parents
decided the new space wasn't
enough and pulled most Of
Payne's 895 pupils out again.
Census to Precede Action.
Tomorrow the children are
scheduled to return, but the par
ents aren't dropping their de-
mand for a nearby white school
building-either Bryan or Buch-
anan. A school census will pre-
cede any further action by school
officials.
Both white and colored schools
are among the many others with
crowding problems, although the
coloreG are more numerous.
Nearly a third of the city's 113
public grade schools were listed
by officials as overcrowded last
fall. The situation has hardly
changed since then, and at some
schools by next fall it will be
even worse, despite a few addi-
tons soon to open.
Simon Faces Trouble.
A white school - Simon, at
Fourth street and Mississippi
avenue S.E.-is one Of those al
ready crowded and facing more
trouble soon. The school is in
the midst of a fast-growing resi-
Dental area.
Simon, still new and shiny in
appearance, is only in its third
year. But it has mushroomed
caSt normal enrolment Of 936
y 1852 pupils-the. most in any
Washington grade school.
Glasses are meeting in two
converted shower rooms. an in
dustriaT arts room. a tiny office
an da basement room also doub-
ling as lunchroom. Teachers
even in regular rooms have no
space leeway.
In Simon's basement lunch
room two kindergarten classes OF
SO pupils each are separated
only by a few feet of floor space.
The two teachers must dovetail
their instruction so class activi-
ties won't conflict.
Teachers Sacrifice Time.
Many children stay at school
for lunch, because their homes
are distant. But the half-size
lunchroom won't accommodate
most Of them, so teachers must
sacrifice part of their lunch Pc
Rod to supervise the youngsters
In their claSsrooms.
Miss Edith williams. Simon's
principal. took a reporter on a
tour of some of the crowded
rooms last week. Pupils and
teachers were busy doing their
best. but conditions were obvi-
ously far from ideal.
The school was ti'ilt with 80
classroons, Miss Williams said,
but now has 81 classes While
all the children have desks, the
furniture is so packed in some
rooms that there is no space for
many group activities. So a
class often must move elsewhere
for these.
No classes are assigned per-
manently to the auditorium. but
1t is in use continually. Miss Will
liams said And classes will have
to be assigned there next fell,
ending special visual aid instruc-
ton.
No relief is in sight until
completion Of a new school at
Ninth and Barnaby streets Sc,
expected next December.
Miss Williams already has
warned parents to expect seme
part-time classes in the fall.
Some Simon pupils formerly
attended part-tine classes at
Congress Heights and Patterson
Schools. Simon ended those
when it opened two years ago.
Other Schools Crowded.
Simon isn't the only crowded
white school. Davis. at H street
and Forty-fourth place Sc. is
damned. Opening of a new adj
dition. hoped for by next month
is anxiously awaited.
Two Davis classes are meeting
is poorly lit playroom in the
basement. Five classes are using
the former 14th Police Precinct
building. where there are no
cupboards or regular black
boards.
Stanton, Patterson. Congress
Heights, Keene, Bunker Hill and
Shepherd Elementary Schools
also are crowded.
Many children at Bunker Hill
and Keene travel from distant
areas because of crowding in
schools nearer their homes.
These two schools. too, are watt
ing for new additions to open
next month.
Use ImprOvised Space.
In the colored division even
more schools are regarded by
school authorities as over
crowded. And in these. too, many
classes are having to use inn
provised space. Besides Payne.
officials list the following crowded
colored schools: Young. Birney,
Syphax. Bruce, Carver. Garrison,
Giddings.. Harrison. Hayes, Lo-
gan. LoveJoy. Madison. Monroe.
Morgan. Mott, Male, Park View.
Pierce, Slowe, SmotherS, Taylor