Evening star., 1953-06-11
Montgomery
Residents Clash
On School Fund
500 Attend Hearing
On Budget Slash
Affecting Tox Rate

By ChorIes [. Hoffman

last night in Montgomery County
at a heated public hearing or
the controversial school budget
for fiscal 1854.
Some 500 persons were on hand
when the hearing opened at
pm. in the 89-degree Rockville
Circuit Courtroom.
Council President George F.
Nesbitt had promised to let the
spokesmen talk themselves out,
and that they did-at 1:55 am
today.
Heated and sometimes emo
tional charges marked the hear
ing, but especially significant was
the evidence of the literally
thousands Of volunteer man
hours that had been put into
the study Of the budget by resi-
dents.
Reduction at Issue.
The issue at stake was whether
the county Council should ac-
cept the $11.9 million operating
and capital budget recommended
by former County Manager Ir-
wing G. McNayr or restore the
81 million slash he had made in
the boards requested operating
funds and the $3.2 million cut
of the requested capital pro-
gram.
If the School Boards budget
is adopted it will mean residents
probably will not get Mr.. Nc
Nayr's recommended 20-cent
cut in the present $2.10 tax rate.
Last nights session got under
way with a brief statement from
School Board President H. STAN
ley Stine that the board stands
squarely behind" its SIG million
request.
Our operating budget re-
quest" he said, "iS the minimum
required for an effectual school
system for the next year." He
also urged the entire $7.2 million
requested for school construction.
PTA Council Objects.
The county Concil Of Parent
Teacher Associations scored as
arbitrary" the cuts made by
Mr.. McNayr and said he had
failed utterly" to provide IN
formation about the basis for
his estimates. They added the
cuts were made simply to OBJ
tain q Spartan budget"
The PTA president, James @.
Reber, said that If the county
Council sustained the cuts. it
would sacrifice decent educa-
tlonal standards to shave a
few pennies off the tax rates"
The proposed capital budget
slash would lead to over
crowded classrooms and half
day sessions, Mr.. Reber warned.
The operating funds cut, he
said, would be an absolute bar"
to procuring needed personnel,
and would force inadequate
maintenance, insufficient sup
Piles and overcrowded school
buses"
Petitions Presented.
The powerful and ll-organ-
lied PTA group urged restoration
of the entire School Board
budget requests and presented a
petition signed by 1925 resi-
dents, who said they are willing
to pay the additional 16-cent
tax rate to allow the boards re-
quests.
The petition, which has been
under fire from a number Of
county groups, was the center Of
controversy again last night.
Mrs. Robert Madden of Chevy
Chase section 5 said that many
PTA members circulating the
petition had not the foggieSt
notion what they were talking
about"
William Wilder Evans, Rock
Vile attorney, attacked the petit
ton flyer as false and mislead-
ing propaganda" He especially
was critical Of its reported cir
culation through the schools.
Mr.. Evans also attacked the
flyers contention that the cost
per child for schooling was $239
a year. He said the actual cost
was $459 when debt service and
other items were included.
Singled out for attack by a
number Of persons we're the
county's public kindergarten. Mr..
Evans labeled them as a "pre-
school year of public-supported
baby sitting. He urged their
elimination, as he did the Mont
gomery Junior College.
The full School Board budget
also was indersed by the County
League Of Women voters, the
American Association Of Univer-
Sity Women, Montgomery-Blair
PTA. the Parkside PTA and q
number of individuals.
Supporting the McNayr budget
generally were the Allied Civic
Group Of Silver Spring, the
HomeownerS Tax League, the
County Taxpayers Inc. and
Chevy Chase Section 5.
Additional SIS million Asked.
The County Civic Federation
submitted a report urging the
council to restore some $756. 400
In the school budget. The major
ity Of this would be for increas-
ing funds for teacher salaries.
At the same time the federation
asked that SIS million addi-
tional be allowed for school con-
struction projects.
In discussing the federation's
recommendations, Pres esident
Harry H. Smelling, said there was
"a total lack of understanding
on the part Of some persons
about what is highly desirable
and what is essential"
Although q number Of the IS
persons who testified took half
an hour each to present their