Evening star., 1953-04-16
Corning Vows
To Tell Board
OF City Deals
School Members Hit
Failure to Inform
Them of Meetings
By jones G. Deone

BY jones 6. Deone
School Supt. Hobart M.
Corning has promised to keep
the Board of Education better
posted on his dealings with the
District Commissioners.
Board members won the prom
ise at stormy session yesterday
at which the superintendent was
for failing to notify
board members in advance of a
recent conference with the city
heads on school construction
plans.
The board split on changes
proposed by DR.. Corning
changes adopted by the Com
without waiting for
the board to act. The board
backed the superintendent only
by a narrow 5-to-4 vote, with
President c. Melvin Sharpe
casting the deciding ballot.
Study Committee Plan.
The board also ordered a
study of a proposal by Robert r.
Faulkner, a frequent critic of the
superintendent, to set up a
citizens committee to review
construction planning. Mr..
Faulkner also won approval for
a study of the idea of hiring
private architects. City archi-
tects now plan public schools.
The controversial dealings with
the Commissioners involved some
juggling of items in the next
budget and in the city's long,
term public works program. DR..
Corning explained that he had
been summoned to the District
Building on the subject and had
suggested some changes. But
he stressed he had made no
commitments pending action Of
the school board.
The superintendent said he
was as surprised as the board
members when the Commission
ers almost Immediately approved
the changes.
Vice President Albert E. Stei-
mem said the superintendent
should have advised board Lead
ers about the session before
hand. Board members should be
informed whenever the Commits
sioners call for any policy state
ment, he said.
Mr.. Faulkner seconded Mr..
Steinem. asserting that DR.. Cor
ming at least should have in
formed Mr.. Sharpe. Mrs. Velma
@. Williams also joined the crit
icism, pointing out that board
members always have sat in with
the Commissioners on budget
matters.
Superintendent Defended.
Wesley S. Williams and West
A. Hamilton came to the super
intendent's defense, Mr.. Hamil-
ton asserting it was DR.. Cor
ning's job to deal with the city
heads as the boards paid rep
resentative. Mr.. Hamilton lashed
what he termed the implication
that the superintendent was
hiding something from us or
talking out of turn"
DR.. Corning pointed out that
many conferences are held by
school and city officials on mat
ters of detail and he insisted he
had never gone to the Commits
Sioners on his own initiative
without informing the board.
But he added:
please accept my assurance
that on any matter other than
a mere detail I'll notify the
president.
After this assurance, Mr..
Steinem withdrew a motion
which would have instructed the
superintendent formally on the
subject.
The issue on which the board
split was the approval of four
additions to the 1954-5 construc-
ton budget and deletion of four
others from the last year of the
long-range building program.
Added were a replacement for
the Amidon- -Greenleaf Elemen-
tary School and additions to
the Payne Elementary School. a
new school now being built at
Ninth street and Wahler place
Sc, and Slowe Elementary
School. Dropped were a new
Elementary School, play
grounds for the Mott and Burr
vile Schools. and a lighting sys-
tenn for Eastern High Schools
stadium.
The board approved postpone
ment of a 100000 program to
reduce fire hazards in order to
seek a start this fall on a new
Van Ness Elementary School.
Parents representing both Slowe
and Van Ness appeared at yes
terday's meeting to urge haste
in the new construction.
Other Criticism.
In addition to the construc-
ton matters, board members
voiced criticism on these other
matters:
Mrs. Williams protested delay
in naming successors to four top
school posts-those left vacant
by the retirement of Associate
Supt. A. Kiger Savoy and DR..
Eugene A. Clark, president Of
Miner Teachers College; the
death of DR.. Villa C. Burch, di-
rector of elementary education.
and the temporary promotion Of
Miss Edith A. Lyons, now acting
in Mr.. Savoy's place.
DR.. Corning said he expects
to recommend appointees for the
first three posts by July /. Miss
Lyons future status isn't ce-
yet, he pointed out.
Mr.. Steinem asked why a de-
tailed justification for a $500. 900
request to Congress to build a