Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-01-29
Chances Held Slim
For New Poo|esvi||e
High in 81 Budget

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Embattled Poolesville fMdD
parents probably will not get
the improved high school they
want until the pressure of swell
ing population elsewhere in
Montgomery County tapers off.
More than 300 residents of
the upper Montgomery County
community crowded into the
Poolesville High School audi
forum last night to learn from
School Supt. Forbes H. Norris
that plans for a new high school
building, once scheduled to go
up this year. are caught in the
"down-county" population
squeeze.
No action has been taken by
the School Board, but DR.. Nor
riS said chances of including the
Poolesville project in the 1954-5
budget. now being prepared,
are slim. Construction of the
new school was included in last
years budget. drafted by former
School Supt. Edwin Broome.
But the 1886. 900 item was
dropped from the budget later,
when the County Council cut the
School Boards request for $7.2
million for new schools to 81
million.
Gains Outstripped.
"As long as we are in a fight
to find seats and house pupils in
the county. we are going to find
ourselves going a little slow on
improvements" DR.. Norris said.
"Poolesville High School has had
an increase of 10 or II per cent
the county has had an overall
increase Of $50 per cent in
students"
The boards action in cutting
the Poolesville project from the
budget. DR.. Norris said. amounts
to a postponement and does not
mean the new school had been
abandoned. But he added:
unless we get more informa-
ton than we have that would
change the picture, it would not
be one Of the pressing problems
next year."
In a QUESTIONABLE distributed
by the high school PTA, 312
parents said they favored ex-
panding and continuing the
Poolesville school, and three said
they did not. according to
Charles w. Elgin, Building and
Grounds Committee chairman.
The same number indicated they
felt the expanded high school
would be essential in the near
future" because of growth in
the area.
School Not Accredited.
Mr.. Elgin said 100 of the 333
parents who answered the ques-
tionnaire said they wanted their
children to go to college. Be-
cause of shortage of facilities
for some technical courses and
the lack of a full staff of fully
qualified teachers, the school is
the only Montgomery County
high school not accredited by
the Middle States Association of
Secondary Schools and Col
leges. according to Thomas w.
Pyles. principal.
School Board President Wyle
w. Barrow and Members Mrs.
Helen Scharf. Harrison King
and Willard w. McGraw attend
ed last nights meeting.
Parents objected to the long
bus rides involved in transport
ing the students to other high
schools. A breakdown showed 81
students would have to travel
more than 16 miles to Gathers
burg. and 226 more than 16
miles to Rockville, according to
Mr.. Elgin. The longest bus ride
Of any Poolesville student now
Is about 10 miles, Mr.. Pyles said.
According to DR.. Norris, the
longest bus ride in the county
Is taken by some of the county's
Negro students, who travel from
IL to IA miles each way to
school.
Augustine Wickless. president |
Of the Dickerson Elementary
School PTA, said his four chill
dren would have to travel SO |
miles day if the high school
was moved to Rockville.