Evening star., 1954-06-10
District Budget Cut$3.9 3.9MiIIion
And Federal Payment Reduced
S4MiIIion in House Committee
Record $168 Million
Proposal Goes to
Floor Monday
By Hector Mclean

tbS$tOb NtS6SOu
The House Appropriations
Committee today made a sur
prise 81 million slash in the
authorized $40 million Federal
payment toward the District
budget.
Also the requests in the budget
designed to carry the city's
expenses for the fiscal year be-
ginning July 1-were cut S.
988,708. The cuts consisted of
$2,512.248 from operating funds
and $1.476.460 from capital i'm
provementS.
This left the budget as ap-
proved by the committee at
$16S. .487, 1888.
Called a Deferment.
The reduction in the agreed
Federal payment was called mot
q cut but a deferment" by Rep
reSentative Wilson, Republican,
OF Indiana. He is chairman of
the District subcommittee of
the House Appropriations Com
mittee.
= The District Commissioners,
awaiting an official copy of the
budget slashes, were expected to
meet this afternoon to discuss
the effectoo the slashes, particu-
larry in the Federal payment.
The committee report explained
that the cut is "compar-
able to the program reduce
tions . which have been made
throughout the bill. The only
result of leaving this 81 million
in the bill would be to increase
the surplus at the end of the
fiscal year 1885,"
See Subsequent Increase.
The report continued that
Federal contributions "for sub
sequent years may be increased
by the amount of such reduc-
ton. This would let the Dis
trict ask next year for $24 mil
lion as a payment from the
Federal Government,> presum-
ably.
In discussing the Federal pay
ment cut, the committee report
also mentioned that the Fed
eral Government should pay in
full for its water and sewer
service and funds were included
for this purpose, as had been
agreed upon. The committee
also approved $7,957,O00 in in
terest bearing Federal loans
next year and estimated that the
District tax revenues would pro-
duce $133 $685. 900.
With $11.499,671 in surplus
funds which the District does
not expect to spend this year,
the committee estimated that
$170,854,671 would be available
for expenditure in fiscal 1855.
However, since the committee
approved spending of only $685.
487,838, 1t estimated there would
be a surplus at the end of the
next fiscal year of $2.366,83S.
Funds for Works Plan.
The committee allowed $15,-
$685. 900 to begin work on the
Districts 10-year, $305 million
public works program authorized
in a new law last month.
HighlightS of the budget are:
SchOOlS-$7,375,00O for con-
struction, including two new
Junior high schools, one at Fourth
street and Mississippi avenue
Sc. and one at Minnesota ave-
nue. and Foote street NE;
additions to three elementary
schools. Patterson, Draper and
Shepherd; replacement of the
Van Ness Elementary School; a
stadium at Calvin Coolidge Sem
ior High School; funds for plan
ming on three more elementary
schools and to buy a site for the
Amidon Greenleaf Elementary
School.
Allowed for operating expenses
was $27.526,570, a cut of $168, ,430
in the sum requested by the Dis
trict Commissioners, but an in
crease of $941, $40 over the cur
rent years budget. A request for
ITS more teachers was cut to 160,
Of whom Is are to be music
teachers. The committee allowed
$45.000 for IL new vocational
high school teachers and $4,000
for teachers of mentally retarded
children.
End of Dual System.
The committee explained it's
$52,948 cut in operating funds
by declaring, 1T is anticipated
that elimination of the dual sys-
tenn of administration for the
white and colored schools will
result in a savings of at least a
magnitude indicated by the
reduction"
The cutback in teachers was
Continued on Page Az, Col. II
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