Evening star., 1954-05-07
Hearing Puts
Budget Up for
Decisions
Arlington Boord
Still UnsoId on
School Figures

q series OF conferences on the
1954-5 budget, members of the
Arlington County Board are
ready to start making decisions
that will determine the tax rate
for the coming fiscal year.
At a final public hearing last
night in Stratford Junior High
School. the great majority of
more than 800 persons who at
tended applauded attacks on a
report by the boards interim
Budget Committee. The COM
mittee recommended cuts in
many school programs and some
county departments and urged
retention of current tax rates.
The parade of speakers back
ing the school budget as pro-
posed by Supt. Edward Rutter
failed to convince the four board
members present. Mrs. Leone
Buchholz. the board chairman.
and Board Members Alvin F.
Kimel, Robert A. Peck and Wes-
ley w. Cooper said afterwards
they will make up their minds
within the next week regarding
the budget recommendations.
Board Member George M. Row.
zee. jr.. was not present last
night.
Decision Deadline NearS.
They must decide before mid
night May Is whether they will
approve sufficient school funds
to permit the starting of a
kindergarten program next fall.
The Interim Budget Committee
recommended against the pro-
gram. at least for the present.
At last nights hearing. which
became boisterous at times, j. r.
Provan of the Claremont PTA
Executive Committee first drew
prolonged applause with this
statement regarding the Budget
Committee:
1T makes no difference
whether they were guided by
the stated objective of continu-
ing the present tax rate or by
some less obvious motive Of
politics, private feuds or per-
sonal experience with the school
system. Nothing can justify the
riddling of our fine school pro-
gram through statistical manip-
ulation or persistent bias in
presentation of the facts"
Reversal Feared.
Mrs. Cromwell Riches of the
American Association of Univer-
sity Women said that to adopt
the committees recommended
tions would not only stop our
school progress but would
reverse it,"
Other speakers opposing re-
ductions suggested by the COM
mittee were from the Citizens
Committee for School Improve
ment, the County Council of
PTAs. the Arlington Civic Fed
Grafton and a number of parent
teacher associations and citizens
groups.
Among those favoring cuts in
some of the figures proposed in
the school budget was James r.
Miles, sr., of the Lee-Ballston
Citizens Association.
Mr.. Miles told the board men,
bers: "You know what to do
with a watered budget, and we
trust you'll do it again."
Interruption by the audience
prevented Harley M. Williams
from finishing a plea against
increasing tax rates. Mr.. Will
liams was formerly chairman of
the local Government Committee
of the Civic Federation and has
been prominent in county poll
| tics.
Here are viewpoints on the
proposed budget expressed by
some other speakers:
Warren Clardy of the Civil
Defense Advisory Board said a
$4,000 reduction recommended
by the committee in the civil
defense budget might hinder the
county in fight for survival.
Mrs. Randall w. Everett, jr,
Northern Virginia safety chair
man of the Virginia Federation
of Women's Clubs, told board
members: II implore you not to
/ cut the Department of Public
Safety budget"
Walter Kingsburg of the Civic
Federation, urged providing $15,-
900 in the budget to begin
acquiring land for future ex-
pansion of the sewage treatment
plant.
| c. E. Planck of the Northern
Virginia Chapter OF the National
Association for. Mental Health.
urged the board to approve funds
for a building for temporary
housing Of detained mentally i'll
persons, SO that they will not
have to be kept in JAIL
Mrs. Helen Young of the Kin
dergarten Advisory Council, said
a 1947 vote against bond issue
for kinderga-tens did not mean
that Arlington citizens are op-
posed to such program now.
In the 1947 referendum. ma
jority favored elementary school
construction because they be-
lieved elementary school needs
should be taken care of first"
she added.
Brian Bell, a candidate for the
County Board, said a committee
recommended cut of $13.250 in
psychological services for schools
could swell future juvenile de-
linquency.
The proposed school budget of
az 15C617 would require a 27.