Evening star., 1955-10-26
DC. School Budget
.SIashed SIS Million
Construction
Funds Cut BY
SIS Million
By JAMES G. DEANE

Inc OlSkIlct 1OtQu1IbblOHcED )
have slashed the 1867 public
school budget more than IS mil-
lion. it was learned today.
Topped out Of the Board Of
|Education's budget request was
more than $3.5 million in con-
Istruction projects and almost 50
million for operation.
Casualties include, besides 1853
elementary teacher positions al
ready reported publicly, q num-
ber of assistant principalships
and junior high counselor posts.
Also apparently out the window
lare a new Hire Junior High
School. additions to Randall
Junior High and Payne Elemen-
Itary School, and 3 new elemen-
ltary school at Tenth and r
streets NE.
Disclosure Of the total budget
slash came as school officials
ALREADY were planning q plea
ito the Commissioners for resto-
ration Of the 1853 elementary
teachers.
1 To Seek Restoration
Schol Supt. Hobart M. Cor
lning late yesterday said the 1853
teachers are essential, and Board
Iof Education President G. Melvin
Sharpe said today he viii seek
ian early meeting with the Coni-
,lmissioners to press for their
restoration.
i DIR. Corning, in a public state
iIment yesterday. said regarding
the total budget slash that the
public schools have sustained a
loss which Is more extreme and
critical than any in recent
years"
/ He said failure to provide the
requested teachers viii make
iclasses oversize next fall and
that the school system viii not
lbe able to keep within the pres
tent 36-pupil class size standard.
/ School officials yesterday re-
lyealed that deletion Of the l63
teachers leaves no provision for
IAN expected elementary enroll
lment gain of at least 1000, Un.
less the Commissioners change
their minds, this win mean q
shortage Of at least 80 teachers
next September. they said.
| Class Reduction Plan
School officials hoped to hire
the 1853 teachers IN order To-
tbegin a tfltee-year program for.
.lreducing class sizes from q pres
lent standard Of SO pupils to 30.
AS matters stand now, 90
teachers must be hired merely
to maintain the 36-pupil stard-
lard. according to ofIicials. More
Ithan that would be needed to
make any progress toward 80.
Or. Corning yesterday did not
specifically mention the other
budget cuts. A reliable inform
iant said. however, that these in.
lcluded 81 elementary and four
vocational assistant principals
iand eight junior high counselors.
A special-teacher budget Of
$245. 900 also was repeatedly re-
duced by more than one-fourth.
although the city heads retained
i22 teachers for retarded pupils.
Other teachers asked in this cat
Iegory were for speech correction,
remedial reading, science, music
and art.
School Clerks Granted
The Commissioners granted q
request for 10 elementary school
clerks. however.
Besides the deleted construc.
tion projects. the city heads
Islashed more than $500, 900 Of
funds asked for permanent
building improvements and re-
pairs.
| Among projects still in the
budget are new crippled chill
dren's school and plan money for
a Southeast senior high.
Grand total Of the budget as
submitted by the School Board
was not quite $43 million. AS
cut back by the Commissioners,
| it now stands at something over
$37 million.