Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-10-25
1OO-Teac|1er
Shortage Seen
Here in Fall
School Budget Cuts
To Enlarge Glasses,
Zellers Reports
By JAMES q. DEANE

The District Commissioners, by
lslashing 1853 elementary teachers
from next years school budget.
have raised the prospect Of a
shortage Of almost 100 teachers
next September. school ofiicials
lsaid today.
| The Commissioners. when they
made the teacher slash late last
week. apparently thought they
were merely vetoing plans to
start a three-year program for
reducing class sizes.
| Actually, school officials re-
vealed, the majority Of the de-
leted So teachers would simply
meet added enrolment. with no
effect on class size standards.
With the 1853 added teachers,
Glasses would still average almost
1876. Without them. officials said,
1.-THE expectation is now that an
Expected 1000 or more neW
pupils will be piled in on the
present teaching force, and
CLASSES will become bigger, in
stead Of smaller.
ZeIlers DiscI0ses Worry
Deputy School Supt. Charles
IN. Zellers disclosed the new
shortage worry. Mr.. zellers late
yesterday sent q memorandum
to Supt. Hobart M. Corning in
which he pointed out that on
the basis of an elementary en-
Irollment prediction Of 5S.75I
next fall. the schools will need
100 additional regular elementary
teachers.
No additional regular class
room teachers are provided In
the budget as It was blue-pen-
ciled by the Commissioners, Mr..
Zellers pointed out. As a result,
the elementary schools at the
moment stand to be short
stated by that number of teach
ers, II the enrolment prediction
holds UP.
Mr.. Zellers said he believes
part of the 99-teacher shortage
might be Offset by cutting back
the secondary teacher force and
transferring salaries. Secondary
schools have a teacher surplus
In terms Of class-siZe averages.
and Mr.. Zellers. who has charge
iof school business affairs, has
advocated a cutback Of 50 teach
lers on this level.
Other Ofiicials Differ
Other ranking school officials
told The Star today they do not
feel the secondary schools can
spare many, II any. teachers
without eliminating courses,
however. One top ofiicer said
Inc felt 1t is urgent tor obtain
funds to hire the needed teach
lers without secondary slash.
4 Board of Education members
Jas well as school officials said
they were seriously concerned
about Mr.. Zellers' new analysis
lof the teacher situation.
| Board President C. Melvin
Sharpe said he planned to see
DR.. Corning about It this after
noon. He said he would prob
Iably suggest that DR.. Corning
seek an immediate conference
with the Commissioners.
/ Board Member West A. Hamil-
ton said there was no question
the city heads should be asked
Ito reconsider their teacher slash.
He said he planned to urge Mr.
Sharpe to summon the full
school board to visit the Com
missioners.
We've got to have 100 teach
ers even II It's necessary to cut
somewhere else" he said.
Favors Speedy Action
Another board member said he
favored converting an emergency
meeting to consider the situa-
tion.
| Col. Hamilton said he had al
ready told Commissioner Samuel
Spencer this morning that the
school system must have some
more teachers to meet rising
enrolment. He said Mr.. Spencer
made no reply. Col. Hamilton
said at the time he did not know
of Mr.. zeller's new analysis.
School officials said no partic-
ular point was made Of the need
for some Of the 1853 teachers
asked in the budget request
simply to meet new enrolment.
A key city official yesterday said
he was not aware this was the
case and that he had assumed
all 1853 teachers were wanted
merely to reduce class sizes.
The school system has plotted
Ia three-year program for estab-
Fishing the proposed 30-pupil
elementary class standard. with
the 1853 teachers being intended
as the first step.
Expectations Of higher ENROLL
Iment were taken into account In
planning this program. but one
|official said today enrolment
ALREADY has outstripped predic-
Etions and that the intended 489-
teacher increase now must be
revised upward.
I Elementary classes at present
are not even on the 36-pupil
standard. The city-wide aver
Iage is slightly above this level.
and many classes are In the 4Os.
The teacher force cannot be
spread evenly because classes are
not all under one roof. officials
stressed.