The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1955-03-11

MegeI said the information was oh
tanned from teachers coast-to-coast
in answer to single question, "Wh.
is federal aid for school housing nee
essary in your community" He de
clared cit shouts immediate need" fol
enactment of the bipartisan fedora
aid for school construction bill spon
sored by Sen. Lister Hill and 80 other
senators, in preference to the Eisen
hover recommendations
'tIn Massachusetts,, !" Megel declared
"a school erected in 1913 is still in
use. Health and safety violations are
common, with many schools having
outdoor toilets, no running water, and
old fashioned stoves, one to a school"
"WEALTHY" STATES NEED AID
Megel said it appeared from the
survey that so-called wealthy areas. !"
such as New York, Illinois, Michigan,
Ohio and other regions, which once
spurned federal aid, are now as handl-
capped as less moneyed states.
The AFT president said the replies
1IOin tScSilNlSs ICSCifCd IL SAiN
vey, were being sent to Senator Hill
in Washington. He made public ex-
cerpts from about rs of them, which,
he said, "give a fair idea of the ma
tional school plight.
In Chicago, the nations second
greatest and congested area, John
M. Fewkes, Chicago Teachers Union,
Local 1, summed up:
For the next six years, children
already born will increase the school
population by 10000 every year. 1t
will require Is new elementary
schools each year to house this in
crease alone.
eff the Is new elementary schools
are not built, 10000 more pupils will
go on double shift (half day. each
year. By 1860, the high school popu-
lation will double. Several of the 43
Chicago high schools are already on
extended day (overlapping) pro-
grams.
Inadequate school opportunities
are clearly one cause of juvenile de-
DOUBLE SESSIONS
Wrote Kenneth C. Fitzgibbons,
Contra Costo County (Calif.) Fed
Grafton of Teachers, Local 866:
Thousands of students in my area
are attending classes on double ses-
sions.' Many more are crowded into
large classes under substandard
teachers. Not far from here is a school
that does not even have running water
for drinking and sanitation, and the
students have to commute TO nearby
buildings for these purposes.
''The state loan program has helped
to prevent statewide disaster, but it
is not nearly enough to provide an
adequate program or facilities"
Will G. Vorpagel, Pueblo (Colo.)
Federation of Teachers, Local SGT,
reported: "School buildings (here)
that have been condemned are still
in use. In one of our buildings, school
is dismissed in windy days because
of the hazard to the children.
COAL BINS FOR CLASSES t
OOllS u OuT ScIlOOlS are on uOuDlG
sessions; most do not have enough {
equipment to do the job, and practi-
cally all buildings are overcrowded 6
Teachers loads are unreasonably high /
n the state, and this undoubtedly ac-
counts for the high rate of teachers f
eaving for states that demand less !
md offer more" a
David S. Kramer, Fort Wayne a
(Ind.) Teachers Council, Local 700, t
wrote:
Local property taxes are at t
very high figure and if increased will h
'ecome confiscatory, and make home
ownership impossible. Our school
population is increasing faster than
chool construction.
"The large number (of students)
n each school has been a health fac
or of spreading disease, and in some
asses former showers, shops and coal
ms are being used as classrooms. The
afety factor is being violated. We