Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-08


litter indignation when teacher
>~--------------
The District Board Of Edueotion hos de
| elored thot Washington public school
| urgently need more teachers. This
the fifth Of series OF articles o
whot q Stor staff reporter found
the eity's elossrooms.
much social service and welfar
work.
/ 6. Teachers are quitting tn
profession because of the frus
tration. of big classes and over
work.
AS planned, the program woult
take three years to achiev
the 30-pupil average.
The estimated number o
teachers needed to reach thi
goal currently is $50, an increas
of about a seventh in the city
total teacher force and an in
crease of slightly over a fourtl
lin that of the elementary schools
The added cost would probabl,
be around So million annually
(The schools now have abou
$500 teachers, and this year.
school budget is about $32.5 mil
Ilion.)
Would Cut Some Glasses
What would this program &C
Icomplish?
It would not set a 30-pupi
ceiling on all classes because tn
Icity's elementary children ar
under 125 roofs and can't b.
|shuffled unremittingly. But
would cut most classes by hal
Ia dozen pupils from the presen
level. which is what teachers sa.
lis the margin between good ant
presently inadequate teaching.
1t would also give the entir,
school system a cushion, so tina
when juggling had to come.
wouldn't hurt so much.
A year ago, the Board of Edu
cation also approved the basi
for new stating program TO
the. city's Junior and senior higl
schools.
! In these schools, up to nov
administrators have been salts
/! fed If pupils averaged out to 2
per teacher in junior highs an
rs per teacher in senior high.
But these averages represen
practically nothing in the wa
of actual class sizes, which var
widely according to subject.
The board ditched this method
providing instead for averaging
only basic academic classes eng
fish, math, etc), and budgetinl
extra teachers for shops ant
other special subjects.
DR.. Carl F. Hansen, in charg
iof high schools, recently pro
posed an outright ceiling of 81
on the academic classes. Thi
hasn't been acted on.
Last summer the Board O.
Education asked the Distric
Commissioners to approve thu
first one-third of the new teach.
ers it wants for elementary
schools.
The Commissioners turned
this down fiat.
On junior and senior highs
the board ignored its new for
Imula and volunteered a So
teacher, three year cutback
Later it reversed itself, but tn,
Commissioners ignored the re
versal and urged making TIN
Icutback immediate.
Yesterday. it was reported
that congressional subcommit
tee had decided to grant some
what more teachers than the A
the Commissioners approved.
1t was also reported that tn
subcommittee Endorsed a junior
senior high cutback, however.
Prospects Ahead
! What the final appropriation
will be remains to be seen. Thu
prospect. meanwhile, is this:
Elementary schools will neet
Iaround 100 teachers next Sep
TENDER simply to meet new en-
rollment. If they get only 40, tn
present class average will b
boosted to 81 or 38.
High schools would need, &C
cording to DR.. Hansen, A NOR
teachers to eliminate classe
over 80 and begin needed RENE
dial work. If they lose teachers
mot only will classes stay big ant
the remedial program be threat
ened. but some courses may hav'
Ito be dropped.
Junior highs, according t.
Asst. Supt. Lawson J. Cantrell
would need so teachers to NEE
the new official standard. If the,
lose teachers, it will also jeopar
die remedial work.
| If fewer than 1870 more teach
ers are provided, according Il
Supt. Hobart M. Corning, mex
fall the junior-senior high cut
backs will be inevitable. Ant
more teachers and children will
be scrambled, once again inflam
ing parents.
THE situation will be 'robbinl
Peter to pay Paul all over again
and everybody will suffer-" on
official said.
Tomorrow: Double Failure
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