Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1956-07-12

Editor:
AS 1 indicated Immediately af-
ter the action of the Montgomery
County Council on the School
Board budget, the Montgomery
County Council of Parent Teach
er Associations was sharply dis
appointed with the councils fail.
ure to restore all of the School
Boards budget request. We were
pleased that the board did re-
store funds for the Seven Locks
Road School, and for the Ken
sington Junior High School and
the Montgomery Knobs addi-
tons.
On the other hands, the failure
to restore the full amount for
teachers salaries and for certain
other operating expenses together
with the sustaining of the coun-
ty manager in the arbitrary Is
per cent and 8 per cent reduc-
ton in construction cost, were
real setbacks to progress in the
Montgomery school system.
One of the most disturbing
elements in the whole budget pro-
cess this year was the fact that
the council failed to make full
restoration after the overwhelni-
ing evidence presented at public
hearings.
The final action of the coun-
Gil tends to discourage participa-
ton in public hearings; the in
ference seems to be that nc mat
ter how many people represent
ing themselves and many others)
speak for higher standards in our
school system, the weight of evil
dence will be disregarded.
In deploring the action of the
council, an important distinction
should be made. Although the
action of the council on the final
appropriation resolution was un-
animous, several council MEM
bers tried to obtain more sub
stantial restorations. For exam
pie, when the final appropriation
resolution was passed Jerry T.
Williams and Charles H. Jamison
joined with J. Grahame Walker
and Mrs. Stella B. Werner in an
unsuccessful move to restore ov.
er 100000 to the funds for teach
ers salaries.
These council members are to
be commended for their indica.
ton of support for an adequate
salary scale and for their re-
Spouse to the expressed views of
Parent-Teacher Association MEM
bers throughout the county.
Paul c. Howard,
President, Montgomery
County Council of Parent.
Teacher Associations
Editor:
Almost all of the people who
are against the temporary clos
ing of the street known as Mon
roe Street extended are mer-
chants of the Rockville area who
are simply afraid the closing Of
said street will merely siphon off
the trade from the Rockville area
to shopping centers that are a.
building right now in the path
of the interchanges off the Ma
tional Pike.
AS for myself I am more than
tired of eating the dust created
by this unimproved Monroe
Street. q have tried for several
years to get the county to do
something for us in the way of
paving this mile and a quarter
of roadway / live on it.
l want it clearly understood
here and now that l will not go
on record for permanent clos
ing of Monroe Street now or ever.
l simply am willing to give in
TO the State Roads Commission
for the time being so that the
new National Pike can be expedit-
ed through that section that now
hangs in controversy.
This question has hung in the
balance long enough and l for
one think that here and now is
the time to settle Il once and for
all SO that the development Of
this Cabin John valley can get
started. 1t is a beautiful valley
and is overripe for the develop
ment that this new pike vii.
bring to it.
But, after all, in fairness to
everybody concerned II does seem
q little strange that the State
Roads Commission insists on the
closing Of this thoroughfare when