Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-03-13
District School
Fund Reviewed
By House Group
Officials Confer
With Committee
On Budget Roise
BY ALEX r. PRESTON

A District public schools
budget increased by $406,800 in
ia supplemental request from
President Eisenhower, was the
principal item being studied by
House Appropriations subcon :
mittee today.
The added amount. submitted
10 Congress yesterday. would
eliminate $275.000 in reserve
funds and trim $4,000 off the
public health program as SUBJ
mitted earlier by the President.
The supplementary request
yesterday was to finance higher
construction costs of two school
projects.
C. Melvin Sharpe, president
and Mrs. Arcadia Near Phillips.
vice president. of the Board OF
Education. along with Supt
Hobert M. Corning and other
school department officials were
closeted behind closed doors with
with the House Appropriations
subcommittee in charge OF the
District budget.
Release Held Up
Testimony of all witnesses will
be held secret until after the
hearings are completed and a
transcript is made. probably two
weeks or more from now.
In submitting the supplement
Itary request yesterday. President
Eisenhower revised the total
District budget figure from $206 8
million to $207.2 million.
The two projects for which a
higher estimate of construction
costs were made were new
elementary school near Texas
avenue and c street NE. orig
finally estimated at $4,000, and
"a replacement for an elementary
school in the vicinity of Mount
Olivet road and Holbrook street
NE, originally estimated at
81 100000.
The budget had contained only
$275.000 in reserve funds to meet
contingencies Of total operating
expenses of 1888 million. Be-
side wiping, out this small re-
serve. the supplementary request
would curtail the Health De-
.partment's budget
Addict Funds Cut
The narcotics program would
lose SAT 900. District budget Of
If1cers said:
THE upward trend in the
number Of patients sent TO the
United States Public Health
Service Hospital in Lexington,
Ky, has not been as great as
Originally estimated at the time
the budget requests were sub
United The re Used budget pro-
vides for daily average of 80
patients at an estimated cost of
$3.50 a day and $4,000 for travel
expenses.
The polio program was
trimmed by S40.939.
The polio vaccination pro-
gram is being accelerated to
provide ooster shots in the
tcurrentl fiscal year 1851" 1t
was explained. Consequently
funds will not be needed in 1858
and the budget revision reflects
this change.
The sum Of S6l.776 was made
available by reducing the cost of
stating new facilities It District
General Hospital. Bids for con-
structing laundry additions and
"a new operating suite have been
deferred for three months. the
Budget Office spokesman said.
Ambulance Fund Cut
The sum Of $17,685 was elimi-
mated from the original budget
with this justification:
First aid assistants have re-
placed interns on ambulances
The 1853 budget contains an
item covering increase salaries
for internS. The budget revision
reflects reduction of salary in
creaSes for seven interns
$685."
For care Of tuberculosis pa
tients at Glenn Dale Hospital,
$4,000 was trimmed off the
original estimate. 1t was eX-
planned that THE classification
survey of nursing positions had
been completed and does not re-
quire as much money as origin
ally estimated.
Among items in the budget
school officials were attempting
to justify at the closed hearings
before the appropriations SUBJ
committee were more than ST.
million for 2l2 additional ele-
mentary teachers. This would go
a long way toward reducing the
average elementary class size
from the present 35 to 80.
Senate Authorizes