Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1958-01-16
BY Mildred Hartman

BY a 17-vote margin, the
Montgomery County Civic
Federation Monday vote d
against proposal that the
county manager should be
barred from cutting t h e
school budget.
The action, in a 1881 vote,
took place at the regular meet
ing of the Federation in the Per
petual Building in Bethesda.
A special committee set up
more than year ago to make a
factual study of a fiscally indie
pendent School Board, headed
by DR.. Robert Marvin, proposed
a resolution in which the County
Council would act directly on the
Board of Education's budget
thus by-passing the county man
ayers official recommendation.
g 1t was noted that the Council
may reach decision to adopt or
lower the Board budget by a sim
pie majority vote but in order to
raise it a 50 vote is necessary.
The county manager, accord
ing to the proposal, would be re-
quired to include in his budget
transmitted to the Council, his
comments or recommendations
on the Board of Education bud
get but the budget on which the.
Council would act would be that
of the Board.
David Macdonald, dissenting
member of the Committee, de-
clared that the county manager
was in a position to gain a birds
eye-view of the county and bal
ance the needs of each depart
ment against the whole. The fact
that the board is elected does
not make it sacrosanct they
are not charged with watching
the purse strings, he said.
bi"Let us preserve the county
continuity and not show pref
erence to any group" said Mrs.
Rose Poll, who opposed the
measure.
II Blair Lee III, delegate to the
Maryland General Assembly, de-
elared the passage of the pro-
posal would do great violence
to the concept and structure of
the Montgomery County Charter.
He pointed out that the Council
and the School Board have
closed sessions together and that
the Council has first hand
knowledge of the needs of the
schools.
Robert Hacken asked: IF you
AXE away sorne of the county
managers prerogatives where
win you stop?" What is good for
one activity is equally good for
another, he said.
DIR. Harold Morris, in speaking
for the proposal said the county
manager arbitrarily cuts the
boards budget because he does
Mt know where to cut it. A
Whispered chorus of mos" fol
Bowed this statement.
The debate on the resolution
lasted more than two hours.
The Federation approved a res
olution urging that no decision
be reached in respect to the
D. C. portion of the Washington
National Pike until such time as
the Commissioners of the Dis
trict of Columbia, the Commits
sioners of the Maryland State
Roads Commission, The Mary
land-National Capital Park and
Planning Commission and the
Montgomery County Council
have met for the purpose of co
ordinating in a selection of the
entire route of the Washington
National Pike from the end of
the present approved right of
way to its terminus in the Dis
trict.
1t also approved a resolution
dalling for an extension of the
Federal Impact Act from its
termination date of June 30,
1858.
A unanimous vote called for
the overriding of the governors
veto on lib. 253 raising teach
ers' salaries by $500 over the 1857
level. Delegate Lee spoke in
favor of this proposal, remark
ing that if the bill becomes eff
fective it will be one of the very.