Evening star., 1958-07-07
REPORT CARD: 1858
Alexandra Schools
Rank Among Best
By JOHN M. ROSSON
star stan Writer

By JOHN M. ROSsON
star star writer
Nowhere in the Washington
area is there q school system
more to be envied than that of
Alexandra.
In terms OF available class
rooms, the quality Of teaching
and the pupil-teacher ratios.
the statistics usually referred
to in evaluating school sys-
tems-Alexandria ranks among
the best. On some points it.
tops the list.
School officials even lay
claim to a lack of major prob
lens Of any description.
To explain this phenomenon,
a condition almost nonexistent
in other nearby systems. ON
cials point Immediately to a.
familiar motto: Lets plan
ahead"--the long-standing by
word Of School Supt. T. C. Will
lian1s. associated with the
system for rs years, and a
hard-working school board.
Not Easy
To Alexandria, planning
ahead has m e eant keeping
school construction and the re-
cruiting Of teachers at the
same rate Of increase as enroll
ment, the object Of every
system. But there It apparently |
has worked.
1T hasn't been easy" one
official said. "but somehow
we've done it."
The systems new budget for
1850 is q record SAG million.
more than twice the figure of |
10 years ago. and 5000, 900
more than the city appropriated
last year.
While much of the old
budget was devoted to con-
struction, most of the new one
viii 60 for additional person.
mel to teach in the new build
ings and to fill other personnel
gaps. And so the pattern has
run for the last few years, al
ways with the emphasis on |
maintaining equilibrium.
schools without teachers |
aren't schools" one observer |
commented.
Pupil enrolment, too, has,
more than doubled in the last !
= 10 years, and now stands at an |
all-time high Of 13,006. More !
than 500 additional students |
will enter the system in Sep
tember.
Steady Building Pace
Alexandria began early and
subsequently has maintained a
steady but not back-breaking |
pace in school construction.
The system now has 10 ia
cilities, is elementary schools.
three high schools and one
school for eighth graders. |
About half Of the 10 are less
than IL years old.
The newest high school,
Francis Hammond, was built
in 1867. In 1878 an ele-
mentary school was added. And
scheduled for opening in the
fall are two more elementaries !
and an eight-room addition to
an existing one.
With the present building
spree ended, officials now are
concentrating on acquiring ad-
ditional teachers, but keeping In |
mind the purchase Of new sites
for future classroom construc-
ton. One already has been
bought.
Over 600 Teachers
The teaching stan now stands
at q record 6o7, with lS new
instructors I'd be added next
fall. The stan figure last year
was 584.
Since the systems pay scale
for holders Of bachelor Of arts
degrees runs from $1,000 to
$4,000, average or better for the
area. recruiters are not offering
new teachers an increase in pay |
Instead. they are pointing to
one Of the best pupil-teacher
ratios in the area. The high |
school ratio is % to /. The ele-
mentary school figure is 20 to /.
They also are pointing to the !
systems scholastic record. con-
sidered by State educators as
lone Of the best in Virginia"
The city's high school grad
yates have chalked up q "phe- |
nomenal record in college |
achievements" one officiall
said, an obvious result of the
classroom standards we MAIN
tain"
One Of the standards, it was
pointed out, is the offering of |
advanced studies to the gifted |
child at the eighth-grade level |
Others viii be added as they |