Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1959-08-22
School Aid: Unfinished Business
From The Christian Science Monitor

Where are the classroom needs of yesteryear?" to
msquote the poet Answer Still with us. At the first
of this the United States Office of Education re-
ported shortage of classrooms totalng 100000 Also
that the nation will be short by $4,000 qualified teachers
next year.
Last February on behalf of the administration.
Representative Peter Frenghuysen Jr introduced bill
for federal aid to school construction fill in the gap
left by the defeat of the administrations school aid
of 1858 -.-.a..- - - -
In brief. this bill would extend help to school dis
tcts IN floating and retiring bonds for the purpose of
classroom building Each districts ability pay would
be reviewed annually and supplemental aid would be
shared half and half between state and federal govern
ments Since aid would follow not precede construction
TINS measure would not affect this years federal budget
But the bill has received little attention in Congress
Meanwhile the Murray Metcaf bill was introduced
IN both Senate and House. patterned after proposals of
me National Education Association This measure
frankly placed the nations educational problems ahead
OF budget considerations and went relatively "alout"
toward meeting the nations needs for cassrooms
ana Tor more qualified teachers To win congressman
who backed off from the size of it's price tag the House
Education Committee scaled down the Murray Metcaf
oil and reported favoraby 1t has since marked time
IN the House Rules Committee stymied both by the hos
Tile attitude OF that group and by growing indications of
official opposition by the Roman Catholic Church Ito the
bllls substituting pubc-school teachers salaries)
In this situation the Senate Labor and Public We'll
fare Education subcommittee composed of four Demo-
Gratis and three Republicans moved to get an education
bl that Congress would likely enact The result has
oeen bill bearing the of Senator Lister Hill of
Alabama, and bearing also close similarity to the adj
mnistrations bill of 1857. That was an excellent bill
which the President supported and which was defeated
cy narrow margin largely due to lack of communica-
ton between the White House and Capitol Hill
NOW Secretary of HEALTH Welfare and Education
arthur s. Flemming is launching drive behind the
Frelnghuysen bill in the face of Congress determined
to adjourn by September l. And he has indicated ad-
mnistratlon opposition to the Hill bill "in conflict
WIN the current fiscal policy of the President
that Mr. Eisenhower might veto it.
Such possibility suggests strange paradox-the
President vetoing what is practically his own 1857 mea
Inc political capital that might be made of this is
OBVIOUS But there are serious questions
flsca soundness manifestly is government i'm
peratlve But maintaining the soundness of nations
euucatonai system should be viewed more invest
ment than budget-upsetting expenditure Congress
would be remiss indeed it to adjourn leaving the
school problem untouched But the President would be
no ess 70 blame II Congress chose to enact the Hill bill
were he to veto approach he himself had urged q
short two years ago.