Evening star., 1960-02-09
Dr.. Hansen's
Unified PTA
Stand Raped
Independent Unit
Leader Opposes
Single City Group
By ANDREW w. BINGHAM
Star star Writer

One Of the leaders of the 18
independent home and school
associations today protested
Supt. Carl F. Hansen's request
that all such groups join the
citywide Congress of Parents
and Teachers.
Sometimes DR.. Hansen has
some good ideas" said Mrs.
Willard R. Culver, president of
the Coolidge High Home and
School Association. But some
times he goes off the deep end"
The implication was that
when the superintendent made
his request yesterday, he went
OF the deep end.
At a joint meeting of princi-
pals and PTA presidents-the
first such gathering ever held
here - DR.. Hansen said he
thought all parent teacher
groups would be strengthened
greatly" If they belonged to
one central organization.
Only through such member
ship. he said, could the individ-
ual PTAs see their own school
needs in relationship to those
of the entire community.
Cites Limitations
Mrs. Culver, herself a PTA
Congress official for five years,
vigorously dissented from DR..
Hansen's viewpoint.
Independent parent-teacher
groups can do more for their
schools without the limitations
imposed by the bylaws of the
central PTA group, she said.
The community benefits more.
she added. when voices in addi-
tion to those of the PTA Con-
gress are heard on educational
matters.
The Congress, she noted, has
made many overtures to the
home and school associations to
become members. IF the asSo-
Citations had wanted to join,"
she said, they would have
done so a long time ago."
Most Of the independent
home and school groups are
at the junior and senior high
school levei. The PTA Con-
gress currently represents 127
local school units.
The purpose of yesterdays
meeting, held in the Roose-
welt High School Auditorium,
was to go over the basic state
ment of principles involving
relationships between the PTA
and the schools. The state
ment was drawn up by a Joint
school-PTA committee, which
has been at work since the
disagreements last fall at
Lovejoy and Raymond Ele-
mentary Schools.
Hits at Gifts
Both DR.. Hansen and Mrs.
c. Rhodes Cox, president of
the PTA Congress, expressed
satisfaction with the state
ment. They also announced
that a special school-PTA
committee will be set up toI
handle any future disputes of
a serious nature between the
two groups.
The superintendent also
used the meeting to express
his opposition to any extensive
gift-giving from parents to
teachers. He said he would
rather reaffirm his opposition
to such a practice now than
just before Christmas, when
he would be called anti-Santa
Claus.
In addition DR.. Hansen re-
peated his belief that District
schools need a new admins
tratlon building c'the present
one is a disgrace to education
here or anywhere elseD and,
like those in all large urban
areas, the District schools
should have Federal aid for
education.
Mrs. Cox, who said the PTA
Congress would be happy. to
welcome into its organization
any of the independent home
and school associations, told
the group that it was unac-
ceptable practice for PTA's to
raise funds by sponsoring a
popularity contest" - with
students selling tickets at 10I
cents a piece, and the one SELL
ing the most getting a prize