Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1960-03-31
At Hearing from P.1
School Fund Cuts
Hit by ThrOng

School Fund Cuts
Hit by Throng
Grating budget, contended the
Board of Education had asked
for a "dispropOrtiOnate" in.
crease in dollars, compared to
the increase in school enroll
ment. The boards budget, he
said, represents a 20 per cent
boost over this years expendi-
lures, while enrolment has
risen only 8.13 per cent.
The councils presentation
drew occasional boos and
laughter from the audience.
On one occasion, Council
woman Stella Werner evoked a
hearty laugh from the throng
when, during a discussion of
school libraries, she told Yost:
Il don't know if you're familiar
with our libraries or not"
The discussion was prompt
ed by a CHE recommendation
that budget funds be deleted
for nighttime operation of
school libraries. Yost had con-
tended the proposed evening
program had social implica-
tons" because school libraries,
unlike public Libraries, could
not be properly policed.
On another occasion Mrs.
Werner asked YOst how many
members of his group had
Joined in authorizing the report
submitted by the trio. He re-
piled IL directors were present
when the document was ap-
proved.
Other speakers ganged up on
the CHE contingent, sharply
disputing their veiws on school
needs and questioning tie
accuracy of some of their sup
porting data. A majority also
assailed the Reese recommen-
dations.
The Board of Education and
Supt. c. Taylor Whittier also
came in for criticism from
spokesman for supporters of
its budget.
Reuben Sanders, president of
the Council of P-TA, told the
council continued progress
of the budget has been a series
of subtractions, deletions and
omissions" and said the super
intendent's recommendations to
the board represented "far less
in program than was presented
by his departmental admins
tration."
1.-THE board then, for reasons
we cannot endorse, proceeded
to eliminate to the place where
there not only is not fat but
where the very marrow is in
danger" Sanders continued.
Arthur D. Simonds, ir., execu-
tive secretary of the Montgom-
cry County Education Associa-
ton, accused Reese of "gross
errors" in his budget presenta-
ton and cited apparent errors
totaling more than $500,000 in
the managers calculations.
II would ask you sincerely
how much credence should be
given to this total document
when such gross errors are
apparent to anyone interested
in the computations involved"
SimOnds declared. Suffice 1t to
say that herein lies an error of
half a million dollars which, to
my mind, is difficult to either
explain or cOndone."
Irving Rodkin, member of
the committee from the Whea-
ton-Kensington area, pleaded
for a restoration of the budget
cuts with the assertion: I'VE
don't want status quo - we
want improvement. We want
to be guided by the welfare of
the kids, not by accountants"
The county's four branches
of the American Association of
University Women were repre-
sented by Mrs. E. w. Weber,
of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase
unit, who said the four groups
believe the Board of Educa-
tons budget represents a
reasonable effort to improve
our program of education while
at the same time extending our
facilities to take care of our
constantly expanding school
population"
Some of the speakers did not