Evening star., 1960-01-27
DC. Inaction
On School Hit
House Group Told
Of Deal Crowdine

District officials were sharply
criticized last night for leav-
ing up in the air a proposed ad-
dition for Alice Deal Junior
High School. which parents
told a congressional committee
IS suffering from "disgraceful"
crowding.
Wilbur D. Thomas, Ameri-
can University Park CritiZens
Association president, and Mrs.
Charles H. Roberts. speaking
for parents at nearby Wood
row Wilson High School, urged
the House District Appropria-
tions Subcommittee to provide
for an immediate eight-room
annex.
A four-room addition is now
part of a second submission"
budget request which cannot
be acted on until after pro-
posed tax increases and the
annual Federal payment are
decided.
Deals enrolment is now 345
over official capacity and classes
are meeting in the cafeteria,
library and a badly lighted
auditorium, the subcommittee
headed by Representative Ra-
baut, Democrat of Michigan,
was told. An English teacher
next week is scheduled to begin
conducting classes in a IS
foot-square basement anteroom
to a girls washroom, the wit
tnesseS said.
Recommends Visit
Surely those who Ired-pen-
ciled this item have 7 never
looked at conditions at Alice
Deal" Mrs. Roberts told the
subcommittee. She urged the
legislators to visit the school.
Failure to budget funds to
build a new Northeast Wash
ington junior high school also
drew fire from Charles NJ.
Rodgers, president of the Far
Northeast Council; Lee Meltzer
of the .Lamond Riggs Citizens
Association, and Harry A.
Layne, jr., president of Paul
Junior High School Home and
School Association.
| Mr.. Rodgers also wondered
whether budget officers counted
noses or visited the area" be-
fore deleting the item.
/ Mr.. Layne said Paul faces
serious crowding that can be
relieved only by new junior
high.
The Rabaut unit heard pleas
from Mr.. Rodgers and Walter
B. Lewis of the River Terrace
Community Association for
funds to build a Northeast
health center.
Peter Glickert of the Capitol
Hill-Southeast Citizens Asso-
citation urged the subcommittee
to drop planning funds for the
east leg Of the proposed inner
loop expressWay. He called the
leg, to run along Eleventh street
NE. and Sc, a six-lane ditch"
and charged that city officials
had failed to honor a pledge to
hold a legally required public
hearing.
Traffic Value Belittled
He asserted the proposed
freeWay would be Of little traf-
f1c value.
, Malcolm c. Henderson, vice
president OF the Friends OF the
Zoo. complained about delay in
financing Zoo Improvements.
Mr.. Rabaut blamed inaction by
regents of the Smithsonian In
stitution, who have failed to act
on a revamping Of Federal
District responsibilities for the
Zoos upkeep despite the SUBJ
committees prodding, he said.
Mr.. Henderson opposed any
idea of charging admission to
Zoo visitors.
Mr., Rabaut commended a
plea of Mrs. Clarence E.
Fisher of Northwest Settlement
House and Mrs. Lawrence
Lesser of Chevy Chase, Md,
for an expansion of the school
systems free-lunch plan for
needy children.
Provision for more housing
inspectors was urged by Miss
Anna S. Miller, executive di-
rector of the Washington
Housing Association. Jack
Goldberg of the Friends of
Forest Haven, retarded chill
oren's center, urged expan-
sion Of its activities.