Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-11-02


It Is q senseless waste Of
tax funds to close Hoffman,
Boston High School.
Hoffman-BoSton students
would then be transported by
bus, provided at taxpayer ex-
pense, to the other Arlington
high schools. It is senseless
because H-B has fewer stu
dents than capacity and the
three other high schools are
now over capacity.
Figures from the Arlington
School Department Of Re-
search show that, as Of Sep
TENDER this year. Wakefield
had 395 students more than
it was designed to hold,
Washington and Lee had an
average Of 800, and York 2s1
extra. whereas Hoffm an
Boston this year has room
for 20 more students than
now attend.
If this ABC decision is al
lowed to stan I'D, September
1864 will find land again I
quote figures prepared by the
schools own research de-
partment) Wakefield 1875 per
cent over capacity, w g. L
overcrowded by 15.5 per cent
and Yorktown 20 per cent.
Hoffman-Boston will have
empty classrooms.
! predict that II Hoffman
Boston High School is closed
in 1864 the ABC School
Board viii discover" these
empty classrooms and in
1865 they will attempt to fill
them by busing In white
junior high school children
from distant areas. Again
new buses would be pur-
chased and additional oper-
ating expenses created.
Abe Is establishing an ar
tificial ondition whic h
would shuttle students willy
nilly in all directions at great
and unnecessary costs to the
taxpayers.
Hoffman-Boston Is a mod
ern structure worth over 50
million. One-third Of o mil
lion dollars was spent recent
ly for a new addition. The
Oldest part Of the building is
only IL years old.
James ]. Matthews
= = &R
One Of the big issues in the
Arlington County Board
campaign is over Hoffman,
Boston High School, the vot-
ers' mandate to keep the
school open, and what be-
came Of the funds voted In a
previous election to modern
lie and enlarge the high
school.
Ruth O'Dell Cox, school
board chairman, made q spur
ious and ABC-oriented de-
tense of an officious and ma
lodorous act on the part OF
the school and county
boards.
Mrs. Cox, however, avoids
the question many voters are
asking: What happened to
the funds provided by the
electorate for the moderniza-
ton of Hoffman-Boston? BY
what authority did she anc
her fellow members decide to
close the high school in face
Of the voters orders to keep
it open?
If hauling $50 Hoffman.
Boston students to distant
high schools will require nc
additional buses, why have
we been paying for these
buses In the past when un-
needed?
We have been told con.
tinually that the white high
schools are overcrowded
How, then, can these addi-
tional pupils be placed ir
these already overcrowdec
schools unless a additional
claSSrooms are provided? 1
the funds are not to come
out of the proposed bond is
sue, then Mrs. Cox's board
must contemplate using the
funds voted for Hoffm a n
Boston, If they have not al
dy been frittered away
elsewhere.
ABC (Arlingtonians for 6
B setter County-or is Il
Bankrupt County"?) have
had complete control of the
county and school boards FOL
five years. Debt, taxes anC
property assessments h ave
skyrocketed during tina
time.
I'm tired of it. I'm wear.
of seeing good schools aban'
doned In the interest Of con
tinuing an imaginary emer'
gency. I'm sick of ABC ant
its free-spending, self-serv'
ing policies.
Charles w. Carter