Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-06-02
No Job for Bond-Aids

The current series of joint congress
sional hearings is serving the very useful
purpose of putting the needs of District
schools into proper perspective and
laying to rest, in the process, some mis-
guided ideas about how to treat them.
One Of these misguided ideas is the
hope, apparently held by members Of
the House District Committee, that the
appropriation of large amounts of money
for school construction can be avoided,
or at least curtailed, by various make
shift economies.
Chairman Mcmillan has suggested,
for example, that double shifts are be-
coming increasingly prevalent in schools
around the country and he has Won
dered, If that is so, why they should
not be used here. At another point,
he wanted to know why the local school
board has made no plans to transport"
students from over crowded neighbor-
hoods to schools in other areas of the
city where there are empty classrooms.
Superintendent Hansen promptly
and properly rejected both of these
overtures. Double shifts unfortunately
are necessary evil in too many local
tiles. Indeed, some 2,540 pupils are en-
rolled in part-time classes in the District
of Columbia today. But the effort Of
enlightened parents, teachers and school
boards everywhere is to move away from
this practice as soon as possible-not to
encourage it.
The idea Of transporting students
out Of their own neighborhoodS to va
cant classroom across the city would
be no less a backward step. AS DR.. Han
sen pointed out, the time, cost and edu-
cational disruption of such program
would violate the Districts sound con-
cept that children should attend classes
in community schools" near their
homes. If memory serves, Southern
congressman were quite firm a few
years ago on the point that District
children should not be carted from one
part of the city to another as a means
of bringing about integration-as school
systems in some other cities have done.
DR.. Hansen told Congress of his oppoSi-
ton to any such policy then, and he is
equally right in opposing it to accom-
plish a different purpose now.
Such proposals as these are self
defeating. The crux of the school prob
lem in Washington is found in the sta
tiStics which DR.. Hansen placed in the
hearings record-such statistics as
these: That rising enrollments will
create a shortage of 348 claSSrooms in
elementary schools next year, short
age which will grow to 755 clasSrooms
by 1871 unless corrective action is taken;
that the District needs 1T elementary
school counselorS to provide a ratio Of
one for every $50 students; that there
are only two regular librarians in ele-
mentary schools; that there is not
enough money for supplies and text
books; that some schools are so damned
that classes are held in partitioned audi
forums, in Easements, in every space
not prohibited by the fire marshal"
The District, however, will have no
more than So million to spare for new
school construction during the next fis-
cal year-aS against realistic need for
more than 10 times that amount-unlesS
Congress passes legislation to authorize
a major part or all of the increased
revenues requested by the Commission
ers and the White House.
The need, in short, is for concen-
trated, massive treatment to restore the
declining health of our schools. Their
injuries are too severe to be patched
up with band-aids.