Evening Star Newspaper, December 16, 1927, Page 6

5 i SCHOOL LAND PRICE | LAWHITBY BALLOU Superintendent Declares Re- striction Menaces 5-Year Building Program. ' Twaisefing the congressional restric tion which prehibits the purchase of Jand for school purposes at a_price in excess of 125 per cent of the prop- erty’s asseased value as n menace to the carrying out of the five.year achool building program, Dr. Frank W, Ballou. superintendent of schools. meeting last night with members of the Board of Education, school officials and representativea of the various civic organizations in a confarence on the 19. school budget, declared that this iimitation presents the most im- portant problem now confronting the. eitizens of the District of Columbia. Dr. Ballou presented a statement of the status of the 1929 school budget a it is now hefore Congress, which show ed that the School Board's estimate of $15,386,243 had been reduced by the District Commissioners and the Bureau of the Budgat to a total of $12,156,130. The greatest single cut in the board’s estimates, the superintendent pointed out, was in the funds sought for the purchase of lands for school sites and playgrounds. While the board appeal ed for $1,419,600 for the purchase of 33 tracts. Dr. Ballou said. the budget nted to Congress earries ap- ations for only two parcels of land at $95.000. The superintendent told the as- sembly that $460,000 that had been ap ' propriated for other school lands was at present “tied up” because the Dis- trict w unable te purchase the par- cels at a price within the 125 per cent limitation. He suggested as a possible structures to public henith and deolared a real danger in ables at once, even though it would mean the establish- ment of additional part-time classes, was met with support and condemna- tion, and although two separate mo tions centering about an expression of opinion on the choice between the two “evils" were offered sul uently, it finally was decided to “table” the whole question. Clifford Shoemaker, representing the Randle Highl Cltizens' Associa- tien, od . Ballou how the portables might be withdrawn from Service this year. The superintendent answered that thelr enmination could be accomplished only by appropriating sufficient funds to complete the five. year huilding program, which, he said, ultimately will obliterate the necessity of their use anyway, Later in the meeting, Mr, Shoemaker moved that the assembly go on record approving of the removal of all portables even if additlonal part:time classes would be. come necessary. The motion was sec- onded by Mr. Stull, but before a vote could be tal Mra. Alfred Savage representing Cl Chase Home and School Association, declared the choice between part-time classes and portables should lle with the parents informally. that_his own little portable in hin where ho other type of school existed, so that consideration of rt-lime classes in that case woulo useless He said that while he felt a votg on the question as put from the floor would be “inappropri; he' would be interested to know how‘ru % ents felt about having their children in portable bulldings as compared with having them receive three hours instruction a duy In classes us against the regulation five hou He reminded thoge present that imination of the 75 portables would tesult In the pl g of those classes on & part-time basis as well as another 75 classes which would be obliged to share their time with the first group, A supplementary motion suggesting m to ancortain the wishes of the parents regarding the portables a part-time classes Babp, representative of the Line Park tizens' Assoclation, and a cepted by Mr. Shoemaker. In the dis: cussion which followed, howe: it was Indicated that the attendanta at the conference felt the matter should not be dispoxed of at that meeting and Savage made a motlon that the en tion W the part-time’] that the School Board conduct a refer. then put by David A8 The sicuation be Ho: Diliides’ Commission far - | ment. 1 nts were in danger of ury, and fn which on at least three pupils and a teacher actually had been Hurt in falls in the dark of the halls and stairways, was pre sented at the meating b va. Annle Robey, president of the Van Ness Par- ent:Teacher Association, in an appeal for praper lighting of the Neas School, Fourth and N atreets south- east, Mrs, Robey, who with Mrs, I T. Leapley, principal, represented ti interesta of that sohaol, declared thi the bullding is without light of any sort following the remaval some time ago of its gas-lighting equipment and the Installation of electrio fixtures. Distant Cables Prevent Light. Rince the change was made, Mrs, | Robey said, no ourrent had beon switched into the building. This was explained by Dr. Hallou and Steph: . Kramer, first assistant superinten 1 | ent of achools, who said that the el trie conduits were too far removed from the bullding for the Patomac Blectric Power (o, to run a current ne without “excessive expense” which the District would have to bear, After hearing the plaint of the Van Neas Sehool representatives, August Pheger of the Southeast Citizens’ As. sociation suggeated that eurrent could drawn from the Yard \ bted He ted to that b st Charles A, Allen, reprqsenting the Harrison Parent-Teacher Asasocia tion, urged speedy action on the erec. tion of a new health school for colored pupils, Walter Irey of the Takoma Park Assoclation wanted informa- tion on the courses to be offered at the new MeKinley Technical High 8chool, and Dr, Ballou explained that, as here: students desiring technical no matter what section of they may live in, will be per to attend that school, He add od that as the same academlc college preparatory course glven at Central and Western will be avalluble at the new Tech also. the puplls who live in the vicinity of the new school will be expected to attend It classes, When (eorge A. Warren, speaking for the Mid.City Citizens' Assoclation, asked the superintendent for an espl nation of the dropping from the bud of the »ppropriation for the new Busi ness High School, Dr, Balloy explained that since the high school congestion in comparatively less urgent than the elementary achool condition, it had been agreed by the authorities to ad. vance the elementary projects first In the five-vear program, with a view to eliminating rt-time classes. There are no part-time classes in any of the high schaol Ballou pointed out. explanation of the wholesale elimina- tion of further school ground appro- priations the realigation by the Com- missioners and the Budget Bureau of- . ficials of the futility of trying to buy lands under the present restriction. Sees Dificulty in 1930, Declaring that unless some means is devised to permit the purchase of school sites great difficulty will be ex. perienced in the preparation of the 1930 school hudget by virtue of the fact that the buildings authorized by the five-vear building pregram cannot * b erected if the sites are not in hand. Dr. Ballou =aid that the 125 per cent limitation, which has prevented the ‘District from making the necessary land purchases, is in effect an actual *“menace” to the building program. “I am of the opinjon that mothing more impertant cenfronts the public of the District today than this problem of the 125 per cent limitation,” he said. “Not only is it a problem so far as it eoncerns school sites, but it involves also playgrounds and parks. As 1 see © it, it is & vital question in the develop- ment of Washington.” Dr. Ballou explained the details of the operation of the price restriction. | He recalled that while Con; has stipulated that ne sites shall be hought at & price in excess of 125 per cent of . the wvalue, the tax laws of the District require that all properties be * assessed at their full value, Even when the District has entered condem- nation proceedings for the acguisition . of property, he said, juries have placed the value of the lands abeve the © limitation. 5 “It is up to you,” Dr, Ballou de- * clared, “to determine what you want dane about the 125 per cent limitation, © and, as I see it, it is the most impor- 1 tant thing at which you can direct yeur attention.” P W. J. LaVarre, who, with Willlam McK. Clayton, represented the Board of Trade at the conference, suggested that all th:l nrruh?uon- ref At m should u o Tave the re: . moved by Congress. He declared that “this would be an opportyne time to on record as favering the removal the limitation.” Warns of Suspleion, J. G. Yaden, president of the Federa- tion of Citizens' Assoclations, ad- i Ke Lof + | dressed "the chairman, Isaac Gans, member of the Board of Education, : soynding a warning against action - aimed at the price limitation, He said “ that it had been shown that in many { cages the owners of property which the District t for achool purposes had asked as high as 250 per cent of the assessed value, while in the ma- : Jority of cases the asked price is 176 H cent or more of the assessed value. “You go up to the Capitol and tell them yeu can't huy property at 125 - member the law says property sha 1. 'ba assessed at its full value—tell them you must pay as high as 250 per cent of that value, and Congress is going 1o s=ay ‘there’'s something rotten in Denmar Mr. Clayton was the next speaker, Declaring that "we have tried te oper- ate under the 125 per cent restriction without getting anywhere for a year,” he suggested the District “try te oh- tain a removal of the restriction to see how that works.” No action was taken by the assem bled representatives of the various ejvie and trade bodies, hewever. Wants #1 Classrooms. Among the other items mentioned specially by Dr, Ballou in his brief review of the budget as it has been allowed to reach Congress is an ap propriation for 91 classrooms to he made available during 1929, This i the highest number of rooms e: axked for in a single budget, the su- perintendent pointed out, and he de- clared “we should he appreciative” to the District Commissioners and to the Bureau of the Budget for allowing that item to remain. An increase of $10,000 in the fund allowed for manual training'instruc- tion was permitted to remain in the budget, byt a sharp eut was made into the sought appropriatien for “the care of buildings and grounds.” The Board of Education estimated ita 1929 needs for janitorial positions and 3 Commissionars, h school board’s estim the Budget Bureay made a fu duction of asked-for Congress 1o 3 Dr. Ballou de. elared these re jons have brought the total fund “to a dangerously low | level Dr. ¥ h liou charaeterized the budget been presented to Congress 8% “an_ excellent hudget but for the one serious handicap of the land-pur chasing restrici results.” apd de spite the discussion upon that single exception, the budget was indorsed hy those present. Edmund W. Scott, president of the Parents' League of the District of Columbia. made the mo- tion that it be indorsed and Mr, Yaden ¢ w-eomied the action, which was car #:3¢ unanimously by the vote of the 110 representatives present, In the apen forum following Dr, Bal- Jou's presentation of the budget state- ment several items of current xehoo) interest—notably the status of the 75 portable schoolhouses in use in the | District—were discussed, | | Condemns One-room Portabl H. N_Stull, president of the Sianton Park Citizens’ Associs that group’s official reperse the | ANDIRONS and FIRE SCREENS FRIES, BEALL & SHARP 734 10th St. N.W. ited | 1927 Sale Our Most Important Suits and Overcoats Taken from regular stock does A new suit, not expect until well a new overcoat—why and offered at savings one after the Midwinter period it wouldn’t seem like Christmas to a man unless he had one or the other, or both! 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