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CHAPTER II. FEDERAL AID FOR SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION

AN ANALYTIC SUMMARY OF THE ISSUE 1

A. NATURE OF THE QUESTION

The following discussion deals with the general question of Federal participation in financing school construction in the States. The study does not relate especially to the federally affected localities for which some Federal aid for school construction is already provided under Public Law 815, 81st Congress, as amended. This report does refer particularly, however, to those States which have comparatively low economic and fiscal capacities in relation to their needs for school construction.

The question of Federal aid for school construction has received congressional consideration at intervals over a period of many years. The scope of the question and the nature of the legislative proposals have varied from time to time. Some bills have proposed long-term Federal assistance, others only "emergency" aid.

In a campaign address in October 1952 Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower advocated Federal aid to school construction in "needy" States. In his address on the state of the Union delivered before Congress on January 7, 1954, he declared that

the Federal Government should stand ready to assist States which demonstrably cannot provide school buildings.

In his state of the Union message to Congress on January 6, 1955, he referred to the "unprecedented classroom shortage," which he said "is of immediate concern to all of our people."

In his special message to Congress on February 8, 1955, dealing with the emergency and long-term phases of the nationwide schoolconstruction problem, President Eisenhower said in part:

But

Fundamentally, the remedy lies with the States and their communities. the present shortage requires immediate and effective action that will produce more rapid results. Unless the Federal Government steps forward to join with the States and communities, this emergency situation will continue.

In addition to immediate school construction, the Nation needs to plan sound long-term financing of the public schools free from obsolete restrictions. Our State conferences on education will help accomplish this. Out of these meetings of parents, teachers, and public-spirited citizens can come lasting solutions to such underlying problems as more efficient school districting and the modification of unduly restrictive local debt limits.

The Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, 83d Congress, took the position that the problem was of both long-term and emergency nature. Concerning these dual aspects of the issue the report of the committee on S. 2601 (Rept. No. 1771) included the following

statement:

Your committee is aware of the fact that the need for construction of school facilities will continue to increase, and that the problem is a long-range one. ***

1 A comprehensive report on this subject, prepared in the Legislative Reference Service in response to a request from Senator John L. McClellan, was printed in February 1955, for the use of the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare.

The State and White House conferences and the Commission on Intergovernmental Relations can be expected to furnish the information and recommendations we so sorely need in order to provide, at all levels of government, the solution or solutions to our long-range educational problems.

In the meantime, our presently enrolled schoolchildren cannot wait. They need school facilities now and next year, not some years from now, when the above-mentioned solutions may be available. The Federal Government cannot expect to supply the indicated deficit of 4 to 6 billion dollars in the funds required to fully provide the presently needed facilities. Your committee does fell very strongly, however, that the Federal Government must lend a hand now, on an emergency basis to assist the States in meeting their most urgent school-construction needs. The program here recommended is designed to do this although, in view of the existing budgetary situation of the Federal Government, the amount authorized is modest indeed in the light of the need.

Your committee also wishes to emphasize that the magnitude and seriousness of the school construction problem cannot be adequately gaged from viewing the cold statistics alone. The damage which is done the pupils who must attend overcrowded schoolrooms and part-time classes must also be considered, as must the hazards to those attending unsafe school facilities. To the extent these present pupils suffer from inadequate and substandard facilities, the Nation will also suffer.

The House Committee on Education and Labor, 83d Congress, did not issue a report on Federal aid for school construction. However, Representative Carroll D. Kearns, chairman of a special subcommittee appointed to consider this question, submitted a report to the full committee dated December 2, 1954. Concerning the urgent nature of the issue, the report, signed by the chairman and the six other members of the subcommittee, said:

The subcommittee unanimously recommends that legislation be enacted providing for Federal payments to enable the States and local communities to expand their school-construction programs.

The

There is no question that more classrooms are urgently needed. This need has been repeatedly demonstrated by school facilities surveys, by reports from State governors, and by testimony during extensive subcommittee hearings. It will cost from 10 to 12 billion dollars to provide adequate classrooms for children now enrolled, and enrollment will increase markedly in the next few years. hearings held by the subcommittee have demonstrated that the national interest requires that the Federal Government join with State and local governments in solving this pressing problem. Adequate education for our children is essential to the preservation of a free and strong Nation. Their education must not be impaired by the serious classroom shortages which exist in every State.

While the shbcommittee has not yet reached agreement on any one particular bill, it is clear that Federal legislation is needed, and that this legislation must be designed to encourage State and local efforts. The subcommittee is confident that early in the coming session agreement can be reached on legislation to accomplish these objectives.

B. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

In the early history of our country Federal land and monetary grants for the support of education in States formed from the public domain gave impetus to the construction of schoolhouses. From its beginning the Federal Government has provided school facilities on certain lands reserved for its own use. In recent decades Congress has appropriated large sums for Federal aid to school construction in periods of economic depression and national defense emergency.

During the depression of the 1930's the Public Works Administration and the Work Projects Administration (both of which were earlier called by other names) provided large-scale financial assistance to communities throughout the Nation for the construction of public schools. Other Federal agencies also provided aid to improvement,

enlargement, and construction of schoolhouses. Altogether such Federal aid, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars, was distributed fairly generally throughout the United States.

During the period of World War II, however, Federal aid to communities for school construction was limited to those having swollen populations due to war activities. School construction accounted for about 27 percent of all construction costs under the Lanham Act program of providing facilities for the war-impacted communities.

The Federal Government made no contribution to the cost of school construction by local school authorities during the period from July 1946 to September 1950. Public Law 815, 81st Congress, approved September 23, 1950, established a new program of Federal aid to school construction in certain federally affected localities. This program was continued and extended by subsequent legislation.

Numerous and varied bills proposing Federal aid to school construction were introduced in Congress during the decade prior to 1953. Some of the bills called for general Federal participation in financing the construction of schools.

C. DEVELOPMENTS DURING THE 83D CONGRESS (1953-54)

A total of 31 bills and joint resolutions proposing some form of Federal aid to school construction were introduced in the first session of the 83d Congress; 21 additional school construction bills were introduced during the second session.

The education subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare held extensive hearings on school construction during May and June 1954. Senator John Sherman Cooper, of Kentucky, headed the subcommittee, which recommended to the full committee an amended version of S. 2601, originally introduced by Mr. Cooper. On July 9 the full committee favorably reported out this bill. It proposed to provide $500 million of emergency Federal aid to school construction over a period of 2 years.

The report (No. 1771) emphasized the need for the legislation. Concerning the shortage of school facilities the report said:

Evidence presented to the committee indicates that merely to meet the present need for schoolrooms, and without regard to the facilities needed to meet the tremendous expansion in enrollment expected to occur in future years, an expenditure of between 10 and 12 billion dollars would be required. The committee wishes to emphasize that this estimated expenditure would merely overcome existing needs. The States and localities are estimated to have available for this purpose under existing legislation about $6 billion, leaving a deficit of between 4 and 6 billion dollars.

The report also emphasized the emergency feature of the bill, concerning which the report said:

It authorizes funds to be appropriated for only the current year and the succeeding one. The amount authorized to be appropriated, when viewed in relation to the need, is so small as to permit of assistance in meeting only the most urgent needs of the various States and Territories.

For this reason-and this point your committee cannot emphasize too strongly— the bill should not be regarded as committing the Federal Government to a permanent or nonemergency program of financial aid for school construction. Similarly, the formula in the bill for distributing the Federal appropriations among the States and Territories should not be regarded as a precedent in respect to any future legislation.

In the House of Representatives a special subcommittee of the Committee on Education and Labor on August 2, 1954, favorably reported to the full committee H. R. 10149. This was an amended form of a bill originally introduced by Representative Peter Frelinghuysen. This bill was similar to Senator Cooper's proposal, S. 2601. No general school-construction bill was reported out of the full Committee on Education and Labor during the 83d Congress.

Under the chairmanship of Representative Carroll D. Kearns, the special subcommittee on Federal aid to school construction held hearings on this subject on October 6, 7, and 8, 1954 (after the House had adjourned). The recommendation of the subcommittee dated December 2, 1954, has already been quoted in the present report.

D. RELEVANT CONSIDERATIONS

Several school-construction bills were introduced on the first day of the 84th Congress. A total of 23 bills proposing some form of Federal aid to school construction were introduced during January

1955.

In his special message to Congress on February 8, 1955, President Eisenhower said:

I propose a broad effort to widen the accepted channels of financing school construction and to increase materially the flow of private lending through them. *** Over the next 3 years, this proposed effort envisages a total of $7 billion put to work building badly needed new schools.

The President recommended a four-point program including (1) school bond purchases by the Federal Government, (2) Federal aid to State school-building agencies, (3) Federal grants for certain school districts, and (4) Federal grants for administrative costs of State programs.

(Details of the President's proposal are contained in H. Doc. No. 84, 84th Cong.)

The only program of Federal aid to school construction now in operation is that provided for certain federally affected school districts under Public Law 815, 81st Congress, as amended by Public Laws 246 and 731, 83d Congress. Some persons regard this legislation as provision merely for Federal payments to affected localities in lieu of taxes.

Precedents for legislation providing a more general program of Federal aid to school construction (particularly on an emergency basis) were established by laws enacted during the economic depression of the 1930's.

The report on the national school-facilities survey published in December 1953 and other published reports have yielded extensive data on the condition of school housing throughout the Nation. In general these reports have presented an impressive picture of grave need for the improvement of existing facilities and the construction of new facilities in every State.

Increases in total population and in school enrollments within the last several years have been phenomenal. The increase of 1,692,000 pupils in elementary and secondary enrollments in the fall of 1954-55 over the fall of 1953-54 is the largest single year increase recorded. Census Bureau projections have forecast a total elementary secondary school enrollment about one-third greater in 1959 than it was in 1952.

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