First Federal Schools

For some 70 years U.S. educators have agitated for Federal support of public schools, and last week, without fanfare, Federal aid became a fact. Signed by President Roosevelt was a bill authorizing the U.S. Government to spend $150,000,000 to build and maintain schools and other public works in industrial defense areas.

Few citizens outside Congress had heard of this sweeping bill or marked its passage. Back of it was the U.S. Office of Education, which had found that schools in many a defense boom town were swamped by hordes of immigrating workers' children. An extension of Defense Housing, the new Defense Public Works law permits Federal Works Administrator John Michael Carmody to build and support schools, waterworks, sewers, hospitals, streets, play facilities, wherever a town cannot provide them itself. Schools will get the lion's share of the $150,000,000. The Government may pay teachers and buy textbooks, but is forbidden to supervise or control the schools, which are to be run by local educational authorities.

Although the act is still a long step from general Federal subsidy for schools in all States, it is the first in U.S. history to commit the Federal Government to direct support of elementary and secondary education.

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