(The statements referred to are as follows:) Hon. PAUL C. JONES, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. APRIL 11, 1956. DEAR Mr. JONES: Your letter of April 10 addressed to Congressman Perkins and enclosing copies of statements which you wish included in the record of the hearings on proposed amendments to Public Laws 815 and 874 has been received. This is to advise you that I will be glad to see that these statements are incorporated in the printed hearings on this proposed legislation. Sincerely yours, FRED G. HUSSEY, Chief Clerk. REORGANIZED SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 1, Re: Federal activity, Malden Air Base, Malden public schools. Concerning the Malden Air Base, Federal activity is conducted through a private contractor (Anderson air activities) who has a contract with the Army Air Force to give basic training to NATO and American cadets. Since the beginning of this program in 1951, it has incurred a gradually increasing impact on the school program in the Malden community. In the school year 1951-52, the Malden schools had approximately 150 additional students, in 1952-53 school year, approximately 300 additional students, in 1953-54, 433 additional students, and in 1954-55, up to this time, we have 552 additional students, as a result of this Federal activity. During the 1951-52 and 1952-53 school years, the Malden schools were declared ineligible for any type of Federal aid, as the Malden Air Base was declared outside the status of Federal property. For the 1953-54 school year, the Malden schools were given an entitlement of $18,690.48 maintenance and operation aid, under Public Law 874, on the basis of 155 students declared eligible out of an impact of 453 students. We received $17,087,20 of this entitlement. This school year, 1954-55, as the law is now set up, we will receive 50 percent of what we received the previous year, or $8,543.60, on an impact of 552 additional students. We have received $5,553 of this entitlement. This is the last year we will receive any type of Federal aid to help defray the expense of educating the children that have come into the Malden schools because of this Federal activity. I am informed that there are seven air training centers of this type in the United States, contracted by the Air Force for giving basic training. Four of these air training centers are on Federal property, and receive permanent Federal aid, and three of the air training centers are not on Federal property. The impact on the schools of the communities in which these air training centers are located is the same, whether they are on Federal property, or on air fields leased by the contractor or by the Government. Our schools and the type of educational training that we can offer will be impaired unless we have some type of aid to help take care of the impact in our schools caused by this Federal activity. (1) Is it right for the Federal Government to expect a local community to bear the total burden of providing for the educational welfare of the children affiliated with Federal activities? (2) Is it right to deny aid to the local school because the War Department does not have title to the property on which the Federal activity is conducted, although the property is used for the same purpose, and the impact on the school system is the same, as if it were declared Federal property? (3) We do not receive one cent of school tax from the 3,000 acres of air base property, its buildings and equipment, nor from the individuals. Therefore, we receive no real estate or personal taxes from this area to help cover the cost of educating their children. If this were private property, at our present school tax rate of $3.10 per $100 valuation, we woutld receive some $60,000 in school taxes to help run our schools. (4) This impact only causes us to lower our standards and the type of educational program we can offer; it forces us to overcrowd our classrooms, lower the average salary of our teachers, and prevents us from being able to secure qualified teachers because of lack of finances. (Enclosed you will find a schedule of the average salaries of our teaching staff, which is considerably lower than our State average, and far below the national average.) (5) This impact greatly reduces the amount of money the school can expend per child for the necessary education, educational supplies and equipment. This in turn reduces the standard of education the child should receive. Under the present provisions of Public Law 874, this year will be the last that we will be eligible for our type of Federal aid, and will receive this year only 50 percent of the amount received the previous year. I see no justice in this situation, either to the schools or to the school children concerned. Under such circumstances, we can only operate a makeshift educational program. We sincerely hope that a revision of the 874 law can be effected to relieve these conditions in the schools of the communities where these three air training centers not located on Federal property are conducted, and operate such as the one at Malden. Respectfully, W. I. MYERS, Superintendent. Authorized representative (to apply for Federal aid), Reorganized School District No. 1, Dunklin County, Malden, Mo. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE, Re MO-55-E-219. OFFICE OF EDUCATION, Washington 25, D. C., April 7, 1955. House of Representatives. DEAR CONGRESSMAN JONES: Reference is made to your letter of March 25, 1955, regarding the Malden Air Base and the effect of its Federal activities on Reorganized School District No. 1, an applicant for financial assistance under Public Law 874, as amended. Your letter questions the difference in consideration given this school district affected by Federal activity carried on through a contractor on property not Federally owned as compared with that given a school district affected by direct Federal activity on a Federally owned property. It is our understanding that Malden Air Base is owned by the city of Malden and leased thereby to Anderson air activities, a private contractor to the United States Air Force. Section 9 (1) of Public Law 874, as amended, defines the term "Federal property" as "real property which is owned by the United States or leased by the United States ***" (Italics supplied.) The statute itself, therefore, precludes our consideration of the air base as eligible under section 3 of the act which is directed toward situations where Federal ownership of property or leasing of property reduces local tax income for school purposes. It is clear, furthermore, that the failure of the school district to receive taxes from the property is not brought about by reason of Federal ownership. Section 4 of the act is designed to provide financial assistance to a school district where a Federal project or activity causes an influx of persons into a community, resulting in an increased number of children to be educated, but where no nontaxable property is involved. Because there is no Federal property involved payments under this section are made only for a 2-year period; the second year payment being not more than 50 percent of the first year payment. Under section 3 payments are made as long as the school district has a sufficient number of federally connected children to qualify for aid. It is under section 4 (a) that the school district received under Public Law 874 for 1953-54 the amount of $17,087.20. Regarding the 1954-55 entitlement under the act, your letter refers to it as "the last payment they will receive under section 4 (a) as an impact on the schools by a Federal activity carried on through a contractor." This is correct if the school district does not have a further increase in school enrollment due to the same Federal activity. If such further increase occurs, however, the school district would again become eligible for a 2-year cycle of payments, if it meets other eligibility requirements. Your letter requested that we furnish you with figures representing the amount to which the Malden School District would be entitled if the airbase were considered eligible Federal property within the meaning of the act. If such were the case, section 3 of the act would ordinarily be invoked. Under this section, entitlement is computed for pupils who reside on Federal property with a parent employed on Federal property (subsection 3 (a)) as well as for pupils whose parents are employed only on Federal property (subsection 3 (b)). Entitlement under section 3 for 1954-55 is based on the section 3 average daily attend ance for 1953-54. The number of pupils living on the airbase in that year is not available to us. Counting for eligibility purposes, however, those pupils reported by our field representative as having a parent employed thereon in 1953-54, we estimate the 1955 section 3 (b) entitlement as $8,045.28. This would be a continuing payment so long as the federally connected pupils remained in the district and would increase if the number of such pupils increased. In addition, the school district could claim under subsection 4 (a) in 1954-55 certain section 3 pupils representing an increase in section 3 ADA in 1954-55 over 1953-54, provided eligibility requirements set forth by the act were met. Since no complete attendance data on section 3 pupils are available in this office, it is not possible for us to evaluate eligibility or estimate the entitlement. Your interest in this matter is appreciated. If there is further information which you desire please feel free to call on us. Sincerely yours, B. ALDEN LILLYWHITE, Associate Director for Federally Affected Areas. REORGANIZED SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 1, Hon. PAUL C. JONES, United States Congressman, House Office Building, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: The Board of Education of R-1 School District, Dunklin County, Malden, Mo., has reviewed H. R. 9218, which provides for revision of Public Law $15 and Public Law 874, relating to education of federally connected children in areas of military and other Federal activity. At a meeting of the Board of Education of R-1 School District of Dunklin County, on April 3, 1956, the board in session unanimously passed a resolution urging that our Congressman and Senators work for the passage of H. R. 9218 at the earliest possible time. Reorganized School District No. 1 of Dunklin County, Malden, Mo., througa their authorized representative, Superintendent W. I. Myers, has sent vital statistics and information, which you have in your files. This information relates the hardship of educating the federally connected children who are a result of the military activities conducted on the Malden Air Base by the United States Air Force through contract with Anderson air activities. From a community point of view, we feel that the operations of the Malden Air Base or beneficial. However, educationally speaking, which is our obligation, it is our sincere opinion and resolution that any possible aid the Federal Government can render in educating the federally connected children of such areas is Federal responsibility. The R-1 School District of Dunklin County has been greatly affected since the primary flight training program has been in operation on Malden Air Base, and we feel that Federal assistance in our educational program is necessary. Respectfully yours, L. O. WICECARVER, Secretary, R-1 Board of Education. Authorized Representative To Apply for Federal Aid. Mr. THOMPSON. The committee will be in recess until 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. (Whereupon, at 4:45 p. m., the committee recessed to reconvene at 10 a. m., on Friday, April 13, 1956.) AMENDMENTS TO PUBLIC LAWS 815 AND 874, 81ST CONGRESS FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 1956 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, ON EDUCATION AND LABOR, Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to recess, at 10: 15 a. m., in room 429, House Office Building, Hon. Carl D. Perkins (chairman of the Subcommittee) presiding. Present: Representatives Perkins, Wier, Metcalf, and Rhodes. Also present: Fred G. Hussey, chief clerk; and Russell C. Derrickson, chief investigator. Mr. PERKINS. The committee will come to order. At this time we will hear our distinguished colleague from Alabama, Mr. Kenneth A. Roberts. You may proceed in your own way, Mr. Roberts. STATEMENT OF HON. KENNETH A. ROBERTS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ALABAMA Mr. ROBERTS. I appreciate the opportunity of appearing before this subcommittee which has jurisdiction over Public Laws 815 and 874 in the interest of legislation designed to extend and improve the present program of Federal assistance to schools in areas affected by Federal activity. In view of the fact that I have several counties in the Congressional District which I represent which qualify as federally impacted areas, it can be easily understood why I am greatly interested in the program administered under the provisions of Public Laws 815 and 874. I think I can truthfully say that without this valuable aid it would have been impossible for the public schools in these counties to have operated with the additional burdens which have been placed on these schools by the impact of federally connected students. I wish to commend the chairman, Hon. Carl B. Perkins, for his sponsorship of the legislation to extend the program of Federal assistance, and especially to give my approval and support of the chairman's bill, H. R. 10227. I realize that this committee has already heard from many witnesses as to the various provisions of the bill and I do not wish to unduly burden the subcommittee with a lengthy statement, as I am sure that the chairman and members of this subcommittee are fully informed on the subject. I have carefully read the chairman's bill, H. R. 10227, and, in general, I approve the provisions of it. However, I would epsecially like to direct my statement to that portion of the bill which provides for retroactive payments to districts which, for some reason or another, have not been able to qualify or have received only partial payments on their applications. In the past, several cities in my district, namely, Anniston, Selma, Sylacauga, Childersburg, and others, have qualified for construction funds, in some instances, but have been denied these funds and have, therefore, been the victims of hardship in many instances. Anniston, Ala., is the center of many military activities. It is the site of Fort McClellan and this tremendous and important installation is now the center of the Chemical Corps Training School and the permanent home of the Women's Auxiliary Corps. It also serves as training center for many of the National Guard units of the southern States. Nearby is located the Anniston Ordnance Depot which has been undergoing a great expansion and employs many hundreds of civilians engaged in defense work. Within the past 2 years there has been another great expansion in my district at Childersburg, Ala., which is the center of the Alabama Ordnance Works and this installation is undergoing a 40-milliondollar rehabilitation program. At Selma, Ala., is located Craig Air Force Base, which is an important jet training center. I mention these merely to show that this legislation vitally affects the district which I have the honor to represent. There are many reasons why school systems did not receive Federal aid for school construction for the total of their federally connected enrollment, even though some of the systems still have unhoused pupils. I remember occasions when some systems failed to make proper applications, or failed to meet eligibility requirements for some technical reason, but it has always seemed unusually harsh to me that the children should be made to suffer because of some administrative technicality or failure. It seems to me that the important thing is first of all whether or not the children are federally connected, and, secondly, whether or not these children are still unhoused, and in the third place, whether or not the Federal Government has helped to construct school buildings for them. If these factors are present, it seems to me that it is the intent of Congress to provide for them and I very much hope that this subcommittee in its wisdom will not insist upon a provision which will be detrimental to our already critically overburdened school system. Because of the many Federal installations in my district I am deeply concerned about section 203, title II, of H. R. 10227, which deals with retroactive payments under Public Law 815. This section provides that payments under title II shall be made to a public school only if the number of federally connected school children constitute at least 20 percent of the total school children under such agency at the close of the school year, 1955-56. I have received letters from school superintendents in my district advising me that if this provision is included in the legislation, it will |