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Federal Financial Assistance for School Housing Statement by Earl J. McGrath, U. S. Commissioner of Education, Federal Security Agency, to the Subcommittee of the House Committee on Education and Labor Monday, April 3, 1950 It is not necessary to spell out for this Subcommittee the tremendous stake our Nation has in its school system. In the struggle for the minas of men now going on all over the world, education is democracy's first line of defense. wie know that our society can survive, flourish and prosper only if the individual talents of all of our young people can be discovered and nurtured. I ain here to talk about school housing. But I want first of all to state that however important the need for adequate school housing may be, it is even more important that we have more and better teachers - for the quality of the education our chiluren receive is much more directly related to the quality of the teaching personnel than of the buildings and equip- ment. Admittealy, good teachers and adequate facilities are both desir- able. Vie shall need both if millions of young people are not to be denied their opportunity for a good education. If, as has been estimated by our Office, we shall need some 300,000 additional classrooms to take care of increased school enrollments alone in the next few years, we shall, by the same token, need an equal numbor of qualified teachers. Let me ada that 1 do not regard financial aid for school construction as in any sunse a substitute for Federal financial aid for current expenses particularly since such aid will be essential in at tracting additional teachers to man the additional classrooms. Both types of Federal financial assistance to the States are desperately needea. This Nation can afford both. It is my firm belief that ultimately it will make both available.