Curry Noncommittal in Debate on City Schools

Controversy between Cambridge's powerful School Committee and City Manager John J. Curry '19, flared into the open last night at a special meeting after Curry again refused to commit himself on sharing operational expenses for newly-built or planned community schools.

The Committee holds that the City, particularly the Recreation Department, should share expenses not connected with education, such as those incurred by various church and civic organizations.

The group refused to approve plans for a new community school to be built on Cambridge Field unless Curry would make some definite statement on the city's position in regard to non-educational expenses.

Although Curry refused to be pinned down on the question of cost sharing, Judson T. Shaplin '42, Assistant Dean of the School of Education and a two-term member of the Committee, made a motion that plans proceed for construction of the multi-purpose school.

Fitzgerald Challenges Shaplin

Sharply challenging Shaplin's position, Committeeman James F. Fitzgerald told Shaplin in a heated exchange that he could not "understand the griping about Curry, and then moving to approve his plans for a new school."

"I am still prepared to build a community school," Shaplin said, "and I am willing to take the risk because we are not building for the next five years, but for 60 years, and we are not building for the tenure of the present city manager."

Later, Shaplin abandoned his original motion in favor of a resolution calling for the City Manager and the School Superintendent to make plans for the utilization of the new school and to make proposals "to resolve some of our differences."

Last week, Shaplin had threatened a taxpayer's suit against the city if Curry cuts the 1957 school budget as he allegedly did last year.