As of 1953 the nation had allocated over $350 million for the construction of schools. In each subsequent year at least $150 million more was earmarked for construction; between 1950 and 1960 the value of construction for educational buildings (in 1957-1959 dollars) rose from $1.133 billion to $2.818 billion. Even so, by the end of the decade many children still attended overcrowded, deteriorating schools. Some school districts were forced to split the school day into two sessions in order to find the space to instruct the growing classes. In 1956 it was estimated that $16 billion would be needed by 1959 to meet the growing enrollments. In 1957 a $1.5 billion education construction bill failed in Congress. Federal legislators openly expressed the hope that funding school construction would become a responsibility born by state and local governments. Federal spending bills began calling for "matching funds" from state and local governments, an.....
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