4 20 146 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/9f08453ead0fc0b6e070fc697f65bb04.pdf a19a94cbb4e5b2934a8601e9015617af PDF Text Text if May 11, 1959 Miss Naomi Chapman Birney School-Room 304 Nichols Ave., S.E, Washington 20,D.c. Dear Naomij Months have passed by since I received your letter to our student body. In the meantime, we have been very busy and occupied with the regular school program. On behalf of our student body and faculty, I want to thank you for your fine letter written on the occasion of the four negro children entering Strat­ ford. I think you, your parents and your teachers should be proud of your well 'written and thoughtful letter. Tours truly. C.M.Richmond,Principal stratford Junior High School � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter to Miss Naomi Chapman from Principal Richmond May 11, 1959 Description An account of the resource Letter from Principal Richmond to Naomi Chapman thanking her for her letter. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Claude Richmond Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1959-5-11 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1950s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_17_6 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/aa46d8c17ddfecdf4c0882c43f833a08.pdf d06177e14eab26e2ffc593a3ab616e03 PDF Text Text Dear Mrs. Friauf, Shirle y stayed home on Monday in loyalty to her race and in pretest to a change which is not in the best interest of the vast majority, and certainly unnecessary. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter to Mrs. Friauf, February 4, 1959 Description An account of the resource Letter from Mr. A. W. Krop Jr. (?) explaining his daughter (?) Shirley's absence from school as a protest to integration Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource A. W. Krop Jr. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1959-2-4 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1950s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_17_5 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/abf9564d697ec3f571a701232a260095.pdf fe80db35a3f1ecf7a8a85e0405d6c4c7 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter from Helen J. Murray February 12, 1959 Description An account of the resource Letter from Helen J. Murray expressing respect for the staff, students, and parents of Stratford. 2 pages Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Helen J. Murray Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1959-2-12 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1950s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_17_3 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/9a4749c004f2604bba53d3258822259c.pdf e445f0de633c857a28657767a11101ba PDF Text Text j a n d nAix±. n V a i is n S r u m lz v E 1119 H / (Indian H/zaiL A JlouUuiiLz 13, U \zn tu cliy January 6, 1959 D e a r Boys a n d G i r l s o f S t r a t f o r d J r . H ig h , F i r s t l e t me s a y , I th a n k God f o r b o y s a n d g i r l s l i k e y o u . I h a v e f e l t c o m p e lle d t o w r i t e a n d t e l l y o u t h a t I t h i n k y o u k id s a re g re a t. I w an t t o s a y w h at I am s u r e y o u a l r e a d y know , t h a t w h a te v e r t h e c o l o r o f a p e r s o n s s k in , be i t l i g h t o r d a rk , i s n ' t im p o rta n t. I t s w h at i s i n a p e r s o n s h e a r t t h a t m akes them e i t h e r good o r b a d . I h a v e n o d o u b ts a b o u t t h e g o o d n e ss o f y o u c h i l d r e n . You h av e p r o v e d b ey o n d a n y d o u b t t h a t y o u a r e t r u l y f i n e young men a n d women. O ur c o u n tr y i s f o r tu n a te to have su c h u n d e rs ta n d in g and good ju d g e m e n t t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o i n y e a r s t o come. I w ant to a s s u r e you a l l t h a t you h ave th e b l e s s i n g s o f m i l l i o n s o f m o th e rs a n d f a t h e r s l i k e m y s e lf a l l ov er- t h e U n ite d S t a t e s a n d ev en i n d i s t a n t c o u n t r i e s . T hank y o u a l l a g a in a n d k e e p up t h e good w o rk . M ost S i n c e r e l y , � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter from Mrs. Warren Brumleve January 6, 1959 Description An account of the resource Letter from Mrs. Warren Brumleve addressed to the Boys and Girls of Stratford Jr. High, commending them for their attitude during integration. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Mrs. Warren Brumleve Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1959-2-12 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1950s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_17_2 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/b4bcb90c0e36e00edd2b9dc19e561d3a.pdf 18c66c3a984f4866819a8ecacafa5427 PDF Text Text RADNOR TOW NSHIP SCHOOLS TE L EP H O NE MURRAY S O U T H W A Y N E A V E N U E W A Y N E . P E N N S Y L V A N I A T. EDWARD RUTTER Superintendent F e b r u a r y 9 , 1959 M r. C la u d e R ichm ond P rin c ip a l S t r a t f o r d J u n i o r H ig h S c h o o l A rlin g to n , V irg in ia D e a r C la u d e : I w an t you t o know how p ro u d a l l o f u s a r e o f t h e l e a d e r s h i p w h ic h you h a v e g iv e n t o t h e S t r a t f o r d J u n i o r H ig h S c h o o l d u r i n g t h i s p e r i o d o f c r i s i s . I know t h a t you w i l l u n d e r s ta n d t h a t my p r a y e r s w e re w ith you a l l o f t h e t i m e . When we r e a d i n t h e p a p e r an d l a t e r o b s e r v e d on t e l e v i s i o n t h e w o n d e r f u l a t t i t u d e o f t h e com m unity g e n e r a l l y , and o f y o u r s t u d e n t s p a r t i c u l a r l y , we w e re m o re h a p p y th a n I c a n s a y a t t h i s ti m e . We a r e e n jo y i n g o u r s t a y h e r e i n R a d n o r t o t h e f u l l e s t . O f c o u r s e , we h a v e o u r p ro b le m s b u t n o n e seem t o b e so e a r t h s h a k i n g a s t h o s e we e n c o u n te r e d i n A r l i n g t o n . P le a s e come t o s e e u s . We w o u ld lo v e t o h a v e y o u a t any ti m e . Remember me to a l l o f o u r f r i e n d s a t S t r a t f o r d . TER:ma � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter from T. Edward Rutter, Superintendent of Radnor Township Schools, February 9, 1959 Description An account of the resource Letter from T. Edward Rutter commending Principal Richmond on his leadership. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource T. Edward Rutter, Superintendent, Radnor Township Schools Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1959-2-9 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1950s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_17_1 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/b220aa35d0f4d3aa52c4153cf861db01.pdf f3a0e0750dbe0189c440302ab163faad PDF Text Text UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CffiCUTT No. 10,208. Walter Raymond Wanner, an infant, by Raymond Wanner, father, and Frances S. Wanner, mother, and next friend, et al., Appellees, versus County School Board of Arlington County, Virginia, Appellant. A p p e a l from t h e U n it e d S tates D is t r ic t C ourt for t h e E astern D is t r ic t of V ir g in ia , a t A le x a n d r ia . O r en R. L e w is , D is t r ic t J udge . (Argued December 6, 1965. Decided February 7, 1966.) Before H a y n sw o r t h , Chief Judge, and S o beloff , B ore m a n and B e l l , Circuit Judges. Edmund D. Campbell and Peter J. Kostik for Appellant, and LeRoy E. Batchelor (Michael E. McKenzie on brief) for Appellees. �S o eeloff, Circuit Judge: For the fifth time the public school problems of Arling­ ton County, Virginia, are before this court. In the earlier chapters of this protracted litigation, Negro children were seeking decrees ordering the School Board to admit them to formerly white schools or other relief to advance the desegregation of the races in the county’s school system. The novel feature of the present appeal is that when the Board acted, as it thought, to comply with earlier orders of this court as well as to improve the educational system of the county, it was, at the instance of white parents, enjoined by the District Court from putting its plans into effect.1 From this injunction the Board now appeals. The plan for the desegregation of the county’s all-Negro Hoffman-Boston Junior High School, the District Court held, deprives the white plaintiffs of their rights under the Fourteenth Amendment and under the provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The District Court reasoned that the plan was the product of an “erroneous” belief on the part of the School Board that it was under a court order to close the all-Negro Hoffman-Boston Junior High School; that racial balance was the prime criterion used in redrawing the boundaries and that considerations based 1 T he School Board adopted its plan on M arch 25, 1965, after public hearings. Plaintiffs’ complaint, filed April 12, 1965, sought both a preliminary and a permanent injunction to preyent the Board from implementing its plan. On April 21, 1965, the District Court held a hearing on the motion for a preliminary injunction and denied the motion. The merits were heard on May 19 and 21, 1965, but no opinion was rendered until August 6, 1965, and no final order was entered until August 23, 1965. The School Board petitioned this court for a stay of the injunctive order, and by assignment of the Chief Judge of the circuit, the writer of this opinion, after taking testimony and hearing argument on August 25, 1965, granted a stay pending appeal. T he A rlington school system opened the 1965-1966 school year under the new plan. �on race are constitutionally impermissible; and that there was no evidence to support the School Board’s contention that the plan was educationally more desirable than the previous arrangement. Before proceeding to the merits, it is important to recall that the School Board of Arlington County has since 1956 been under injunctive orders approved by this court, pro­ hibiting racial segregation in the Arlington public schools.2 In Brooks v. County School Board of Arlington County, 324 F.2d 303 (4th Cir. 1963), this court reversed an order of the District Court dissolving the injunction and ordered its reinstatement. Our opinion specifically noted the claims of the Negro plaintiffs that “the Hoffman-Boston district was originally created for Negroes when the maintenance of the segregated system was the avowed policy and prac­ tice” and that “Hoffman-Boston remains as it was con­ trived, a Negro enclave entirely surrounded by white school zones.” This court further had occasion to declare that “the District Court’s finding that there is no evidence to sustain the charge that geographical boundaries were established to maintain segregation is clearly erroneous.” 324 F.2d at 308. 2 Sub nom. School Board of City of Charlottesville v. Allen, 240 F.2d 59 (4th Cir. 1956), cert, denied, 353 U.S. 911 (1957), affirming Thompson v. County School Board of Arlington County, 144 F.Supp. 239 (E.D .V a. 1956) ; Thompson v. County School Board of Arlington County, 252 F.2d 929 (4th Cir.), cert, denied, 356 U.S. 958 (1958), affirming 159 F.Supp. 567 (E.D.Va. 1957) ; Hamm v. County School Board of Arlington County, 263 F.2d 226 and 264 F.2d 945 (4th Cir. 1959), affirming in part and remanding in part Thompson v. County School Board of Arlington County, 166 F.Supp. 529 (E.D .V a. 1958) ; Brooks v. County School Board of Arlington County, 324 F.2d 303 (4th Cir. 1963), reversing Thompson v. County School Board of Arlington County, 204 F.Supp. 620 (E.D .V a. 1962). �4 While it is true, as the District Court has stated, that the Brooks decision did not place the School Board under a specific order to close Hoffman-Boston, the opinion made it perfectly clear that this court considered intolerable the continued maintenance of Hoffman-Boston as an all-Negro junior high school. Our opinion admonished the School Board that it had “the primary authority and responsibility to bring the school system into complete conformity with the law.” 324 F.2d at 308. Before proposing a new school districting plan, the School Board appointed a Criteria Committee, a panel of nineteen citizens, to render advice respecting school at­ tendance areas. On February 11, 1965, it unanimously reported that “The present boundaries of the [Hoffman-Boston] district served by this all-Negro junior high school are completely artificial. The district is divided into two entirely separate subdivisions by the Army-Navy Country Club. The Gunston Junior High School dis­ trict surrounds Hoffman-Boston on three sides.” W ith the findings of the Criteria Committee and the rulings of this court in mind, the School Board adopted a plan whereby three former junior high school districts (Hoffman-Boston, Thomas Jefferson, and Gunston) have been combined into two new districts (Jefferson and Gunston). The racial composition of each of the two new districts is approximately 75% white pupils and 25% Negro. When the School Board adopted its plan, it had knowledge of the racial imbalance in the student population of the districts involved and was aware that the new plan would result in reducing the imbalance. �5 The new Jefferson District operates its junior high school classes in two school buildings—the former Hoff­ man-Boston Junior High building, which houses seventh graders, and the former Thomas Jefferson Junior High building, which houses eighth and ninth graders. The appellees do not contend, nor did the District Judge find, that the newly-created districts represent artificial boundary lines.3 Rather, the plan is attacked on the grounds that the School Board “took race into consideration” in redrawing the boundary lines, and that the plaintiffs are denied equal educational opportunities because the newlycreated Jefferson district will be maintained not as a singlebut as a dual-building district, separating the seventh grade pupils from the eighth and ninth grade pupils. I In ruling that the School Board in the existing circum­ stances is prohibited from considering race when redrawing school attendance districts, the District Court was clearly in error. If a school board is constitutionally forbidden to institute a system of racial segregation by the use of artificial boundary lines, it is likewise forbidden to perpetuate a system that has been so instituted. It would be stultifying to hold that a board may not move to undo arrangements artificially contrived to effect or maintain segregation, on the ground that this interference with the status quo would 3 Furthermore, the total amount of busing under the new arrangement is approximately the same as under the old. �6 involve “consideration of race.” When school authorities, recognizing the historic fact that existing conditions are based on a design to segregate the races, act to undo these illegal conditions—especially conditions that have been ju­ dicially condemned—their effort is not to be frustrated on the ground that race is not a permissible consideration. This is not the “consideration of race” which the Constitution discountenances. Here the Board, abandoning the racially gerrymandered lines of the past, adopted legally permissible geographic lines. This action was within the Board’s lawful discretion. It is no ground of objection that other geographic lines might also have been drawn that would be less disruptive of the segregated pattern. An otherwise permissible redistrict­ ing plan does not become vulnerable because it attains a measure of racial balance. There is no legally protected vested interest in segrega­ tion. If there were, then Brown v. Board of Education4 and the numerous decisions based on that case would be pointless. Courts will not say in one breath that public school systems may not practice segregation, and in the next that they may do nothing to eliminate it. The District Court and the plaintiffs place undue reliance on Bell v. School Board of Gary, Indiana, 324 F.2d 209 (7th Cir. 1963), cert, denied, 377 U.S. 924 (1964). That case held that a federal court could not compel a school board to realign, in order to effectuate racial balance, school districts whose boundaries were innocently arrived at with 4 Brown v. Board of Educ. of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954). �no intent to maintain or perpetuate segregation.5 Some courts have disagreed.6 However this may be, in the case before us the record establishes beyond dispute that the Hoffman-Boston school district was the product of in­ vidious racial discrimination. No case was cited to this court, nor has one been found, which has prohibited a school board, when drawing or re­ drawing school attendance lines, from reducing or eliminat­ ing segregation, even where segregation was de facto, much less when brought about by a deliberate policy of separation of the races.7 The Arlington County School Board has a more compelling case, for it was dealing not with de facto 5 T hat holding was followed in Downs v. Board of Educ. of Kansas City, 336 F.2d 988 (10th Cir. 1964), cert, denied, 380 U.S. 914 (1965). Cf. Barksdale v. Springfield School Comm., 348 F.2d 261 (1st Cir. 1965), vacating 237 F.Supp. 543 (D.Mass. 1965). Plaintiffs' citation of Gilliam v. School Board of City of Hopewell, Virginia, 345 F.2d 325 (4th Cir. 1965), is also misplaced This court there held that the school board could not be required to abandon neighborhood schools and transport pupils from one area to another solely for the purpose of integrating the schools. The Supreme Court vacated the judg­ ment in Gilliam on other grounds. 34 U.S.L. W eek 3170 (Nov. 15, 1965). 0 Blocker v. Board of Educ. of Manhassct, New York, 226 F.Supp. 208 (E.D .N .Y . 1964) ; Branche v. Board of Educ. of Town of Hempstead, New York, 204 F.Supp. 150 (E.D .N .Y . 1962) ; Jackson v. Pasadena City School Dist., 59 Cal.2d 876, 382 P.2d 878 (1963). Sec Judge J. Skelly W right, “Public School Desegregation: Legal Remedies for De Facto Segregation,” 40 N.Y.U.L.Rev. 285 (1965). 7 Cases in which courts have refused to enjoin a school board from imple­ menting a plan designed to eliminate de facto segregation are Fuller v. Volk, 230 F.Supp. 25 (D .N .J. 1964) ; Morean v. Board of Educ. of Montclair, 42 N.J. 237, 200 A.2d 97 (1964) ; Addabo v. Donovan, 16 N.Y. 2d 619, 209 N.E.2d 112 (1965) ; Vetere v. Allen, 15 N.Y.2d 259, 206 N.E.2d 174 (1965) ; Balaban v. Rubin, 14 N.Y.2d 193, 199 N.E.2d 375, cert, denied, 379 U.S. 881 (1964). See Fiss, “Racial Imbalance in the Public Schools: T he Constitutional Con­ cepts," 78 Harv.L.Rev. 564, 574-583 (1965). �8 segregation but with the constitutionally forbidden prac­ tice of maintaining school attendance areas fixed with an eye to the separation of the races.8 Moreover, there is no basis whatsoever for the District Court’s assertion that the School Board closed “an exist­ ing neighborhood school” in order to create racial balance. Neither Hoffman-Boston, nor Thomas Jefferson, nor Gunston was a truly “neighborhood” junior high school district. Because Thomas Jefferson and Gunston were contiguous to the Hoffman-Boston Negro enclave, the boundary lines of the former two were a creation of the racial gerrymandering of the Hoffman-Boston district and assumed the same artificial character as the Hoffman-Bos­ ton boundary lines. Certain white children in the old Gunston and Thomas Jefferson districts passed through sections of the Hoffman-Boston district in going to their respective schools. In drawing new and more natural boundary lines, the Board mitigated the effects of the per­ sistent policy of segregation. In so doing, it has not ex­ ceeded its powers or violated its duty or the rights of the complainants. II The District Court found that there is no evidence to sup­ port the School Board’s determination that the plan affords the affected pupils educational opportunities greater than those available to them under the old system. It would be a dispositive answer to say that, where a school board is attempting in good faith to eliminate or reduce segregation, 8 See Dowell v. School Board of Oklahoma City, 244 F.Supp. 971 (W .D. Okla. 1965). �9 courts are not commissioned to enter into a debate with school authorities as to which redistricting plan among several is preferable from an educational standpoint. Moreover, we are of the view that the District Court’s factual finding is clearly erroneous. There is no support in the record for the complainants’ contention, accepted by the District Court, that the dual-building Jefferson District impairs the educational opportunities of the Jefferson Junior High School students. To the contrary, all the evidence is that the new arrangement, despite the dual-building feature, is educationally more advantageous. The Criteria Committee advised the School Board that current thinking among educators is that junior high schools afford optimum educational opportunities when the size of the student body allows “two, three or more sections per elective subject * * * in order to provide adequate staffing and groupings according to the needs and abilities of all the children.” The Committee reported that in Arlington the small junior high schools “have been recognized as less effective and less efficient because of such problems as too few children for adequate groupings, greater daily demands on teachers who must plan for more than one grade level or subject offering, and more difficulty in scheduling classes and in assigning special teachers and librarians to such schools on a full time basis.” The Committee’s unanimous report supported the School Board’s view that a junior high school provides optimum educational advantages when the student body ranges from 950 to 1200 pupils. The Hoffman-Boston school building has a capacity of 610, and the Thomas Jefferson building has a capacity of 725. Gunston’s capacity is 1050. �10 After holding public hearings on March 11 and March 18, 1965, and considering the opinion of professional educators, the School Board rendered its final decision that the educa­ tional interests of the children involved would be best served by combining the three old districts into two new ones. In a letter to the parents, dated March 16, 1965, entitled “In­ formation Relating to the New Junior High School Dis­ trict,” School Superintendent Ray E. Reid pointed out that neither the Hoffman-Boston nor the Thomas Jefferson building was large enough to accommodate a student body of the desirable size; that by combining the two schools certain courses could be made available which were not formerly offered in either of these districts ;8 that “in some subjects, the larger size school makes it possible for grouping of students with similar abilities and similar learning prob­ lems.” In 1964, before the adoption of the School Board’s plan, four of the county’s seven junior high schools (Gunston, Kenmore, Stratford, and Williamsburg) were within, or very near to the optimum size of 950 to 1200 students. Of the remaining three (Hoffman-Boston, Thomas Jefferson, and Swanson) the plan brings two (Hoffman-Boston and Thomas Jefferson) within the Criteria Committee’s recom­ mendations and the Board’s policy. The remaining district,9 9 In a letter to the parents, dated March 16, 1965, and at the District Court hearing Superintendent Reid stated that the following courses were available at Gunston but not at Thomas Jefferson or Hoffman-Boston: French 2J, Spanish 2J, Latin 1-9, Intermediate Strings, Personal Typing. The following courses were available at Gunston but not at Hoffman-Boston: Reading 9, Journalism, French I-S, Spanish I-J, Spanish I-E, Spanish 2-E, Geometry, E arth and Space Science, W orld History and Geography, Boys Chorus, Girls Chorus 8, Girls Chorus 9, Beginning Strings, Orchestra, Radio and Electronics. Superintendent Reid concluded that the size of the new Jefferson school should make these courses available. �11 Swanson, had an enrollment in 1964 of 732 students in a building with a capacity for 700. Thus, the effect of the adopted plan is that all but one of the junior high schools in Arlington County now conform to the minimum educa­ tional standards established by the School Board. Superintendent Ray E. Reid testified that he would prefer that a new junior high school building be built to accom­ modate all the students in the newly formed Jefferson Dis­ trict, and that he was prepared to recommend a bond issue for this purpose to the voters of Arlington.1 However, Mr. 0 Reid went further, and testified that even if the bond issue were defeated by the voters, he would still recommend and support the enlarged Jefferson District with its dual-building arrangement as educationally more desirable than the former three-district system. The educational deficiencies under the old system, Mr. Reid added, were “significant,” and the educational loss to the children from its continued use would be “irreparable.” Plaintiffs argue that if the Board in redistricting Hoff­ man-Boston, Thomas Jefferson, and Gunston were sincerely motivated in part by educational criteria, it would have rearranged the Swanson District also. The Swanson District, however, was not shown to be a product of racial segrega­ tion, and the compelling circumstances that led the Board to rearrange Hoffman-Boston and its contiguous districts did not obtain with respect to Swanson. If the Board had not been under a duty to realign the Hoffman-Boston, Thomas 10 The bond issue was in fact proposed by the School Board on September 30, 1965, but was defeated by the voters on November 2, 1965. A bond issue for the expansion of the Swanson Junior High School was also proposed, and was approved by the voters. �12 Jefferson, and Gunston Districts, perhaps it would not have moved at this time to change the pre-existing arrangement. But it was under a duty to rearrange the gerrymandered districts and did so in such a way as to achieve what it considered optimum educational advantages under all the circumstances. That the Board did not deem it feasible to go further and realign the Swanson District at this time does not cast doubt upon the testimony of the School Board members and the Superintendent that in their deliberate judgment the manner in which the gerrymandered districts were realigned is educationally advantageous. The fact that the plaintiffs would have preferred a plan which retained the three-district system, concededly with rearranged boundary lines, provides no valid constitutional ground for upsetting the School Board’s conclusion that the two-district system is educationally more desirable. There has been no showing that the School Board’s plan has un­ constitutionally deprived any of the plaintiffs of equal educational opportunities because of their race. This record plainly shows that the School Board has not been arbitrary, that it has in fact proceeded fairly and with integrity. The District Court exceeded its authority when it undertook to override the School Board’s action taken with the genuine purpose of complying with the law of the land and enhancing the county’s educational system. The order of the District Court is Reversed A dm . Office, U. S. C o u rts—3454—7 -1 -6 5 —135—L aw yer* P rin tin g C o ., R ichm ond, V a. 23207 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit No. 10,208 Wanner et al., versus County School Board of Arlington County, Virginia, Argued December 6, 1965 Decided February 7, 1966 Description An account of the resource Document detailing the decision of the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit regarding the constitutionality of the School Board's redrawing of districts to integrate former Hoffman-Boston students into two new school districts. 7 pages Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Administration Office, U.S. Courts Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1966-2-7 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1950s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_9_1 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/8f81d0db835d129b22eb3839afbc9427.pdf d7dfcbeb442d397b87ac8fabe06bcf26 PDF Text Text a first step to w a rd school integration �FOREWORD Can the method o f non-violence that erased the color line in Mont­ gomery’ buses be applied effectively to schools? This pamphlet seeks s an answer to that question, so urgent in southern communities where the Supreme Court decision o f 1954 is not yet accepted. C O R E (the Congress of Racial Equality) told the M ontgomery story in Our Struggle, a pamphlet in which I described the year-long boycott o f segregated buses. In this pamphlet Anna Holden tells how a C O R E group helped par­ ents and children when— despite the violence of segregationist mobs— desegregation was begun in the Nashville schools in the fall of 1957. Alex Wilson, the newspaperman who was beaten by a Little R ock mob, wrote in the Tri-State Defender that the two groups which made inte­ gration possible in Nashville were C O R E and the N egro PTA. Since C O R E was organized in 1943, its affiliated groups have worked steadily by peaceful means to end discrimination in restaurants, hotels, theaters, transportation and employment. Nashville was an important test o f non-violent techniques in the schools. The outcome suggests that the same methods can be used in other southern communities where court-ordered integration is being thwarted by terrorism. The key to success in Nashville was C O R E ’ policy of backing up the S parents— by visiting them and by escorting their children to integrated schools. If Little Rock had had a strong interracial group, Governor Faubus might have been checked without the use of federal troops. M a r t in L u t h e r K in g Montgomery, Alabama May 1958 A N N A HOLDEN, b o m in Ocala, Florida, was gradu­ ated from Florida State University in 1950 and re­ ceived her master’ degree in sociology at the University s o f N orth Carolina in 1955. She was research and information assistant with the Southern Regional Coun cil from 1951 to 1955. Since then she has been a research associate in social sciences at Fisk University, Nashville. In 1957 she becam e chairman o f the Nash­ ville C O R E group. Edited by J i m P e c k and A l e x a n d e r L. C r o s b y �A PSiST STEP toward sehool integration By Anna Holden in cooperation with the Nashville C O R E group “ can tell you now that I was scared that morning,”Dr. Isaac Miller I admitted to Mrs. H. W. Watson, several months later. “ had just read I the news about the Hattie Cotton School when you called and I knew they weren’ kidding when they talked about blowing up schools.” t Dr. Miller, a biochemist engaged in research at Meharry Medical College and an active member o f the Nashville Committee on Racial Equality (CORE), had first visited the Watson family just before school opened on September 9, 1957. He knew that 6-year-old Barbara Jean Watson was one of the four N egro children enrolled for the first time in Jones Elementary School, North Nashville. “ there is anything I can If do, just telephone,”he told the Watsons. On the second morning of school, Mrs. Watson needed help. The day before, carloads of segregationists had raced through the streets, carrying Ku Klux Klan placards and Confederate flags, shout­ ing insults at Negroes. M obs had gathered at most o f the seven schools where a few N egro children were entering the first grade under a grad­ ual integration plan approved by the federal district court. A shower of rocks had injured a police inspector and a N egro mother at one school. Picket signs at another school were inscribed, “ od Is the Author of G Segregation”and “ The Mayor Is A Rat.” John Frederick Kasper, the racist from New Jersey, seemed close to victory in his 2-month campaign to disrupt integration. During the latter part of August he had held meetings nightly, urging every white parent to boycott the schools. Kasper’ collaborator was Fred Stroud, s an ousted Presbyterian minister o f Nashville who had organized a church of his own. The jubilant segregationists gathered on the steps of the state capitol Monday night to whip up their emotions for more chaos. At 12:33 a.m. there was a rumbling explosion that shook houses over a wide area. A dynamite charge had partly wrecked the Hattie Cotton School— a white school where one N egro child was enrolled. 3 �Linda G ail McKinley, the girl on the cover, is taken to Fehr S ch ool by Mrs. C. M. Hayes, chair­ m an o f the PTA Intergroup Relations Committee, an d her mother, Mrs. G race McKinley. �At breakfast time Mrs. Watson telephoned Dr. Miller. “ I ever needed anybody, I needed somebody that morning,” she If recalled. “ had gotten a phone call threatening to set the house on fire I if Barbara Jean went to school. I couldn’ go off and leave the rest of t the children alone. And I knew she had to go to school.” Mr. Watson had gone to his job as a shipping clerk. Barbara Jean was dressed and ready. Dr. Miller came promptly. He drove the child five blocks to her school. Then he took her by the hand and they walked through a crowd o f jeering whites. The same morning Mrs. Charles Martin, another C O R E member, walked to the Jones School with her neighbor, Mrs. Myrtle Battle, and another first-grader, Charles Edward Battle. “ have never had people look at me like that in my life,” Mrs. I Martin said afterward. “ mean, with hate, like they wanted to kill me. I People from right there on my block. That was a long walk. When we got about two blocks from the school Mrs. Battle said, ‘ Think we’ d better turn back?’ said, ‘ not now. W e’ com e too far.’ we went I No, ve So on.” Mrs. Martin and her daughter Amelia, a college student, had urged Negroes in the vicinity to enter the neighborhood white schools. In the Glenn School area of East Nashville the Reverend R. W. Kelley o f Clark Memorial Church accompanied several children to school. B ob Schwerdtman, a graduate student at Fisk University, was another escort. Teen-age boys in the booing crowd got themselves photo­ graphed for the newspapers by standing behind Mr. Kelley, pretending to measure him for a coffin. The Bomb that Went Wrong The bom b that blasted the Hattie Cotton School did even more dam­ age to the cause of the segregationists. The vast majority of Nashville citizens was outraged. The police stopped tolerating lawlessness. AntiN egro pickets were ordered to disperse. Twenty persons were arrested in a single day for vagrancy, loitering, disorderly conduct or carrying dangerous weapons. Kasper himself was booked four times. City Judge Andrew Doyle told him: “ any blood is shed on the streets of Nashville, it will be you and If your kind that are responsible.” The crisis was soon reduced to manageable size. Kasper and his mobs were suppressed. The tide was turned because the police finally enforced the law and because a handful of N egro parents, staunchly backed by the N egro PTA, CORE, ministers and other forces of decency, persisted in sending their children to formerly white schools. 5 �How CORE Operated C O R E became active in the school situation when the Nashville Tennessean published results of the August 27 registration of firstgraders. The school board had estimated that 126 Negro children would be eligible for formerly white classes under the plan of gradual integra­ tion approved by the federal district court. But only 13 enrolled— and 6 of the 13 families immediately got threatening telephone calls. Parents o f 47 other N egro first-graders, most of them fearful, had re­ quested transfers from the integrated neighborhood schools to the allN egro schools where no white children were expected. This procedure was allowed by the court-approved plan, just as white parents in a pre­ dominantly N egro zone could transfer their children to a predominantly white school. The remaining 66 N egro beginners were not accounted for. It was obviously important to find and help them. C O R E members decided on two objectives: 1. T o support the 13 families already registered. 2. T o increase the number o f Negro children in integrated schools, if possible. The group felt that any organization dedicated to the removal o f racial discrimination could not ignore the challenge. The Negro PTA and a handful of individuals, primarily ministers, came to the same conclu­ sion. All went to work, independently but similarly. C O R E ’first step was to give its 11 members the names and addresses S o f the 13 Negro parents and children, a list of schools where Negro children were expected, and a special list of schools where the school board expected “ difficulty.” The members then paired off for work. Wherever possible, they formed interracial teams and chose schools in their own neighborhoods. The members agreed to visit the parents of registered children first and then call on other families with eligible first-graders. The strategy was to concentrate on four school districts in North and East Nashville where some Negroes had enrolled but larger numbers were expected: Glenn, Fehr, Jones and Buena Vista. A team was also assigned to Liscomb, in South Nashville, where none o f the expected five first-graders had registered. Each team was responsible for two to four enrolled families and as much additional visiting as possible. T o find unregistered families, C O R E members made the most of established contacts. A friend in the school system supplied a list of N egro children zoned for one of the neighborhood schools. A commu­ nity worker compiled a list of families with first-grade children in an­ other district. When no list was available, C O R E members inquired 6 �Mr. and Mrs. Herschell Groves and their son Erroll talk with two C O R E visitors, Mrs. Charles Martin and Anna Holden. This family never wavered. C O R E ’support was a big help, they said. S through friends or friends of friends— or walked up and down the streets, asking which families had first-graders. Some people were reluc­ tant, however, to give even that much information. For example, a fam­ ily in the Fehr district “ seemed happy when we left the yard.”Although this family had been in the neighborhood for several years, they said they did not know where any children lived. Directly across the street the C O R E team found four children. Names and addresses of all families visited were turned over to the Negro PTA, which was also giving parents real support and preparing to escort children to school. There was hope at first that the white PTA would cooperate in preparing parents for integration. The president favored this step, but it was blocked— chiefly by the opposition of a school board member who was also a PTA member. Visiting the Parents Visits to parents began during the weekend of August 31. By this time all those with listed telephones were receiving threats continuously. M ost of the anonymous callers warned of harm to the child or the parents if the youngster went to the white school where he had been registered. A White Citizens Council motorcade came to the house of 7 �one family and stopped before moving on. A threatening note was left on the porch of another house. Some families who had not registered were also threatened. A mother in the Buena Vista area was told by telephone that lye would be thrown in her daughter’ face if she went to the white school. The mother s wanted the child to enroll anyway but the father would not consent so she was transferred to a N egro school. Stroud was holding nightly meetings in his church in the Buena Vista district. Yet a C O R E team found one mother “ calm we. won­ so dered if she had any idea what sort of situation she might face when school opened.” The situation was exactly opposite in another family whose child was withdrawn before school started: The parent showed confusion and fear that the child might come to bodily harm, that the home might be damaged by vandalism, that the father might lose his job. Apparently there had been some onthe-job pressure. She said if she had felt the support o f others who had first-grade children, as well as the support o f groups like CORE, sooner, she might have been encouraged to send her child. The Reverend Will D. Campbell of the Nashville office o f the National Council of Churches visited parents during the first week o f school. He reported: I recall particularly the bravery in one mother’ voice as she re­ s lated to me, “ My little girl likes it in school, her teacher and the other children, but she keeps telling me that the people outside make so much noise. She wants to know what they are doing there. What shall I tell her?” My reply had to be that it would take someone with more wisdom than I have to explain to a 6-year-old child that the mob was outside because she was inside. Other parents said their children were beginning to suspect why the m obs had gathered. Linda Gail McKinley, one o f four N egro children in the Fehr School, was hit by a white woman on her way to school the first day. The next night, the McKinley tool shed was burned. Linda Gail had been friendly to a white C O R E member on two visits before school opened but the child clung to her aunt’ skirts when the same C O R E s member called during the mob demonstrations. Robert Alden of the New York Times wrote: It seemed to me, as an outsider, that calling a little girl filthy names or screaming at her “ pull that black kinky hair out”was as great a crime as the dynamiting o f a school. A school can be repaired. The mind o f a child, once scarred, can never be mended. �Wide World Photos Irate segregationists exchange angry words with police at the Glenn School after officers had escorted three Negro children into the school. Probably the greatest help given by C O R E members was the simple act of calling upon a worried parent. Many parents held back on the initial visit. But when they saw that C O R E had sympathetic under­ standing of their fears, the situation eased. They talked freely about their reasons for rejecting or accepting the white school for their first-grader. They spoke o f Kasper and his followers. They mentioned whites in the neighborhood who had been friendly for years but now weren’speaking. t They showed fear of m ob violence and doubt o f police protection. T o counteract these worries, C O R E members emphasized their belief that the mob was in the minority. They told about the support that various organizations and individuals were giving to the school board. They explained why C O R E was deeply interested and was prepared to accompany parents and children to school as long as might be necessary. They discussed the whole question of integration and the importance of positive action in the schools, especially since the board had taken the attitude that the initial venture was an experiment on which future plans would be based. Some members felt that all o f their visits were successful, but others cited cases where their influence was small. One visitor reported: “ I think the fact that we were an interracial team, from the same organi­ zation, did more to influence them than anything else.” 9 �V/hat the Visits Meant The informational and educational value of the C O R E visiting pro­ gram was significant. A number of parents had hazy or erroneous ideas about the first step in integration. These were cleared up by the visitors. Other families were in doubt as to what stand to take. “ We encour­ aged them to assert their citizenship rights by going to the public school nearest them,”the Reverend Mr. Kelley said. The Reverend Mr. Campbell commented: “ Very few of us feel strongly enough about anything to involve an innocent 6-year-old child. Only as these parents were led to see that the future of democracy was resting upon their own willingness or reluctance could they go through with what the situation demanded of them.” Mr. Kelley reported that more than one parent had said the family could not have stood firm if C O R E members had not helped. Noting that only 10 percent of the 126 eligible N egro children had been enrolled in white schools on August 27, he commented: “ aid to these parents If had not been given, Nashville would have failed to desegregate.” Dr. Miller summed up: “ The visits served to strengthen those who had made up their minds to go through with the program, at a time when doubts were high, threatening phone calls numerous, encouragement from Negro neighbors slight, and the prospect o f turning back very real.” Mr. Campbell said the visits meant a great deal to him personally. “ I found them rewarding because I was able to tell these parents that a great many individuals, many of them white like myself, realized that they were actually carrying the ball for the rest o f us.” Through revisits and telephone checks the C O R E teams noticed drastic fluctuations in morale. Confidence waned and waxed, fear moved in and receded, determination faltered and took on new strength. Par­ ents who seemed as solid as bedrock one day would be nervous the next. T w o actions by Federal Judge William E. Miller helped materially. On September 6 he ruled that the Tennessee school preference law was “ unconstitutional on its face” and instructed the school board to pro­ ceed with desegregation as planned. On September 16 he made perma­ nent a temporary injunction issued four days earlier, restraining Kasper and nine others from interfering with school desegregation. Score Sheet When school opened, 2 o f the original 13 enrollees had been with­ drawn— but there were 12 new parents ready to enter their children in the white neighborhood schools. Most o f them had been undecided. One, the Reverend Kelly Miller Smith, president of the Nashville 10 �NAACP, had been out of town during registration. He surprised the segregationists by taking his child to the Clemons School in South Nashville, where no Negroes were expected. Four of the additional 12 families were recorded as having originally asked for transfers to Negro schools. T w o o f these parents said the white principal had asked them if they had com e for transfers and, without waiting for answers, had begun to fill out the forms. The parents did not protest then, but decided they would revoke the transfers when school opened. After a week’ deliberation Assistant Superintendent s William H. Oliver turned down all four petitions for canceling of trans­ fers. In contrast, fast service was given to N egro parents who were frightened by the mob demonstrations and sought transfers. One mother was able to arrange a transfer from Fehr School, by telephone, in no more than an hour. C O R E kept in touch with most of the 19 families who had entered first-graders in white schools. Only nine of these children remained when the first half of the school year ended. Most o f the dropouts occurred during the tumultuous first three days of the term. Other children were withdrawn later for various reasons, such as traffic hazards and a health problem. Community Attitudes Despite Kasper’ campaign, Nashville did not expect trouble until a s few days before school opened. The city had witnessed successful de­ segregation in the parochial schools, several colleges, the public library, the municipal golf courses and the railroad station. Racial restrictions had been lifted by the local members o f the League of Women Voters, the United Church Women, the American Association o f University Women, the American Nurses Association and the National Associa­ tion of Social Workers. When Kasper, Stroud, the Ku Klux Klan and the Tennessee Federa­ tion for Constitutional Government urged the school board on August 8 to call off desegregation. President Maclin Davis o f the Nashville C om ­ munity Relations Conference presented an opposing petition signed by 600 individuals and 17 organizations. Later 300 additional signatures were submitted. The Nashville Association of Churches encouraged a number o f ministers to make appeals to their congregations the Sunday before registration. Organizations that made positive stands before the board or cooper­ ated in community-wide educational efforts included the American A sso­ ciation of University Women, B’ B ’ nai rith, Fellowship of Southern Churchmen, League o f Women Voters, Middle Tennessee Mental Health 11 �Wide World Photos Mrs. Cecil Ray and Cecil Jr. with Mrs. George Clinnard and her daughter Pamela at the end of the first day in the Jones School. Association, Nashville Association of Churches, National Association of Social Workers, Council of Colored Parent-Teacher Associations, Coun­ cil o f Parent-Teacher Associations, C IO Council, AFL Trades and Labor Council, Nashville Ministerial Association, National Council of Jewish Women, Tennessee State Nurses Association, United Church Women and the Young W omen’ Christian Association. s Only two community organizations joined the segregationists in making public stands against integration during the crisis: the Kiwanis Club and the Men’ Club of the Monroe Street Methodist Church. s During the first week of school the Reverend Mr. Kelley and Mr. Schwerdtman had several conferences with Assistant Superintendent Oliver (who has since succeeded W. E. Bass as superintendent). They tried, unsuccessfully, to convince the school official that the transfer re­ quests of four parents— made in confusion and fear— should be re­ voked so the children could enter the white schools near their homes. Mr. Oliver told his visitors that board members and administrators had discussed the advisability of putting their names on the federal injunc­ tion list with Kasper and his troublemakers. After observing the police during the first two days o f school, several C O R E members felt it had been a mistake to emphasize the promised protection. One pregnant mother, in desperation, picked up a shotgun to chase white ruffians out o f her house. 12 �Special Problems of Partial Desegregation Partial desegregation creates special problems. C O R E members re­ ported the first-grade approach made it hard if not impossible for many families to take advantage of integration. Mothers with babies or pre­ school children usually depend on an older child to escort the 6-year-old to and from school. Sending the children to different schools would require the mother to accompany the first-grader. She would then have to leave the very youngest at home alone, or else hire a baby-sitter twice a day. The problem is tougher when both parents have jobs. Aside from the practicalities, some 6-year-olds quite naturally wanted to go to schools with their older brothers and sisters. More than one parent said, “ I could send all my children to the neighborhood school, If they would go— but not the first-grader, alone.” Obstacles to Integration School Superintendent Oliver has said several times that few Negroes are interested in desegregation. He points to the small number of Negroes who entered the neighborhood schools last September. Actu­ ally the N egro enrollment was small for three principal reasons: 1. Segregated housing means segregated schools. (The school board, after painstakingly redistricting the first grade zones, estimated that only 126 out o f some 1,400 Negro first-graders would be eligible for enroll­ ment in white schools.) 2. Fears of physical and econom ic reprisal kept many eligible fam­ ilies from enrolling. 3. Other families were reluctant to break with custom. C O R E members found keen interest in desegregation among the parents they visited. Most parents wanted to send their children to the white school nearby but were torn between the long-range advantages and short-range disadvantages. They feared m ob action (particularly dynamiting), economic pressures and lack o f acceptance in the school. They had little confidence in protection promised by the police depart­ ment and city officials. Most felt the children would get along well but were dubious about the adults. The Reverend Mr. Kelley listed eight responses from parents he had talked with. One or two of these reflect unstated fears: 1. “ have an older child in the Negro school and my first-grader I needs his protection.” 1 3 �2. “ am not well, so I am keeping my child out of school the first I week.” 3. “ The child is not well enough to go and register.” 4. “ We are planning to move to another community within Nash­ ville.” 5. “ don’want to make my child a guinea pig.” I t 6. “ When these folks get off the school grounds and quit threatening on the telephone, I’ send my child to the integrated school.” ll 7. “ am going to send my child, but I am badly frightened.” I 8. “ Please pray for me and my family.” Who Must Bear the Burden In most communities, particularly those of the south, the job of de­ segregation is just beginning. In December 1957 the Reverend Mr. Campbell visited Dallas, which had been ordered to desegregate. He was told that of 500 potential Negro students perhaps no more than a dozen would enter white schools. The situation is all too typical. “ The future is not stumbled upon; it is created out of words and acts,” Lillian Smith wrote in Now Is the Time. Those o f us who want a society where all men are equal must now work for our goal. In many southern communities school suits are in the courts or soon will be; signs are being removed in buses and are going down in railroad stations; local plants are covered by fair employment practice agree­ ments written into federal government contracts. Where a suit is filed, a sign goes down or a manufacturer signs a con­ tract, there must always be a first one or two or ten to take advantage of the new opportunity. Technically, the burden of desegregating public facilities that violate constitutional guarantees rests on the defendants— the school boards, the park boards, the bus companies, the railroads. Practically, however, those who desire the change must bear the burden. The burden becomes lighter where the strength of others is felt. BASIC PRINCIPLES 1. With cooperation, understanding and non-violence, we can make plans work for the benefit o f all. This includes plans such as school de­ segregation which may be branded as unworkable. 2. Personal contact is the best way to give people a brighter outlook and a better understanding o f citizenship. Face-to-face talks are better than telephone calls and letters, although the latter can help. 14 �3. If we expect to build the kind o f society we want, we must put forth effort ourselves. In the case of school desegregation we must be prepared to go through mobs, if necessary. 4. The interracial group has something especially valuable to con­ tribute. It is a live demonstration that integration works. SPECIFIC SUPS 1 . Organize parents ahead of time so they do not feel they are alone. Strengthen them by bringing them together in meetings. 2. Begin work with the parents months before the day for registra­ tion and the opening of school. The more contacts, the more confidence and understanding, the less risk of their succumbing to intimidation. 3 . Many of the parents affected by school desegregation do not be­ long to civic organizations or attend educational meetings. G o directly to them. Talk with them in their homes and reach them through small neighborhood meetings (half a dozen families can be brought together in a private house). D o not plan programs beyond their educational level or in places they are not accustomed to. 4. Be thoroughly informed so you can pass on information about general school procedures and desegregation plans, statements from civic leaders and organizations, and names of people who can assist parents in case of difficulties. In times of tension, routine procedures may look like discriminatory treatment— the omission of a birth certifi­ cate, for example, may appear an enormous problem. There are always people to turn to: Interested lawyers will be glad to write for birth cer­ tificates, political leaders can be called on to help with police protection. But the parents may need someone to suggest which persons to see or what steps to take. Keep in mind, also, that apparently routine pro­ cedures may mask discriminatory treatment. 5 . Let school and public officials know you are interested and active and what your goals are. Let them know you are concerned about the plans they are making. This can be done through conferences, letters, attendance at school board meetings and hearings, and by being present when court cases are heard. If you are silent, they can say— truthfully— “ Everyone who called or wrote or spoke out was against desegregation.” 6 . Protest immediately any police laxness or softness toward agi­ tators who are breaking laws. The police and city officials will not take firm steps unless they know the community is behind them. A citizen has a duty to demand action on neighborhood disturbances, illegal meet­ ings and threats to lives. Even those who want segregation will often support a curb on lawlessness. 1 5 �7. Take your place in troubled areas to give positive witness to your stand; encourage others to d o so. People who are subject to threats, m ob abuse and econom ic pressures do not want congratulations after the crisis is over. They expect those who share their convictions to stick with them when the going is rough. 8. D o not underestimate your own power and the power o f your group. Of course it would be fine if the most important people in town were active workers for desegregation. But there is little chance that they will be, so the victory depends on you. The less important people are often better able to reach and influence the parents. . 9. Invite every likely individual and group to work with you— but don’ waste energy worrying about what the others are not doing. Cer­ t tain groups and individuals should logically take the lead— the churches, PTAs, city and school officials— but when they d o not, individuals in their ranks can always be recruited. 10. Concentrate on one project at a time if your organization is small, but support and encourage related efforts, such as voter registra­ tion and attempts to break down segregation in voluntary organizations, on buses and in other public facilities. Studies o f other communities have shown that all efforts to break down barriers contribute indirectly to the success o f school desegregation. P U B L ISH ED J U N E 1958 Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) 38 Park Row 0 New York 38 0 N. Y. PRICE 25< (Write for quantity price schedule) A chronology of all major events in the Nashville school desegre­ gation struggle to April 1958 is available at 100. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource A First Step Towards School Integration Description An account of the resource Pamphlet written by Anna Holden regarding the Congress of Racial Equality's (CORE) role in making desegregation in Nashville, TN possible. 16 pages Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and Anna Holden Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1958-6 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1950s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_8_1 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/7bfe7e0c8dcd526c75b12959ecbab41a.pdf 6ef0971567d66ee0c73665e911ac4932 PDF Text Text STATEMENT OF SIRS . KATHRYN I. STINE Delegate from Arlington Before the GOVERNOR’S COMMISSION ON PUBLIC EDUCATION November 15, 1954 Senator Gray and Members of the Commission: The decision of the United States Supreme Court outlaw­ ing, in principle, a segregated pattern of public education has created a public issue greater than any faced by the people of this Commonwealth in a century. We cannot wish the problem away and continue traditional practices, nor can we expect a fully integrated public school system tomorrow. It will take time, probably much time, to meet this new challenge. In the present critical situation there are those who say that everyone is either for the decision or against the decision —and that never the twain shall meet. They say that hearts and minds are settled and fixed—that there is no ground for meeting the problem together. I reject this thesis. I believe that there is a possibility, as there must always be in the affairs of men, for a thoughtful and temperate edu­ cation of the mind and heart, in the best tradition of a Christian and liberty-loving people whose basic tenet is respect for the individual person. There is room for educa­ tion of those proponents of integration who have never lived in a community with large numbers of Negroes, many of �whom still lack the cultural background needed to make im­ mediate and complete integration practical. There is room for education of those opponents of the principle of integra­ tion who have not lived in a community with smaller numbers of Negroes, many of whom have attained professional and cultural standing. There is much to think about before we take hasty steps. Pondering the great issue, I hope thoughtfully, and I know prayerfully, I have been learning much in recent months. I have developed a strong feeling that wisdom and light suffi­ cient for right and proper action will not come in a day. This great problem has led me back to re-study the founda­ tions of our State and national life. It has taken me through the history of judicial interpretation. It has led me to a study of the facts concerning the education of both whites and Negroes. I have never found a substitute for honest, brooding study in attempting to solve a serious problem. I have never found a substitute for good will among men. I find no substitute now. I find much to be pondered—many facts to be faced. If our situation can be pondered and if facts can be faced together, as it should always be with men and women of good will, I am confident that we can discover what is best to do. As a Commission charged with a grave responsibility, you have sought the thinking of your fellow legislators, local governing bodies and organizations. Gentlemen, I have talked with many of my fellow citizens whom I have the honor to represent. I appear here today to say that I have confidence in the splendid leadership of my local school board and the statement which its Chairman will present to you. After the Supreme Court Decision of last May, our local school board appointed a thirty-member committee, composed of individuals of widely differing points of view, as of that �time. That committee has worked diligently, and with good will. The statement which our school board will present to you today was submitted to its special committee. It was re-worked and refined with their help. I believe most firmly that it represents the predominant thinking of the citizens of our community today. I believe it to be a temperate and thoughtful statement, and it is my hope that you will find it so. The committee of thirty citizens which is advising our school board is placing great reliance upon facts. It has voted unanimously for a “factual reporting sheet” for com­ munity distribution from time to time, and the first issue has come out. I should like to file a copy of it with you. The present position of our school board, which I share, is that no step should be contemplated by your Commission which would impair the great progress made in Virginia under the Constitutional guarantee of free public education and the compulsory school attendance law. Further, that the possibility of integration is one which must be worked out locally, as the facts and public opinion support first steps. The successful conduct of a sound program of public educa­ tion rests, in the final analysis, upon the community and its duly constituted school board. What may be workable in one community may be impractical in another. We believe that no blanket, State-wide prescription can meet the issue posed. As we await the final decrees of the Supreme Court on implementation of its decision, may we strengthen our deep resolution on the importance of good public education to the life of our Constitutional democracy; may we bear in mind the great differences among our communities which will re­ quire, I think, local answers to local situations, and many we firmly resolve to make our answers consonant with the deci­ sion of our highest tribunal. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Statement of Mrs. Kathryn H. Stone, Delegate from Arlington, Before Commission on public Education at Richmond November 15, 1954 Description An account of the resource Statement of Mrs. Kathryn H. Stone promoting a middle ground between those for and against integration of Virginia schools. 2 pages Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Mrs. Kathryn H. Stone, Delegate from Arlington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1954-11-15 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1950s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_7_34 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/15aa103e50269ec5ebbabf79d052a037.pdf af97212d8f863289d676d0e5870a0770 PDF Text Text R e p r i n t e d fro m F e b ru a ry , 1959 th e , comers through the hallways to the vari­ ous classes. The orientation activities and get-togethers were not sponsored by school authorities. They knew of this only through the newspapers. C o u r a g e a n d c o m m u n it y p la n n in g h e lp e d A r l i n g t o n , V a ., m a i n t a i n la w a n d o r d e r on D -D a y f o r i t s s c h o o ls . B y D A V ID L . K R U P S A W C h ild re n le a v e a f t e r firs t d a y o f in te g r a te d classes in V irg in ia p u b lic sc h o o l h is to ry . THE DAY NOTHING HAPPENED T h e G o v e r n o r o f V irg in ia s a id , “ I a m d e te r m in e d to k e e p th e p e a c e a n d g o o d o r d e r to t h e e n d th a t th e h o n o r o f V ir g in ia b e n o t d e f a m e d H e m e a n t tcha t h e sa id . T h e C o u n ty M a n a g e r o f A r lin g to n sa id , “ D is tu r b a n c e s w ill n o t b e to le r ­ a te d . A ll p o lic e o ffic e r s h a v e b e e n in s tr u c te d to ta k e e v e r y s te p n e c e ssa ry to m a in ta in p e a c e a n d o r d e r ." H e m e a n t ic h a t h e sa id . A we also took elaborate precautions to back up our words. Since last summer our police had been taking special train­ ing and instruction in the handling of "civil disturbance.” On the morning that the school was integrated pursuant to the decree of the federal courts, our police, wearing GI battle helmets painted white, and equipped with gas grenades and masks, batons and other riot equip­ ment, were deployed around the entire perimeter of the school grounds. Fifteen plain clothesmen, mostly from our Ju ­ venile Bureau, were on duty in the school building. Access to the school and the r l i n g t o n , a Northern Virginia sub„ urb just across the Potomac from Washington, D. C., has a population of 169,000 and a police force of 169 men. More than half of this force was assigned to duty in and around Stratford Junior -------------- T h e A u t h o r -------------High School on the morning of February Mr. Krupsow hod on insider's view of the 2, 1959, the day that time ran out for Arlington story. He is Chairman of the "massive resistance.” At 8:3 5 a.m. four Arlington County Board— a title equiva­ Negro children walked unescorted across lent to that of mayor. a large playfield and entered the school. Classes began at 8:45 a.m. At 10:30 a.m., ( was able to tell newspapermen that surrounding area was limited to pupils "Arlington’s experience this morning and teachers. Press, radio and television demonstrates conclusively that no dis­ reporters were barred from school prem­ orders occur where public officials are ises. Any carnival character that might honestly determined that there will be have attached to the event was eliminated. no breach of the peace. Rabble rousers Photographers and reporters did some­ are basically cowards and fade away when what better from their standpoint after confronted by authorities in a posture of school was dismissed; they could stop and talk with children after they had left dignity and quiet confidence.” This, I believe, is the real reason why the restricted area around Stratford. Several anonymous telephone calls were desegregation in Arlington was accom­ plished without incident. This is why received during the day alleging that there was no excitement, why the assign­ bombs had been planted in the school ment turned out to be a dull one for building. O ur police were certain that press, radio and television. The lunatic this was not true, and a careful recheck fringe had made threats, had promised of the building showed that they were to picket, had said it would distribute right. Stratford had been kept under hate literature. It did not appear. Report­ intense surveillance; for several nights ers made up most of the crowd that before "Desegregation Day” the school morning and their number dwindled as building was illuminated inside and lights the day wore on. flooded the school grounds. No panic fol­ We made it clear *n words that we lowed the bomb threats and the obvious would tolerate no breach of the peace; purpose of emptying the building was thwarted. There was no disruption of the teaching schedule. It soon became evident to Arlington authorities that we had "over-prepared.” The next morning the contingent assigned to protect the children and the school was reduced from 90 men to 60. The following day, February 4, the sixty were cut to thirty and the next day to fifteen. On Friday, February 6, the last school day of the week, all officers were removed except for two plainclothes officers in­ side the school and motorized units patroling the school area. The Arlington desegregation story was Qff the front pages on the fourth day. fn less than 100 hours we had become only second section news. This exceeded our best hopes and was a good measure of our success. We arc not in the least sorry that we were over-prepared. And we know that we will have a continuing problem for some time. But we are confident that we can handle our problem ourselves— without interference from state militia or paratroopers with fixed bayonets. Tup sm ooth and happy p a s s in g of Arlington’s D-Day was the result of much more than just police planning. Many others participated. One of the Negro mothers was in charge of "orientation.” Conferences were held by Negro and white parents. Workshops with the youngsters prepared them for the emotional adjustment to the white school. Volunteer white teachers worked as tutors. Several white parents arranged parties for the Negro children to get together with kids from Stratford so that the new students would see a few familiar faces that first day. Student guides were assigned to help the new­ available from ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE OF B’NAI B’RITH 515 Madison Avenue, New York 22, N. Y. S i n c e l i t i g a t i o n was pending almost to the moment that school opened Monday morning, the school administrative au­ thorities participated only in the me­ chanics of the necessary arrangements. They conferred, of course, with the county manager and police officials regarding arrangements for the big day. The su­ perintendent of schools conferred with the principal of the junior high school about the enrollment and placing of the Negro pupils. The superintendent assigned the school system’s public relations offi­ cer to Sm ccord ami sire sent in c lin a ­ tion over to the Administration Building for release to the press. r.lande M. Richmond is the principal of Stratford Junior High School. He talked to each of the 7th grade sections, giving only the facts, and told the stu­ dents what was expected of them in terms of behavior. The children were told to discuss this with their parents. Attend­ ance in school on "opening” day was a m atter for parental decision. Mr. Rich­ mond also spoke to his 8th and 9th grades at assemblies and discussed all facets of the problem with his faculty. In assign­ ing the children, he gave careful consider­ ation to the makeup of the group and to the teachers concerned. He talked to the four Negro children and to some of their parents about arrangements for en­ rollment, programs and schedules. The superintendent issued a rule (with the approval of the school board) that the admission of Negro students would not automatically constitute a valid rea­ son for transfer of students to another school or to another section within Strat­ ford. He also ruled that any student cre­ ating a disturbance would automatically be suspended and would be readmitted only after a conference with the child’s parents. Principal Richmond sent these regulations home by the children. So w e a r e now, we hope, over the hump. Because the Governor of Virginia, J. Lindsay Almond, Jr., is a responsible public official and a man of courage, be­ cause Arlington authorities made it clear that no disorder would be tolerated, our community was able to master its crisis. Although we arc, in one sense, a suburb of Washington, D. C., wc are still Vir­ ginians, and most Virginians do not wel­ come integration. But that was not the point. Responsible Virginians and Arlingtonians wanted no Little Rock. And there was no Little Rock. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Day Nothing Happened Reprinted from the Anti-Defamation League Bulletin February 1959 Description An account of the resource Article regarding the first day of integration in Virginia schools written by David L. Krupsaw, Chairman of the Arlington County Board. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource David L. Krupsaw, Chairman of the Arlington County Board and the Anti-Defamation League Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1959-2 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1950s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_7_33 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/a61291f4f7c5a2c8385057f954528201.pdf 23ccdc00139000d53b5fb868ec5a643a PDF Text Text Ir. Ja c k R M W r l i a ton r,broker Offenders of. 3 7 ic t R b r s iB© 5 5 f r h o e t «« ta te orercifflaty end Individual L iberties \A ington, Vii^tni& Inca none o f kite Orrty D em issio n reccKsnenofttlana h aw rse j e t been unrasted in to law, i t in m ite iiapoesible to give th e ex act ie p s c t vhloh i t w ill h aw c» A rlington c b o a ls in the d e t a i l Sow eber 1 ^ . deb, you rc-iuert in your telngrnm e f Arlington ass o o a o a rn tise ly few negroes concentroted ->rettrrl Uw tnzee tkpto school's, an n tp tio n o f tn e ml th o se are L arte ly in A rllw .tcn, «we» ccw rlat* ta o l^ - t»r>re»e Court d e c isio n s outlaw in' segregation in p u b lic schools w ill tw in » s s s l l s r pro m r iie u of fUngro p u p il? in schools o revtousljr attended only by wr-itci pcw ils tfine in « o st -c tro o o U tn n ow saunitiec even in the " o rth . Two w iool years tews atnrted since aerray^tlon w tqr the flenj— Court of the United :tnte«. doctored Ille g a l So f a r n et a sin/de Sesro ch ild has been k n itte d to a school attended by ‘'h it* children. In stew o f ta le , the Kegm leaders la Arlington h im been w e t reaaowible. I sinoerely hope th/ t other g r a n s w ill be enually rr.seon-Sle. Olsen freed** fre e sxtreae prejudice rad the eeotionnU sa -tdeth i t engottier;,, In te frstio n l a Arlington nhculd present no •erica s rt>tjlaee. K W COX & SSfi Coalm en Arlington County chool Board HClCCt Roweber 16. 1955 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource November 16, 1955 Letter from Warren Cox, Chairman Arlington County School Board, to Jack Rathbone, Arlington Chapter Defenders of State Sovereignty and Individual Liberties Description An account of the resource Letter from Warren Cox to Jack Rathbone regarding impacts of potential integration of Arlington Schools. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Warren Cox, Chairman of the Arlington County School Board Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1955-11-16 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1950s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_7_32 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/6d7270b8797be9ecda92ace7a15b2154.pdf aa6a15ffe52becc89b19078df25ce901 PDF Text Text m c 0 3 P T December 21, 195^ 7tie Honorable Kathryn H. Stone 1051 26th Hoad South Arlington, Virginia Dear Mrs. Stones On yesterday, December 20, Mrs. Campbell asked roe to investigate a statement which had been made to you concerning the attendance of a Negro child in the Wakefield Junior-Senior High School. X have discussed this matter with Mr, ELer, Assistant Irincipel of Wakefield, who is in charge of that school's transportation, and be his given me the following information. A dark skinned Japanese boy rides a school bus from South 23rd Street and attends the seventh grade. Also, there is one very dark skinned Italian boy from Fort Myer attending the sixth grade in "icefield. It is our opinion that one of these two children is probably the one who has been mis­ taken for a.Negro child. As you know, of course, it is necessary that we have a completely segregated school system now, just as we have had in the -past. In the event this explanation is not adequate, or should you have any further question, please do not hesitate to call us. Yours very sincerely. MLRjCOS °e: Mrs. Campbell \znr. Cox Dr. Joy Dr. Draheim Dr. Keating MABEL LEIGH BOOKS Administrative Assistant to the Seperlntendent � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource December 21, 1954 Letter from Mabel Leigh Rooke, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent, to Kathryn H. Stone Description An account of the resource Letter from Mabel Leigh Rooke to Kathryn H. Stone regarding the possibility of an African American student attending segregated Wakefield Junior-Senior High School. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Mabel Leigh Rooke, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1954-11-15 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1950s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_7_31 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/d95ae23ac6facef1e03b37f694adcff1.pdf 06170418a4130136f23dffccbe00142a PDF Text Text STATiMKtra or MRS. KATHRYM H. ST0H2 Delegate from Arlington Before Conmleolon on Publlo Education at Richmond Eovamber 15, 1 5 * 9* Senator dray and Members of tbs Comaleelon: T i deeicion of tbs United Statae Soprano Oaort outlawing, In l« prlnelple, a segregated pattern of publlo education has created a p tibllo ieeaa greater than any faoed by the people of this Commonwealth Is a eontary. We cannot wlah the problem away and oontlnna traditional practices, nor ean we expeot a folly integrated public tcbool system tomorrow. It will take tine, probably such tics, to seat this new challenge. In the present critical situation there ere those who say that ewaryone Is either for the decision or against the decision—-and that newer the twain shall neat. They say that hearts and minds are sottlad and fixed— that there la no ground for meeting the problem together. I reject this theele. I believe that there le a possibility, as there mast always be In the affairs of men, for a thoughtful and temperate education of the mind and heart, In the beat tradition of a Christian end liberty-lovlng people whose basic tenet Is respect for the individual person. Store la room for educa­ tion of those proponents of integration who have never lived In a community with large numbers of Hegroea, many of whom still lack the cultural back­ ground needed to make Immediate and complete Integration practical. There is room for education of those opponanta of the principle of Integration who have not lived in a community with smaller numbers of Kegraoa, many of whom have attained professional end cultural standing. There Is mueh to think about before we taka hasty steps. Pondering the great Issue, I hope thoughtfully, and I know praysrfnlly, I have been learning much In recent months. I have developed a strong feeling that wledoa and light sufficient for right end proper action will not come In a day. This great problem has led me back to re-study the foundations of our State and national life. It has taken me through the history of Judicial Interpretation. It hae led me to study of the faeto concerning the educa­ tion of both whites and Hegross. I have never found a substitute for honeet, brooding etudy In at­ tempting to eolve a eerioue problem. I have never found a eubetitute for good will among men. I find no eubetitute now. I find mueh to be pondered— many faots to be faced. If our situation oan be pondered and if facte can be faoed together, at it should always be with men and women of good will, I am confident that we oan dlsoover what le best to do. As a Commission charged with a grave responsibility, you have sought the thinking of your fellow legislators, local governing bodies and organise tions. Gentlemen, I have talked with many of my fellow oltlsens when I have the ho o ' to represent. I appear here tedoy to say that I have confidence ni In the splendid leadership of my local school board and the statement which Its Chairman will present to yon. �After the Supreme Court Doolsion of last May, our local school hoard, appointed a thlrty-xeaber ooroittse, oonpossd of individuals of widely differing points of view, as of that tins. That committee has worked diligently, end with good will. The statement which, our school board will present to yon today was submitted to lie epeolal committee. It was rsworksd end refined with their help, I believe moot firmly that it repre­ sents the predominant thinking of the oltlxens of oar oommaalty today. I believe It to be a temperate and thoughtful statement, and it is ay hope that yon will find it so. The committee of thirty oltlzane which is advising our eehool board is placing great reliance upon facta. It has voted unanimously for a "factual reporting sheet" for community ' distribution from time to time, and the first Issue has ooms out. I should like to file a copy of i with t you. The present position of our sohool board, vhloh X share, it that no stsp should he contemplated by your Commission vhloh would impair the grsat progress made la Virginia under the Constitutional guarantee of free public education end the oompulsory cohool attendance law. Further, that the possibility of integration 1b one which must be worked out looally, as the fsots and publlo opinion support first steps. The sucoosefnl con­ duct of a sound program of publlo education rests, In the final analysis, upon the community and its duly constituted sohool board. What may be work­ able in one community may be impractical in another. We believe that ns blanket. State-wide prescription can meet the issue posed. Ae we await the final deorees of the Supreme Court on implementa­ tion at its decision, may we strengthen our deep resolution on the importance of good public education to the life of our Constitutional democracy; may wa baar in mind the great differences among our communities which will re­ quire , I think, local ansvsrs to looal situations, and msy we firmly re­ solve to make our answers consonant with the decision of our highest tri­ bunal. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Statement of Mrs. Kathryn H. Stone, Delegate from Arlington, Before Commission on public Education at Richmond November 15, 1954 Description An account of the resource Statement of Mrs. Kathryn H. Stone promoting a middle ground between those for and against integration of Virginia schools. 2 pages Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Mrs. Kathryn H. Stone, Delegate from Arlington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1954-11-15 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1950s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_7_29 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/46c1dd7e8625a34c93e8a0f57c1c7605.pdf cdf0dbeeb2cb4b203a807999bfa010eb PDF Text Text THE CITIZENS EIGHT FOE BETTER SCHOOIS IN ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA P repared F or The N a tio n a l C itiz e n s Commission F or The P u b lic Schools By B. Alden L illy w h ite and O thers * INTRODUCTION T h is sta te m en t can he b e s t d e sc rib e d a s a b r i e f c h ro n o lo g ic a l account o f th e e f f o r t s d u rin g th e p a s t 5 y e ars of th e c it i z e n s of A rlin g to n County, V ir g in ia t o improve th e p u b lic s c h o o ls. I t does n o t s e t f o r t h fundam ental con­ c e p ts o r p r in c ip le s about p u b lic e d u c a tio n and what c it i z e n s could o r should do about i t , f o r th e sim ple re a so n t h a t th e A rlin g to n program d id n o t s t a r t i n t h a t k in d of s e t t i n g . I t i s sim ply a summary account of what happened t o th e communi­ t y 's p u b lic sch o o ls when d efen se a c t i v i t i e s o f th e F e d e ra l Government e n g u lfe d th e a re a w ith new p o p u la tio n , and th e e x is tin g sch o o l a d m in is tra tio n appeared in ca p ab le o r u n w illin g t o meet th e r e s u l ti n g problem s. Some re a d e rs may f in d t h i s sta te m e n t to o lo c a liz e d and o th e rs may c o n sid e r th e a c t i v i t i e s d e s c rib e d a re n o t i n accordance w ith th e b e s t p r a c tic e i n th e f i e l d . T h is may be t r u e , b u t i t i s th e firm b e l i e f of th e A rlin g to n C itiz e n s Committee f o r School Improvement t h a t what a community should do about i t s p u b lic sch o o ls depends on l o c a l c o n d itio n s - n o t p h ilo s o p h ic a l sta te m e n ts of t h e o r y . I t i s th e f u r t h e r b e l i e f of th e committee members t h a t th e h e lp c it i z e n s groups need most i n t h e i r e f f o r t s t o improve t h e i r p u b lic sch o o l programs i s th e d e t a i l o f what has been done in o th e r communities and how i t was done - n o t why i t was done. I t i s w r i t te n w ith th e hope t h a t th e e x p erien c e i n A rlin g to n w i l l have some v a lu e f o r th e c it i z e n s of o th e r communities who want t o g iv e t h e i r c h ild re n th e b e s t p o s s ib le e d u c a tio n a l o p p o r tu n itie s . CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COUNTY A rlin g to n , V irg in ia i s n o t a t y p i c a l American community. I t i s a county com prising an a re a of only 2k square m ile s lo c a te d alo n g th e banks of th e Potomac R iv er which s e p a ra te s i t from th e D i s t r i c t of Columbia o f which i t was o r i g in a l ly a p a r t . I n i t s econom ic, s o c i a l , g e o g ra p h ic a l and i n d u s t r i a l f e a t u r e s , i t i s a p a r t o f th e W ashington M e tro p o lita n a re a which in c lu d e s , in a d d itio n t o th e D i s t r i c t of Columbia, s e v e ra l a d jo in in g c o u n tie s i n M aryland and V ir g in ia . P o l i t i c a l l y , i t i s one of th e 100 c o u n tie s i n V ir g in ia , a o n e -p a rty , p o l l t a x , S o u th ern s t a t e . The county i s th e dominant p o l i t i c a l u n i t , sin c e i t c o n ta in s no m u n ic ip al governm ent. In 1930 A rlin g to n had a p o p u la tio n of 37,000. I t grew m o derately as a n ti- d e p r e s s io n a c t i v i t i e s o f th e F e d e ra l Government were expanded. By 19k0 th e p o p u la tio n had reached 57,000, b u t I t s growth was more i n th e n a tu re of c a tc h in g th e s p i l l - o v e r from W ashington, D.C. r a t h e r th a n th e planned and encouraged growth o f a w e ll-o rd e re d community. T here was l i t t l e e f f o r t on th e p a r t of i t s le a d e rs t o a t t r a c t new p o p u la tio n or t o p la n f o r h e a lth y growth and developm ent. T here was no g re a t p re s s u re f o r a d d itio n a l schools o r o th e r community s e rv ic e s s in c e th e p o p u la tio n growth had been g ra d u a l. The County sim ply appeared a s a * O scar R. LeBeau, Iv a n A. B ooker, A lly n A. W alters and Reed K. Pond. �-ap la c e where F e d e ra l employees coming t o W ashington could f in d a p la c e t o l i v e . S h o rtly a f t e r th e o u tb rea k of World War I I , th e boom s e t i n . War and d e fen se a c t i v i t i e s o f th e F e d e ra l Government expanded r a p id ly thro u g h o u t th e M e tro p o lita n a r e a . A r lin g to n 's sh a re of th e new F e d e ra l i n s t a l l a t i o n s was sub­ s t a n t i a l . A new A irp o rt, one o f th e l a r g e s t in th e n a tio n , had r e c e n tly been com pleted on A r lin g to n 's s id e of th e R iv e r. The Pentagon, o fte n re p o rte d t o be th e w o rld ’s l a r g e s t o f f ic e b u ild in g , was c o n s tru c te d a t a re p o rte d c o s t o f alm ost $100,000,000 and employed a t i t s peak 40,000. An A ir - tr a n s p o r t Command and o th e r f l y in g f a c i l i t i e s a d ja c e n t t o th e N a tio n a l A irp o rt were com pleted. F o rt Myer, a permanent i n s t a l l a t i o n , was g r e a t ly expanded. A rlin g to n H a ll, a n i n s t a l l a t i o n t h a t became th e communications c e n te r of th e a l l i e d f o r c e s , was c o n s tru c te d on v a lu a b le lan d i n th e c e n te r of th e c o u n ty . A s e r i e s of b u ild in g s were c o n s tru c te d t o house re c o rd s , th e Bureau of Yards and Pocks and o th e r m isce lla n eo u s a c t i v i t i e s o f th e D epartm ent of Navy. A Marine b a rra c k s was com pleted n e x t t o F o rt Myer and a p r o je c t t o house government g i r l s was b u i l t and p u t i n to o p e ra tio n . A ll of th e s e f a c i l i t i e s were owned and o p e rated by th e F e d e ra l Government. No com pila­ t i o n i s a v a ila b le of th e c o s t t o c o n s tru c t o r eq u ip them o r t h e i r p re s e n t v a lu e . R e lia b le e s tim a te s p la c e th e a c q u i s i t io n c o s t of th e s e f a c i l i t i e s a t $300,000,000 and th e p re s e n t v alu e a t more th a n h a l f a b i l l i o n , which i s alm ost tw ice th e valu e o f a l l ta x a b le p ro p e rty i n th e C ounty. S in ce t h i s p ro p e rty i s F ederally-ow ned, i t y ie ld s no p ro p e rty -ta x income. At th e peak, th e s e f a c i l i t i e s employed betw een 75,000 and 100,000 p e o p le . These and o th e r d efen se a c t i v i t i e s of th e F e d e ra l Government b rought te n s of thousands of new w orkers t o th e W ashington m e tro p o lita n a r e a . Thousands o f th e s e w orkers and t h e i r fa m ilie s s e t t l e d i n A rlin g to n a s f a s t as houses and apartm ent u n i ts could be c o n s tru c te d f o r them . The b u ild in g boom d id n o t cease w ith th e s u rre n d e r of Ja p a n , b u t , on th e c o n tra ry , th e volume of c o n s tru c tio n a c t i v i t y has been in c re a s in g each y e a r sin c e t h a t tim e . A s p e c ia l p o p u la tio n census ta k e n e a r ly i n 1948 shewed a t o t a l o f 124,000 people in th e c o unty, not in c lu d in g th e p e rso n n e l s ta tio n e d on m il i ta r y r e s e r v a tio n s . T h is i s a n in c re a s e o f 118$ from 1940 t o 1948 and an in c re a s e o f 237$ from 1930 t o 1948. People from e v ery S t a te , t r a i n e d t o do alm ost any and ev ery k ind of work, and p a r t i c u l a r l y h ig h ly s k i l l e d and p r o f e s s io n a l work, moved in t o A rlin g to n C ounty. The 1940 census fig u r e s showed t h a t A r lin g to n 's a d u lt r e s id e n ts had th e second h ig h e s t e d u c a tio n a l a tta in m e n ts of any community i n th e U nited S t a t e s . S ince t h a t tim e , th e p ro p o rtio n of h ig h ly t r a i n e d and p r o f e s s io n a l people coming i n to th e community i s p ro b ab ly even g r e a t e r . The 1940 census fig u r e s a ls o showed t h a t A r lin g to n 's p o p u la tio n was younger, th e r e was a la r g e r p ro p o rtio n o f wage e a rn e rs and th e income p e r fa m ily was h ig h e r th a n i n th e average community. Over h a l f of a l l employed wage e a rn e rs i n th e County work f o r th e F e d e ra l Government. Many o f th e s e people came t o th e n a ti o n 's c a p i t a l , in te n d in g t o rem ain o nly u n t i l t h e i r war job was done and th e y could r e tu r n t o t h e i r homes. Many were arm ed-force p e rso n n e l on lim ite d to u r s of d u ty . The r e s u l t was a h ig h ly t r a n s i e n t p o p u la tio n , many of whom had only a tem porary o r p a ssin g i n t e r e s t i n th e a c t i v i t i e s o f th e community which was t h e i r tem porary home. The u s u a l c i t i z e n i n t e r e s t and p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n community a f f a i r s was p re s e n t i n A rlin g to n f o r only a sm all p o r tio n o f th e p o p u la tio n . Many o f th e new re s id e n ts c o n tin u ed t o v o te in t h e i r home s t a t e s s in c e th e y c o n sid ere d th e re sid e n c e i n A rlin g to n tem porary. The apportionm ent laws governing appointm ent t o and r e le a s e o f p ersons from C i v il S e rv ic e p o s itio n s w ith �- 3 th e F e d e ra l Government encouraged th e p r a c t ic e , and th e p o l l t a x and r e g i s t r a t i o n re q u ire m e n ts i n V irg in ia made i t d i f f i c u l t t o become e l i g i b l e t o v o te . As a r e s u l t of th e s e c irc u m stan c es, th e r e were only about 20,000 r e g is te r e d v o te rs in th e county i n th e f a l l of 1947, and only h a lf of th e s e vo ted t h a t F a l l when l o c a l and s t a t e o f f i c e r s were e le c t e d . Yet t h i s was th e next t o th e l a r g e s t number e v e r v o tin g i n an e l e c t i o n i n A rlin g to n b e in g exceeded only by th e 1944 P r e s i d e n ti a l e l e c t i o n . In th e P r e s i d e n ti a l e le c t i o n in th e F a l l of 1948, a t o t a l of 28,000 were r e g is te r e d and roughly 20,000 v o te d , th e la r g e s t number e v e r v o tin g in th e county and t h a t number had been reached in A rlin g to n only a f t e r stre n u o u s e f f o r t s d u rin g th e p a s t two o r th r e e y e a rs on th e p a r t of a number of c iv ic o rg a n iz a tio n s , p a r t i c u l a r l y th e League of Women V o te rs, t o g e t people r e g is te r e d . One o th e r f a c t o r p e r tin e n t t o th e s i t u a t i o n i n A rlin g to n i s th e H atch Act governing p o l i t i c a l a c t i v i t i e s of F e d e ra l em ployees. R eg u latio n s p erm it F e d e ra l w orkers t o p a r t i c i p a t e a c t i v e l y only in n o n -p a rtis a n l o c a l e le c t i o n s . F e d e ra l w orkers c a n 't campaign o r work a c t i v e l y f o r a p a r ty nominee f o r any o f f ic e nor p a r t i c i p a t e in m eetings where p a rty p o lic y i s form ed. There i s c o n sid e ra b le con­ fu s io n and u n c e r ta in ty a s t o how th e s e r e g u la tio n s a p p ly t o s p e c if ic cases and i n o rd e r t o be s u re , many of th e F e d e ra l employees ta k e no a c tiv e p a r t i n lo c a l p o l i t i c a l m a tte rs . In a d d itio n t o a l l of th e s e f a c t o r s , V ir g in ia i s governed b y a stro n g p o l i t i c a l o rg a n iz a tio n t h a t re ac h es i n to e v ery c o u n ty . Seldom has th e r e been any s e rio u s c o n te s t betw een R epublican and D em ocratic o f f ic e s e e k e rs . The p rim a rie s fu rn is h e d th e o nly c o n te s t, and i n most c ases th e p e rso n who wins th e prim ary i s th e one who has th e a p p ro v al o f th e D em ocratic o rg a n iz a tio n . The f a c t t h a t th e r e was l i t t l e or no c o n te s t i n most r e g u la r e le c tio n s a cc o u n ts f o r much of th e apathy of th e people re g a rd in g e le c t i o n o f t h e i r l o c a l o f f i c i a l s . Year a f t e r y e a r, th e dominant p a rty o rg a n iz a tio n has p ick e d th e l o c a l o f f i c i a l s and was i n com plete c o n tr o l of th e l o c a l s i t u a t i o n . The p o l i t i c a l p a rty i n power a p p o in te d th e School Board, a s w i l l appear l a t e r . These c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s t h a t s e t A rlin g to n a p a r t a s d i f f e r e n t from most American communities were of c o n sid e ra b le s ig n ific a n c e in th e c i t i z e n 's e f f o r t t o o b ta in b e t t e r s c h o o ls . They shaped th e program t h a t was developed, d i c t a te d th e ty p e o f a c tio n s t h a t were ta k e n and determ ined th e c h a ra c te r o f th e f i g h t t h a t was waged. While many of th e s e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s may appear t o th e o u ts id e r as having l i t t l e d i r e c t s ig n if ic a n c e t o th e sch o o l improvement movement, re c o g n itio n of them i s e s s e n t i a l t o an u n d e rstan d in g of th e re aso n s f o r th e a c t i v i t i e s c a r r ie d out in th e f i g h t f o r b e t t e r sc h o o ls. AKLIKGTOB'S PUBLIC SCHOOL PROBLEM As e a r l y a s 1940, th e sc h o o l p la n t in A rlin g to n County was inadequate f o r a p o p u la tio n of 37^000 p e o p le . The e n t i r e system was on h a lf-d a y se ss io n s f o r f i r s t and second g ra d e s, th e r e were no p u b lic k in d e rg a rte n s , and no p ro v is io n w hatever f o r e x c e p tio n a l c h ild r e n . The County had had h a lf-d a y s e s s io n s f o r more th a n 20 y e a rs and a lth o u g h th e School A d m in is tra tio n had m ain tain ed t h a t i t was a tem porary e x p e d ie n t, i t became q u ite e v id e n t - and indeed th e sc h o o l a d m in is tra tiv e s t a f f began t o defend th e p ro p o s itio n - t h a t th e s i t u a t i o n was t o be a cc ep te d as a permanent p o lic y . The sch o o ls were org an ized on a t r i - m e s t e r system - two m id-year prom otions and r e o rg a n iz a tio n s . T here was no sta n d a rd s a la r y s c a le f o r te a c h e r s . C re d it g iv en f o r te a c h in g e x p erien c e o u tsid e of V ir g in ia was d isc o u n te d , and i n a number of o th e r ways th e sch o o l sta n d a rd s i n A rlin g to n were s u b s t a n t i a l l y below thos«. of o th e r s im ila r com m unities. �- k - As th e p re s s u re of new p o p u la tio n was f e l t , th e sc h o o ls became more and more crowded. O perating budgets d id n o t keep pace w ith th e growth o f sc h o o l p o p u la tio n . Good te a c h e rs became more d i f f i c u l t t o h i r e and th e e d u c a tio n a l sta n d a rd s f u r t h e r d e te r io r a t e d . The impact of wartim e growth on A r lin g to n 's sc h o o l system was more e v id e n t th a n t h a t in many o th e r communities because A r lin g to n 's sc h o o l system was so p o o rly p re p are d t o meet i t . Moreover, th e r e was a d i s t i n c t la c k o f le a d e rs h ip and d is p o s i t io n on th e p a r t of th e sch o o l b o a rd t o do a n y th in g t o meet th e s e problem s. When th e w artim e jobs of many of th e new r e s id e n ts c o n tin u ed lo n g e r th a n th e y had a n ti c ip a te d , th e y began t o r e a l i z e t h a t t h e i r c h ild r e n would be i n th e A rlin g to n Schools f o r a number of y e a rs . C onsequently, th e y began t o ta k e more of a n i n t e r e s t i n community a f f a i r s , p a r t i c u l a r l y s c h o o ls. As th e overcrow ding, te a c h e r sh o rta g e , in ad eq u ate f a c i l i t i e s and low o p e ra tin g b udgets began t o r e s u l t i n low er and low er sta n d a rd s of e d u c a tio n a l s e r v ic e , a number of th e county r e s i ­ d e n ts , some of th e old a s w e ll as th e new r e s i d e n t s , began t o a tte n d sch o o l bo ard m ee tin g s, t o a sk q u e stio n s and t o make re q u e s ts f o r much needed improvem ents. T h is a p p a re n tly was som ething new i n th e County and th e re c e p tio n by th e B eard was n o t to o c o r d ia l. The f iv e sch o o l b o a rd members were a p p o in ted by a School T ru ste e E le c t o r a l B oard, f o r ov erlap p in g term s o f y e a rs e ac h . T his School T ru ste e E le c t o r a l B oard, in t u r n , was a p p o in ted by th e C i r c u i t Judge of th e County who i s s e le c te d f o r an i n d e f i n i te term of o f f ic e b y th e O rg a n iza tio n c o n tr o lle d L e g is la tu r e . The School B oard, of c o u rse , s e le c te d th e S u p e rin te n d en t of S ch o o ls. Under t h i s system , s e l e c ti o n of sch o o l b o a rd members was fo u r s te p s removed from d i r e c t a c t i o n by th e v o te r s , and th e sc h o o l su p e rin te n d e n t who had b een i n o f f ic e over 25 y e a rs , was s t i l l one f u r t h e r s te p removed from th e p e o p le . The c it i z e n s of th e County d i d n 't put th e School Board members i n o f f ic e and c o u ld n 't p u t them out of o f f ic e - and th e Board members knew i t . A ll members of th e School Board and th e sc h o o l s u p e rin te n d e n t had a p p ro v al of th e p o l i t i c a l p a rty i n power in th e c o u n ty . T hus, th e y were re a so n a b ly su re of t h e i r te n u re so long as th e y p le a se d th e le a d e rs of th e p a r ty . The c a r d in a l p o in t o f th e p a rty le a d e rs seemed t o be t o keep ta x e s low re g a rd le s s of th e consequences t o th e sc h o o ls. The r e a c tio n of th e School Board t o th e c i t i z e n s ' re q u e s ts t h a t improve­ ments be made o r t h a t f a c te be made a v a ila b le t o them , was a t f i r s t u n frie n d ly and th e n openly h o s t i l e . By t h e i r a c tio n s th e b o a rd members made i t p l a i n t h a t th e y d i d n 't l ik e c it i z e n s t o q u e stio n what th e y d id . FOBMATIOH OF THE CITIZEK5 COMMITTEE FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT In 19^6 a new sch o o l bo ard member was t o be a p p o in ted by th e School T ru ste e E le c t o r a l B oard. A number o f th e c it i z e n s got b ehind a m in is te r in th e county who had jo in e d i n th e e f f o r t s f o r sc h o o l improvement, and made a stro n g case f o r h is ap pointm ent. The m eeting a t which th e appointm ent was made showed how w e ll e n tre n ch e d th e group in power was. An overwhelming m a jo rity of th o se t h a t spoke a t th e m eeting urged th e appointm ent o f th e m in is te r . The p r i n c i p a l su p p o rt of th e o p p o sitio n was from members of th e sc h o o l s t a f f who had been "ad v ised t o appear and h e lp make a show ing." The w ishes of th e m a jo rity o f c i t i ­ zens were not fo llo w ed ; th e m in is te r was n o t a p p o in te d . In s te a d , a form er member of th e Board was renamed t o th e Board. T h is e x p erien c e dem onstrated c le a r l y t h a t th e e x is ti n g sc h o o l a dm inis­ t r a t i o n was n o t i n te r e s t e d i n t r y in g t o meet th e problem i n a f o r t h r ig h t manner n o r i n t r y in g t o do a n y th in g t h a t th e c it i z e n s w anted. T h e ir prim ary i n t e r e s t �- 5 was i n keeping th e s t a tu s quo and i n keeping e x p e n d itu re s f o r sch o o l purposes as low a s p o s s ib le . D i s s a t i s f a c t i o n w ith th e e x is ti n g s i t u a t i o n began t o be m an ifest i n a number o f q u a r te r s . Some of th e more courageous p a re n ts had r a is e d q u e stio n s i n t h e i r P.T .A . m ee tin g s. In some c ases th e y were s u c c e s s fu l i n having com m ittees a p p o in te d t o look i n to one or a n o th e r of th e more obvious n eed s. In th e j o i n t p u b lic h e a rin g b e fo re th e School and County Boards on th e budget f o r th e I 9& 7 sch o o l y e a r, c i t i z e n d i s s a t i s f a c t i o n w ith th e sch o o ls was 6-V e v id e n t. One c i t i z e n asked th e Board what could be done t o g e t a d d itio n a l sch o o l f a c i l i t i e s and was t o l d he could t r y t o g e t a p e t i t i o n re q u e s tin g a bond issu e e le c t i o n . He th e n s a id he was w illin g t o c a rry a p e t i t i o n and asked a l l c it i z e n s i n th e m eeting who were w illin g t o do th e same th in g t o s ig n a s h e e t of paper w hich he s e n t around th e room. There were app ro x im ately 25 s ig n a tu r e s . T h is was th e b eg in n in g of th e C itiz e n s Committee f o r School Improvement (o fte n a b b re v ia te d t o CCSl). S h o rtly t h e r e a f t e r - on May 8 , I 9I+ , t h i s group of p a re n ts met and 6 formed an o rg a n iz a tio n . A c o n s t it u t io n and by-law s were adopted w ith sc h o o l im­ provement as th e b road p u rpose, implemented by some s p e c if ic o b je c tiv e s . The o f f i c e r s o f th e o rg a n iz a tio n c o n s is te d of a Chairman, V ice-C hairm an, S e c re ta ry , A s s is ta n t S e c re ta ry , and T re a s u re r. There were 18 r e g u la r s ta n d in g com m ittees and a d d itio n a l s p e c ia l com m ittees as n e c e s s a ry . The prim ary purpose of th e la rg e number of s ta n d in g com m ittees was t o give everyone som ething t o do and t o g e t a la rg e number of people working in sm all g roups, each stu d y in g s p e c if ic phases of A rlin g to n C ounty's school program . Anyone i n sympathy w ith th e o b je c tiv e s and purposes of th e o rg a n iz a tio n and w illin g t o work f o r t h e i r accomplishm ent was e l i g i b l e f o r membership. Dues were s e t a t $1 a y e a r p e r p e rso n . R egular member­ s h ip m eetings were h e ld once each month and e x e c u tiv e committee m eetings e v ery two w eeks. The form of th e o rg a n iz a tio n has undergone some m inor changes s in c e t h a t tim e and, as o r i g in a l o b je c tiv e s were accom plished or new s i t u a t i o n s a ro s e , th e sta te m en t of immediate o b je c tiv e s has been r e v is e d . B a s ic a lly , however, th e o rg a n iz a tio n rem ains th e same i n purpose and form as when f i r s t c r e a te d . (See Appendix f o r th e C o n s titu tio n and By-Laws.) The c it i z e n s who had been working f o r b e t t e r schools on an in d iv id u a l, u n co o rd in a te d b a s i s now had an o rg a n iz a tio n th ro u g h which th e y could b e t t e r d i r e c t and c o o rd in a te t h e i r e f f o r t s . FIRST EFFORTS OF THE CITIZENS COMMITTEE - THE MAY. 19V7 ELECTION The f i r s t m ajor e f f o r t of th e new o rg a n iz a tio n was t o c ir c u la t e a p e t i ­ t i o n c a l l in g f o r a bond issu e of $3 , 250,000 t o e s t a b l i s h p u b lic k in d e rg a rte n s , p ro v id e f u l l- d a y s e s s io n s in f i r s t and second g ra d e s, and expand e le m en tary and secondary sch o o l f a c i l i t i e s . P e titio n s were c a r r i e d from house t o house a l l over th e County. The names o f 1,000 ta x p a y e rs were re q u ire d and more th a n 5,000 were o b tain e d i n a p e rio d of L w eeks. These h o u se -to -h o u se v i s i t s gave th e Committee members an o p p o rtu n ity t o see how o th e r c it i z e n s in th e County f e l t about A r lin g to n 's sc h o o l program and how many were w illin g t o do som ething t o improve th e s i t u a t i o n . The r e a c tio n was encouraging. The p e t i t i o n was f i l e d w ith th e School Board in A ugust, 19^6. I t s e t f o r t h i n some d e t a i l th e need f o r th e bond is s u e and th e amount of money needed i n each c a te g o ry . I t f u r t h e r re q u e ste d th e School Board t o subm it th e bond issu e t o th e people a t th e g e n e ra l e l e c t i o n in November, 19ltC and o ffe re d th e a s s is ta n c e o f th e CCSI in e l i c i t i n g su p p o rt. In s te a d of a c tin g im m ediately, th e p e t i t i o n was f i l e d away by th e Board �- 6 - u n t i l th e next s p rin g , when, a f t e r c o n sid e ra b le p re s s u re , th e bond issu e was put on th e b a l l o t a t a s p e c ia l e l e c t i o n h e ld May 2 7 , I 9I4 . Since s p e c ia l e le c tio n s .7 in A rlin g to n u s u a lly had a much sm a lle r number of v o te rs th a n re g u la r e le c t i o n s , th e opponents f e l t th e y had a b e t t e r chance of d e fe a tin g th e bond issu e by b r in g ­ ing i t b e fo re th e people a t a s p e c ia l e le c t i o n . M oreover, th e bond issu e a c t u a l l y put t o th e people by th e School Board was f o r $6,000,000 f o r improvements i n th e same fo u r c a te g o rie s f o r which th e C itiz e n s Committee had asked $ 3 ,250,000. What i s more, a referendum f o r a bond is s u e of $5 , 150,000 f o r g e n e ra l county improve­ ments was p la c e d b e fo re th e people a t th e same tim e . Thus, a f t e r a d e la y of 7 m onths, th e c it i z e n s were asked t o vote on an $11, 150,000 c a p i t a l o u tla y f o r sch o o l ar.d county p u rp o se s. The b a l l o t d id not re q u e st a y e s -o r-n o v o te on th e t o t a l amount o f $ 6,000,000 f o r sch o o l p u rp o se s. In s te a d , i t d iv id e d t h i s t o t a l i n to !+ d i f f e r e n t amounts and asked f o r a s e p a ra te vote on each of th e s e ite m s: $665,000 f o r k in d e rg a rte n s , $530,000 f o r f u ll- d a y s e s s io n s f o r f i r s t and second g ra d e rs , $1 , 776,000 f o r expanded elem en tary sc h o o l f a c i l i t i e s and $3 , 029,000 f o r expanded secondary sc h o o l f a c i l i t i e s . B oosting th e proposed bond is s u e from $3,250,000 t o $6,000,000 f o r sc h o o ls and adding more th a n $5 , 000,000 f o r g e n e ra l county purposes was an obvious a tte m p t t o d e fe a t th e e n ti r e program . The s e p a ra tio n of th e sch o o l bond issu e i n to fo u r item s a ls o was obvio u sly an a tte m p t t o confuse th e v o te r s , and w ith th e f u r t h e r hope t h a t a t l e a s t some o f th e item s would be d e fe a te d . In th e i n t e r v a l betw een th e November and May e le c t i o n s , V i r g i n ia 's Governor c a lle d a s p e c ia l s e s s io n o f th e l e g i s l a t u r e t o c o n sid e r an emergency a p p r o p ria tio n of s t a t e funds f o r t e a c h e r 's s a l a r i e s and c e r t a i n p ro p o sa ls r e l a t i n g t o la b o r . Members o f th e CCSI to o k an ex trem ely long chance, b u t were s u c c e s s fu l i n g e ttin g in tro d u c e d and passed a t t h i 3 s p e c ia l s e s s io n a b i l l p e rm ittin g A rlin g to n v o te rs t o d ecide a t th e p o l l s : (a ) w hether th e y wanted t o change th e method of s e l e c ti n g t h e i r sch o o l board members and (b) i f so , w hether th e School Board mem­ b e rs should be e le c te d by th e people or a p p o in ted by th e County Board. T his q u e stio n o f w hether o r n o t t o change th e method of s e l e c ti n g School Board members was a ls o p lac ed on th e b a l l o t f o r th e s p e c ia l referendum e l e c t i o n on May 27, I 9V7 . T h is e le c t i o n o ffe re d th e C i t i z e n 's Committee i t s f i r s t r e a l o p p o rtu n ity t o g e t som ething done. R e a liz in g t h i s th e members planned th e campaign c a r e f u ll y and th o ro u g h ly . A la rg e group c o n tin u ed t o g a th e r f a c t s about A r lin g to n 's sch o o l program and system s in o th e r com m unities. O thers analyzed th e s e d a ta f o r p re se n ­ t a t i o n t o th e p u b lic . K ite of m a te ria l were p re p a re d , and a Speakers Bureau c o n ta c te d county o rg a n iz a tio n s t o a rra n g e speaking engagem ents. The p r e s s - r e l a ­ t io n s group c o n tin u ed t o r e le a s e d a ta t o th e new spapers. A weekly ra d io program devoted t o Bchool improvement was in au g u ra te d on a lo c a l s t a t i o n , " C itiz e n s of Tomorrow." A can v assin g o rg a n iz a tio n was c re a te d t o make a h o u se -to -h o u se canvass o f th e e n ti r e c o unty, e x p la in in g th e is s u e s in volved and u rg in g su p p o rt f o r them a t th e s p e c ia l e le c t i o n . A mimeograph machine was purchased and used t o g rin d out m a te ria ls f o r use of c a n v a sse rs, m a il-o u ts , throw -aw ays, e t c . M ailing p ie c e s went t o e v ery r e g is te r e d v o te r i n th e C ounty. P o s te rs were p re p are d and used w id e ly . T here was a lim ite d amount of newspaper a d v e r tis in g . The League of Women V oters p u t on a stre n u o u s e f f o r t t o g e t people r e g is te r e d and e l i g i b l e t o v o te and t o g e t them t o th e p o l ls t o v o te . The e n ti r e campaign can b e s t be c h a ra c te riz e d as an e f f o r t t o inform th e p e o p le . A s u b s t a n t i a l m a jo rity o f th o s e v o tin g fa v o re d a change in th e method of s e l e c ti n g School Board members and v o ted f o r d i r e c t e le c t i o n by th e p e o p le . �- 7 One "bond. Is s u e , th e $1,776,000 f o r expanded e le m en tary sc h o o l f a c i l i t i e s p a sse d . A ll th e o th e rs were d e fe a te d by sm a ll m argins. The c o n te s t bro u g h t out over 10,000 v o te r s ; th e l a r g e s t number e v er t o v o te i n a s p e c ia l e l e c t i o n i n th e County and th e t h i r d l a r g e s t number e v er v o tin g i n th e County. THE FIRST SCHOOL BOARD NOMINATING CONVENTION T h is was only h a l f a v ic to r y b u t i t was im p o rta n t. I t gave th e advo­ c a te s of b e t t e r sch o o ls a r e a l o p p o rtu n ity t o advance t h e i r program . Im m ediately a f t e r t h i s e l e c t i o n a sm a ll group of people began t o p la n some means of nom inating in d iv id u a ls t o ra n f o r th e School Board who would be t r u l y re p re s e n ta tiv e of th e p eople of th e County, and, i f e le c te d , would se rv e w ith d i s t i n c t i o n on th e new School B oard. The p lan n in g group was composed of r e p re s e n ta tiv e s from f iv e county­ wide o rg a n iz a tio n s ; and 51 l o c a l or county-w ide o rg a n iz a tio n s a cc ep te d in v it a ti o n s t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n a nom inating Convention by sending d e le g a te s . One committee e x p lo re d and announced some of th e d e s ir a b le q u a l i t i e s and c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of School Board members, a n o th e r sought out c it i z e n s t o become c a n d id a te s f o r th e B oard; and s t i l l o th e r com m ittees p re p are d r u l e s and p rocedures f o r conducting th e c o n v en tio n . T h is convention was h e ld on th e n ig h ts o f August 7 and 9, 19^7* The f i r s t e v en in g , each of th e 23 c a n d id a te s appeared b e fo re th e Convention d e le g a te s t o make a s h o rt sta te m en t and answer q u e s tio n s . The second n ig h t, th e d e le g a te s v o ted a cc o rd in g t o s t r i c t r u l e s which th e y had adopted th e prev io u s e vening. A f te r a s e r i e s of seven b a l l o t s , f iv e o u tsta n d in g c it i z e n s emerged a s th e nominees of th e School Board nom inating C onvention. Only th o se who h e lp e d p la n i t w i l l e v e r know how n e a r th e convention came t o f a l l i n g th ro u g h s e v e ra l tim e s . I t succeeded only because th e o p p o sitio n had n ev er se e n a n y th in g l ik e i t and d i d n 't th in k t h i s group had nerve enough t o t r y i t o r t o go th ro u g h w ith i t . n e v e r th e le s s , i t was bro u g h t t o a s u c c e s s fu l com pletion, w ith th e s e l e c ti o n of f iv e h ig h ly q u a lif ie d persons t o ru n f o r th e School Board. I n c id e n ta lly , only 2 of th e 5 nominees were members o f th e C itiz e n s Committee f o r School Improvement. A c t iv i t ie s of th e A rlin g to n E d u c a tio n a l A s s o c ia tio n im m ediately p r i o r t o th e May referendum showed how th o ro u g h ly th e sc h o o l employees were s u b je c t t o c o n tr o l . T h is group, composed of sc h o o l t e a c h e r s , s u p e rv is o rs and p r i n c i p a l s , p assed a r e s o lu tio n opposing th e bond is s u e s f o r b e t t e r sch o o l f a c i l i t i e s and th e proposed change i n th e method of s e l e c ti n g School Board members. I t p re p are d a mimeographed l e t t e r t o a l l p a re n ts u rg in g t h e i r o p p o sitio n t o th e s e is s u e s . The l e t t e r was d i s t r i b u t e d by th e te a c h e rs t o th e c h ild r e n who were t o l d t o ta k e i t home t o t h e i r p a r e n ts . The b a s is of o p p o sitio n t o th e bond is s u e was t h a t th e County should s ta y on a p ay -as-y o u -g o b a s is (th e County a t t h a t tim e had v i r t u a l l y no bonded d e b t) , and th e b a s is o f o p p o sitio n t o change i n method of s e le c tin g sc h o o l b o a rd members was t h a t i t would p u t th e sch o o ls i n p o l i t i c s . ELECTING A SCHOOL BOARD Im m ediately a f t e r th e Nom inating C onference, th e f iv e c a n d id a te s , w ith a s s is ta n c e from p ersons i n th e C i t i z e n 's Committee and from o th e r o rg a n iz a tio n s i n th e County, began t o p la n and i n i t i a t e a campaign f o r e le c t i o n . The campaign p la n s t h a t to o k shape contem plated a vig o ro u s e f f o r t t o inform th e people about sc h o o l m a tte r s . The o rg a n iz a tio n p la n t o c a rry out t h i s campaign p ro v id ed f o r a to p d i r e c t o r , an a s s i s t a n t w ith a p o lic y form ing com m ittee. T here were com m ittees �- 8 - on P re ss R e la tio n s , S p e a k ers, R adio, O rg a n iz a tio n a l L ia is o n , Ways and Means, R esearch, P u b lic a tio n s , S e c r e t a r i a l S e rv ic e and C anvassing. The R esearch Group began t o c o l l e c t , assem ble and a n aly ze a v a ila b le d a ta about A rlin g to n ’s e d u c a tio n a l program , making com parisons w ith s im ila r com m unities. The P u b lic a tio n s Committee produced th e campaign l i t e r a t u r e . The S e c r e t a r i a l S e rv ic e d id th e ty p in g , c u ttin g o f s t e n c i l s , re p ro d u c tio n and m a ilin g , and a m essenger s e rv ic e d i s t r i b u t e d th e m a te ria ls as th e y were produced. The C anvassers made a t l e a s t two d o o r-to -d o o r v i s i t s d u rin g th e campaign t o e v ery household i n th e County. Through th e p e rso n a l c o n ta c ts of th e s e c a n v a sse rs th e d e ta i le d in fo rm a tio n about th e v a rio u s is s u e s and th e people in v o lv ed was p re se n te d t o a g re a t m a jo rity o f a l l v o te rs i n th e County. Four of th e f i v e School Board members th e n h o ld in g o f f ic e by appointm ent announced as c a n d id a te s , and th r e e o th e r persons a ls o e n te re d th e r a c e , making a t o t a l of tw elve f o r th e f i v e s e a t s . The f iv e C onvention nominees ra n a s a s in g le s l a t e on th e fo llo w in g p la tfo rm : 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. A sch o o l bo ard re sp o n siv e t o th e w i l l o f th e p e o p le . Continuous stu d y of e d u c a tio n a l needs a s a b a s is f o r s p e c if i c im provem ents. Improved c o n d itio n s f o r te a c h in g and le a rn in g i n sc h o o ls. A sound lo n g -te rm f i n a n c i a l program f o r sc h o o ls. Improved p e rso n n e l p o l ic i e s f o r A rlin g to n ’s a b le t e a c h e r s . Each of them made many sp e e ch e s, appearances and p u b lic sta te m e n ts d u rin g th e campaign u sin g f a c t u a l m a te ria l assem bled by th e R esearch Committee. About 30.000 p ie c e s o f l i t e r a t u r e were m ailed . Sample b a l l o t s were p r i n te d . Workers sto o d i n f r o n t of th e p o llin g p la c e s on e le c t i o n day, handing out l i t e r a t u r e . Cars to o k v o te rs t o th e p o l l s ; a tele p h o n e b rig a d e c a lle d a l l day t o urge people t o v o te . Cars d e co ra te d w ith p o s te rs p lu gging th e sc h o o l improvement s l a t e covered th e county a l l day, and sp o t announcements were made on th e r a d io . The school-im provem ent c a n d id a te s won th e e le c t i o n by a n overw heling v o te . The Convention nominee t h a t re c e iv e d th e sm a lle s t number of v o te s re c e iv e d 2 .0 0 0 more v o te s th a n any member of th e o p p o s itio n . I t was a c le a r mandate from th e people t o b e g in a program t o improve th e p u b lic s c h o o ls. Two days a f t e r th e e le c t i o n was o v er, th e C itiz e n s Committee f o r School Improvement h e ld i t s annual m eetin g . The p a id -u p membership was j u s t a few under 1500. E le ctio n , c o s ts were a l l p a id . I t was a happy o c c a sio n . Twice d u rin g th e y e a r th e y had t a s t e d su c c ess a t th e p o l l s . The c it i z e n s of th e county had e le c te d a sc h o o l bo ard on a sch o o l improvement p la tfo rm . The Board was t o ta k e o f f ic e th e fo llo w in g Ja n u a ry , and i t appeared a s though some r e a l p ro g re ss could be made. S h o rtly a f t e r th e e l e c t i o n one of th e l o c a l newspapers c a lle d f o r d i s s o l u t io n of th e C i ti z e n ’s Committee "sin c e i t s m ajor job was d o n e ." Some of th e comm ittee members f e l t t h i s was a w ise course t o fo llo w . Some thoughtCCSI shou ld move out b o ld ly i n to new a c t i v i t i e s , and o th e rs th o u g h t th e b e s t course was t o c o n tin u e a s an a c tiv e o rg a n iz a tio n , b u t f o r th e tim e b e in g c o n fin e th e C om m ittee's a c t i v i t i e s t o c o ll e c t io n and d isse m in a tio n o f p e r tin e n t sch o o l i n f o r ­ m atio n . The o f f i c e r s d ecid ed t h a t th e r e was s t i l l a f i e l d i n which th e Committee co u ld c o n tin u e t o give le a d e rs h ip and t h a t f o r th e tim e b e in g , i t would c o n tin u e a c t i v e l y t o w atch developm ents u n t i l th e most a p p ro p ria te a c t i o n was more c l e a r l y a p p a re n t. �- 9 LEGALITY OF THE ELECTED SCHOOL BOAKD C A .T G ) H T .EW TiT I t w a s n 't long b e fo re th e wisdom of t h i s d e c is io n was e v id e n t. As th e newly e le c te d sch o o l h oard members were le a v in g th e C ourt House a f t e r bein g sworn i n to o f f i c e , th e y were serv ed w ith n o tic e of a s u i t f i l e d on b e h a lf of th e members o f th e o ld School Board t h a t had b een d e fe a te d a t th e p o l l s . The s u i t c h allen g e d th e c o n s t i t u t i o n a l i t y of th e law under which th e new Board had b een e le c t e d . T h is came as a s u r p r is e t o most people i n th e County, p a r t i c u l a r l y when members of th e o ld a p p o in te d School Board had been w illin g t o go th ro u g h a stre n u o u s campaign t o g e t them selves e le c te d under th e law th e y now claim ed was u n c o n s t it u t io n a l . T h is a c tio n showed t h a t a lth o u g h th e old " s ta tu s quo" group had been d e fe a te d a t th e p o l l s , th e y had n o t g iv en up th e f i g h t . Im m ediately c it i z e n s groups got to g e th e r t o decide what should be done about th e s i t u a t i o n . S ince v e ry wide i n t e r e s t was e x p ressed in t h i s m a tte r, i t was d e cid ed t o c r e a te an e n t i r e l y new tem porary o rg a n iz a tio n , n o t i d e n t i f ie d s p e c i f i c a l l y w ith th e C itiz e n s Committee f o r School Improvement, t o su p p o rt th e e le c te d School Board members i n c o n te s tin g th e s u i t t h a t had b e en f i l e d a g a in s t them . The new group was c a lle d "The Committee t o Uphold th e E le c t o r a t e ." I t s p r i n c i p a l fu n c tio n was t o keep th e c it i z e n s inform ed about th e s i t u a t i o n and t o r a i s e funds t o h e lp pay c o u rt c o s t s . Three prom inent law yers i n th e County volu n ­ t e e r e d t h e i r s e rv ic e s f o r th e case w ith o u t c o s t. The h e a rin g on t h i s s u i t was h e ld e a r l y i n Jan u ary 19lf8 b e fo re a judge from a n e ig h b o rin g c i r c u i t ; th e judge in A rlin g to n h aving d i s q u a li f i e d h im s e lf. I f th e law were d e c la re d u n c o n s titu tio n a l, th e A rlin g to n Judge would a g a in have power t o a p p o in t th e E le c t o r a l Board t h a t a p p o in ted th e sc h o o l bo ard members. A fte r th e h e a rin g , th e judge worked out an agreem ent by which b o th th e old ap p o in te d School Board and th e newly e le c te d School Board to o k o f f i c i a l a c tio n s on a l l sch o o l m a tte rs d u rin g th e p e rio d u n t i l h is d e c is io n was announced. T his d e c is io n , which came two weeks a f t e r th e H earing, was i n fa v o r of th e e le c te d B oard. Im m ediately th e old Board a p p ea le d , le a v in g doubt as t o th e l e g a l i t y of a c tio n s of th e e le c te d B oard. S ince n o t even th e f i r s t s te p had been ta k e n by th e old School Board t o s e l l th e bonds t h a t had been vo ted th e p re ce d in g May, th e a p p ea l made i t d i f f i ­ c u l t f o r th e new Board t o s e l l th e bonds u n t i l th e case was s e t t l e d . I t was not u n t i l O ctober I 9W t h a t th e case was f i n a l l y d e cid ed in fa v o r of th e e le c te d S School Board. Upon ta k in g o f f i c e , th e f i r s t a c tio n of th e new School Board was t o change i t s m eeting p la c e out of th e C ourt House in to a sc h o o l b u ild in g . The f i r s t m eeting was announced in th e p a p e r. T h is would provide ample space f o r v i s i t o r s and th e agenda of th e m eeting was p u b lish e d so t h a t c it i z e n s would know what was going t o be d is c u s s e d . T hat p r a c tic e has c o n tin u ed s in c e t h a t tim e , w ith ample tim e p rovided a t each m eeting f o r q u e stio n s and comments by c i t i z e n s . SUPPORTIHO THE ELECTED SCHOOL BOARDS PROGRAM The next m ajor fu n c tio n of th e C itiz e n s Committee was t o p a r ti c i p a te w ith o th e r c it i z e n s groups in th e County i n recommending t o th e e le c te d School Board th e a c t i v i t i e s t h a t should be u n d e rta k en i n th e new sc h o o l program f o r th e fo llo w in g y e a r and t o h e lp develop th e budget needed f o r such a program . T h is was done p r im a r ily th ro u g h a s e r i e s of com m ittees a p p o in te d by th e Board t o stu d y p a r t i c u l a r phases of th e sc h o o l program and t o make recommendations t o i t . �10 - Committees of c it i z e n s appeared b e fo re th e County Board a t i t s sc h o o l budget h e a r­ ing and a ls o a t i t s t a x r a t e h e a rin g , making sta te m e n ts a s an o rg a n iz a tio n and as in d iv id u a l c i t i z e n s su p p o rtin g th e School B o a rd 's budget re q u e s t. The County B oard, which by law i n A rlin g to n setB th e t a x r a t e f o r sch o o l p u rp o se s, f o r th e f i r s t tim e in th e h i s t o r y o f th e County, approved a "lump sum" budget f o r sch o o ls in s te a d o f fix in g a t a x le v y f o r s c h o o ls . The lump sum th u s p ro v id ed c u t th e B oard’s budget re q u e s t by about $200,000. A lso, by p ro v id in g th e lump sum r a t h e r th a n th e t a x r a t e e q u iv a le n t, th e contingency fund t h a t u s u a lly a c c ru e s as a r e s u l t of a h ig h e r t a x c o ll e c t io n th a n i s o f f i c i a l l y e stim a te d f o r b u d g e tin g purposes was a u to m a tic a lly d e stro y e d . The c u t was such t h a t w ith th e in c re a s e d number of c h ild re n in sch o o l th e fo llo w in g y e a r, th e County could have v e ry l i t t l e more th a n th e same q u a lity sch o o l program as had o p e rated th e y e a r b e fo re under th e a p p o in ted Board. T h is a c tio n was ta k e n by th e County Board even though th e people had overwhelm ingly approved a sc h o o l improvement program th e p re ce d in g e le c t i o n . The C itiz e n s Committee l o s t no tim e making known t o th e people of th e County, p a r t i c u l a r l y th e p a re n ts , what th e County B o a rd 's a c tio n meant t o sc h o o l improve­ ment i n th e County. T h is was done by S p e a k ers, p re ss r e le a s e s , d is c u s s io n s and r a d io program s. T h is County Board a c tio n a ls o made i t c le a r t h a t th e f i g h t f o r sc h o o l improvement i n A rlin g to n had not been won; r a th e r i t was j u s t b e g in n in g . Many of th e c it i z e n s were d i s s a t i s f i e d w ith th e County B o a rd 's tre a tm e n t of th e 191* h9 sch o o l b u d g e t, and began u rg in g t h a t th e CCSI back a c an d id ate in 8th e County Board ra ce in th e B a ll of 191*8 who would be more fa v o ra b le t o school improvem ent. The County Board incumbent who had v o ted f o r a c u t in th e School Board budget e a r l i e r i n th e s p rin g had won th e D em ocratic p rim ary . A fte r c a r e f u l c o n s id e ra tio n th e CCSI v o ted t o su p p o rt a c t i v e l y a c an d id ate f o r th e County Board. T h is d e c is io n was a h a rd one t o make and caused some r e s ig n a tio n s from th e Com­ m it t e e . T h is showed t h a t i t was p o s s ib le t o g e t much more u n ite d c i t i z e n e f f o r t and p a r t i c i p a t i o n when sch o o l improvement was th e s o le issu e th a n when t h i s issu e was mixed w ith o th e r is s u e s , p a r t i c u l a r l y th o se t h a t m ight be c o n sid ere d more p o litic a l. One of th e next m ajor s te p s of th e e le c te d School B oard, a f t e r g e ttin g th e budget f o r th e fo llo w in g y e a r d e te rm in e d , was t o have an u n o f f i c i a l census ta k e n o f th e p o p u la tio n in A rlin g to n . T h is c en su s, ta k e n in March, I 9U , showed 8 how many sch o o l age c h ild re n th e r e were i n th e c ounty, th e number of p re -s c h o o l c h ild r e n , t h e i r g e o g ra p h ic a l d i s t r i b u t i o n , th e r a t e o f p o p u la tio n growth and th e e x p ected growth in th e next t e n y e a r s . A sim ple a n a ly s is of th e s e d a ta showed c l e a r l y what a d d itio n a l p h y s ic a l f a c i l i t i e s would be needed w ith in th e next s e v e ra l y e a r s , th e g e n e ra l a re a s where th e sch o o ls should be lo c a te d and what th e probable m aintenance and o p e ra tio n c o s ts would b e . I n s h o r t, i t fu rn is h e d th e f a c t s , not p re v io u s ly a v a i l a b l e , n e c e ssa ry f o r p lan n in g th e n e c e ssa ry sch o o l c o n s tr u c tio n . B r i e f l y i t was found t h a t a t p r e v a ilin g c o s ts th e County would have t o spend appro x im ately $7 , 500,000 by 195* sim ply t o house th e in c re a s e d number of * c h ild r e n who would e n r o ll by t h a t d a te and t o p u t th e e n ti r e system on f u l l- d a y s e s s io n s . T h is d id n o t in clu d e a d e s p e ra te ly needed new h ig h sc h o o l, nor p ro v i­ sio n s f o r k in d e rg a rte n s , nor much needed rep la ce m en t, r e p a i r o r improvement t o e x is ti n g f a c i l i t i e s . The d a ta showed t h a t th e c o s t f o r o nly a re aso n a b le program of exp an sio n w ith in th e next 10 y e ars would be appro x im ately $ 1 3 ,000,000. These fa c '-s shaped th e program of th e C itiz e n s Committee f o r th e coming y e a r. �A fte r f u l l d is c u s s io n s w ith v a rio u s groups and o rg a n iz a tio n s i n th e County, th e School Board d e cid ed t o p la c e b e fo re th e v o te rs a t th e 191*8 November e le c t i o n th e q u e stio n o f v o tin g a n o th e r $1 *,750,000 bond i s s u e . T h is was t o p ro ­ v id e f a c i l i t i e s f o r th e in c re a s e d e n ro llm en t e xpected by th e 1951-52 sch o o l y e a r. THE 191(8 ELECTIO N As a r e s u l t of s t a t e l e g i s l a t i v e a c tio n i n th e 19l*8 s e s s io n , th e q u e stio n as t o w hether th e people wanted t o change th e d a te of e le c t i n g School Board members from th e r e g u la r November e le c t i o n d a te t o a s p e c ia l e l e c t i o n i n May was a ls o t o be p la c e d b e fo re th e v o te rs in th e 191*8 g e n e ra l e l e c t i o n . Thus, th e C i ti z e n 's Comm.'ttee had th e th r e e fo llo w in g is s u e s t o work f o r a t th e November e le c t i o n : 1. 2. 3. Support of a n o n -p a rtis a n c an d id ate f o r th e County Board fa v o ra b le t o sch o o l improvement; Approval of th e $1*,750,000 bond issu e f o r a d d itio n a l sc h o o l f a c i l i t i e s ; and Work f o r th e d e fe a t of th e p ro p o sa l t o change th e d a te of e le c tin g th e sc h o o l b oard members from November t o May. Some may n o t f u l l y u n d e rstan d why th e C i t i z e n 's Committee opposed th e change in d a te of e le c tin g School Board members, sin c e norm ally th e r e would be no o th e r e le c t i o n b u t t h a t of th e School Board members in May, w hile i n November th e r e always was an e le c t i o n f o r l o c a l , s t a t e or n a tio n a l o f f ic e s which was p o l i t i c a l in n a tu r e . Norm ally, i t would be e a s ie r t o keep th e School Board e le c ­ t i o n s f r e e from p o l i t i c s in such a se p a ra te e le c t i o n a s was proposed. Many a u t h o r i t i e s i n th e f i e l d of e d u c a tio n a l a d m in is tra tio n su p p o rt t h i s p ro c ed u re . C a re fu l c o n s id e ra tio n of th e m a tte r, however, convinced th e C i t i z e n 's Committee members t h a t th e b e s t i n t e r e s t s of A rlin g to n sch o o ls would be se rv ed by keeping th e e l e c t i o n of School Board members i n November. The prim ary re a so n was t h a t s p e c ia l e le c tio n s i n A rlin g to n draw a much s m a lle r number of v o te rs th a n re g u la r e l e c t i o n s . Two o r th r e e thousand v o te rs has been la rg e f o r a s p e c ia l e le c t i o n . On th e o th e r hand, th e number of v o te rs had been re a c h in g , s i x , seven o r e ig h t thousand and sometimes more i n re c e n t g e n e ra l e l e c t i o n s . The Committee members knew t h a t th e dominant p o l i t i c a l o rg a n iz a tio n i n th e county co u ld count on roughly 3,500 t o 1*,000 v o te rs a t any e l e c t i o n when n e c e ssa ry , and t h i s u s u a lly was enough t o w in any s p e c ia l e le c t i o n . The d e c is io n t o f i g h t th e change i n d a te of e le c t i n g sc h o o l b o a rd members was a d i f f i c u l t one t o make. The Committee a lre a d y had vo ted t o su p p o rt a c a n d i­ d a te f o r th e County B oard. I t had been w id ely c r i t i c i z e d f o r t h i s a c tio n by p o l i t i c a l le a d e rs and by some o f i t s own members. When th e d e c is io n t o f i g h t th e change i n d a te o f sch o o l bo ard e le c t i o n was announced, th e same t h in g happened. The c r i t i c i s m was made o fte n t h a t th e Committee members d i d n 't want th e School Board out of p o l i t i c s ; t h a t th e y were doing e v e ry th in g p o s s ib le t o keep sch o o l is s u e s mixed w ith p o l i t i c a l i s s u e s . Here a g a in a few of th e Committee members re s ig n e d and formed a new Committee f o r th e s o le purpose of su p p o rtin g th e change i n d a te of sc h o o l b o a rd e le c t i o n s . In some r e s p e c ts th e circu m stan ces were d i f f e r e n t f o r th e 191*8 campaign th a n i n form er y e a r s . The School Board worked w ith th e Committee i n p ro v id in g in fo rm a tio n , making speeches and is s u in g p u b lic sta te m e n ts e x p la in in g th e need f o r th e bond i s s u e , - whereas i n form er campaigns th e old School Board n o t only gave no in fo rm a tio n o r h e lp , b u t i n v a rio u s ways opposed th e c i t i z e n s ' e f f o r t s . �- 12 - The u s u a l campaign was c a r r i e d on by th e C itiz e n s Committee and o th e r o rg a n iz a tio n s w ith emphasis p lac ed on inform ing th e p u b lic . Two com plete houseto -h o u se v i s i t s were made by th e c a n v a s s e rs . There were th r e e m a il-o u ts t o a l l r e g is te r e d v o te rs and s e v e ra l o th e rs t o a sm a lle r l i s t o f p e o p le . P la c a rd s and sig n s were used t o good advantage on c ard s and i n o th e r s t r a t e g i c p la c e s , and th e w orkers a t th e p o lls a g a in handed out sample b a l l o t s and l i t e r a t u r e . A pproxim ately 20,000 of th e 28,000 r e g is te r e d v o te rs v o ted in th e 191$ e le c t i o n - a P r e s i d e n ti a l e l e c t i o n y e a r. The $ 5,750,000 bond is s u e was p assed by a f a i r m a jo rity . The change in d a te o f e le c t i n g sch o o l b o a rd members was d e fe a te d b;. a l i t t l e l a r g e r m a jo rity . But th e n o n -p a rtis a n c an d id ate sup p o rted by th e C itiz e n s Committee l o s t by 79 v o te s . The campaign was b i t t e r and v i n d ic t iv e . A number of i r r e g u l a r i t i e s d u rin g e l e c t i o n were re p o rte d , and a group * f c i t i z e n s p e titio n e d f o r a re co u n t of th e v o te s . Under V irg in ia law , a charge e f fra u d must be made and su s ta in e d i n o rd e r t o o b ta in a sim ple re c o u n t o f th e v o te s . A lthough A rlin g to n 's e l e c t i o n m achinery was n o to rio u s f o r i t s in e f f ic ie n c y and u n b u s in e s s lik e p ro c ed u re , i t was q u ite d i f f i c u l t t o prove fra u d . However, i t was c l e a r l y dem onstrated t h a t e le c t i o n o f f i c e r s in e v ery p r e c in c t had been ap p o in te d i l l e g a l l y and th e o p p o sitio n a d m itte d i t . The C i r c u i t Judge r u le d t h a t i f th e m a tte r were p re sse d th e only a l t e r n a t i v e was t o h o ld th e e le c t i o n a g a in , b u t t h a t a sim ple re c o u n t of th e v o te s a lre a d y c a s t would n o t be made u n le s s fra u d were proved. S ince two o f th e th r e e is s u e s sup p o rted by th e C itiz e n s Committee had b een won, i t was decided n o t t o p re s s th e m a tte r f u r t h e r . A s u b s ta n t ia l number of p ersons i n th e County b e lie v e t h a t a re co u n t i f i t co u ld have been made, would have changed th e d e c is io n on th e County Board r a c e . THE SBCPHD SCHOOL BOARD NOMINATING CONFERENCE As soon aB a d e c is io n had been reached on th e School Board budget f o r th e 19^9-50 sch o o l y e a r, th e C itiz e n s Committee tu rn e d i t s a t t e n t i o n t o th e q u e stio n of e l e c t i o n o f two School Board members a t th e I 9U9 g e n e ra l e l e c t i o n t o f i l l th e p la c e s of th e two members whose term s would e x p ire December 31, 19^9. The C itiz e n s Committee had c o n s i s t e n t l y ta k e n th e p o s itio n t h a t School Board mem­ b e rs should be s e le c te d s o le ly f o r t h e i r a b i l i t y t o do th e jo b , by some method or d e v ic e by which th e community could judge them on t h i s b a s i s , fre e d e n t i r e l y from p o l i t i c a l c o n s id e ra tio n . Once more th e Committee had t o ta k e i n to a cc o u n t, a ls o , t h a t th e "d e cid in g v o te " member of th e 5 member County Board would be e le c te d in November 191$■ S e v e ra l county-w ide o rg a n iz a tio n s were c a lle d to g e th e r t o c o n sid e r th e b e s t means of g e tt i n g community-wide p a r ti c i p a ti o n in a n o n -p a rtis a n non­ p o l i t i c a l means of s e l e c ti n g c a n d id a te s f o r th e School Board and County B oard. I t was d ecided t o h o ld an o ld -fa s h io n e d town m eeting f o r s e l e c ti o n o f a n o n -p a rtis a n County Board c an d id ate and a nom inating co n v en tio n , somewhat s im ila r t o th e f i r s t c o n v en tio n , t o s e l e c t School Board c a n d id a te s . R e p re s e n ta tiv e s from 8 county-w ide o rg a n iz a tio n s in te r e s t e d in e d u c a tio n a l m a tte rs met and o rganized a working group, c a lle d th e "Conference on School Board C a n d id a te s ,” t o p la n and conduct a Convention f o r th e purpose o f s e le c tin g c a n d i­ d a te s f o r th e School Board e le c t i o n . There were 4 d e le g a te s each from th e American A s s o c ia tio n of U n iv e rs ity Women, A rlin g to n C iv ic F e d e ra tio n , A rlin g to n County Coun­ c i l o f PTA's, B e tt e r Government League, C itiz e n s Committee f o r School Improvement, C ouncil of Negro O rg a n iz a tio n s, F e d e ra tio n o f C ooperative P re sc h o o ls, and Organized Women V o te rs . The C onference proceeded on th e b a s is t h a t th e Nominating Convention should be co m p letely d e m o c ratic, should b rin g wide community p a r t i c i p a t i o n and i t s d e c is io n s should r e p re s e n t, i f p o s s ib le , th e choice of a m a jo rity o f th e p eople in �- 13 th e c o unty. The Convention was h e ld on Septem ber 6 and 7 w ith 86 o rg a n iz a tio n s p a r­ t i c i p a t i n g and 501 o f f i c i a l d e le g a te s . The o rg a n iz a tio n s in clu d e d e v ery known group t h a t could be persuaded t o p a r t i c i p a t e - even some d e f i n i t e l y committed a g a in s t sc h o o l improvement. S ix c an d id a te s p re se n te d them selves t o th e Convention and two were chosen by th e d e le g a te s - one f o r each p la c e t o be f i l l e d i n th e November e le c t i o n . One of th e c an d id a te s chosen was a lre a d y s e rv in g on th e School B oard. The o th e r Board member whose term e x p ire d d e c lin e d t o se e k r e e l e c t io n b u t worked w ith CCSI f o r nom inating Convention p lan s and a s a d e le g a te t o th e Conven­ t i o n . The o th e r was th e P re s id e n t of th e County C ouncil of FTA, who had worked f o r th e sc h o o l improvement program . T here was some c r i t i c i s m o f th e Convention o f c o u rse . Some of th e people who had c o n s is te n tly fought th e sc h o o l improvement program were d e le g a te s , and, on th e f l o o r of th e Convention su p p o rted two c an d i­ d a te s , b o th o f whom l o s t . Im m ediately a f t e r th e C onvention, th e o p p o sitio n put a c a n d id a te i n th e f i e l d , a businessm an i n th e County, t o ru n a g a in s t th e Conven­ t i o n nom inees. P u b lic endorsem ent of th e C onvention was so overwhelming, however, t h a t t h i s c an d id ate w ithdrew from th e ra c e w ith in a week a f t e r he announced h is candidacy le a v in g th e f i e l d open t o th e C onvention nom inees. Being unopposed, th e two C onvention nominees need n o t engage i n a campaign. They can spend t h e i r tim e t a l k i n g w ith c it i z e n s groups and le a rn in g of t h e i r i n t e r e s t and d e s ir e s w ith r e s p e c t t o sc h o o ls. There w i l l be no b i t t e r charges and c o u n te r charges which a re bad f o r th e m orale of th e sch o o l s t a f f and th e sc h o o l system g e n e r a lly . T h is Convention i s c o n sid ere d by th e C itiz e n s Committee t o be a g re a t s t r i d e fo rw ard. The Convention i t s e l f a u th o riz e d th e p re p a ra tio n and p u b lic a tio n of a f a c t u a l r e p o rt o f th e p roceedings and s e t up a d ev ice t o in au g u ra te a s im ila r p rocedure two y e ars hence f o r th e n e x t e l e c t i o n of sc h o o l bo ard members. The p ro c e ss of s e le c tin g sc h o o l board members has been r a is e d from th e l e v e l of a p o l i t i c a l f r e e - f o r - a l l t o a d ig n if ie d , dem ocratic p ro c ed u re . SUM ARY AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS M Prom th e d a te th e new School Board was e le c te d u n t i l th e p re s e n t tim e , th e r e has n o t been an extended p e rio d when th e C itiz e n s Committee could p ro se c u te i t s p r e fe r r e d program of assem bling and d isse m in a tin g in fo rm a tio n about p u b lic e d u c a tio n program s. The o p p o sitio n t o sch o o l improvement was c o n tin u a lly a tta c k in g th e sc h o o l b o a rd f o r a lle g e d w aste of money, e xtravagance or d e la y in purchase of sc h o o l s i t e s , and has c r i t i c i z e d th e appointm ent of a d d itio n a l s u p e rv is o rs i n th e sc h o o l system and f o r many o th e r a c t i o n s . The s u p e rin te n d e n t of schools who had se rv e d i n th e County f o r 30 y e a rs was s t i l l in o f f i c e . His c o n tra c t e x p ire d June 30, 19^9. The p e rio d a ls o had been a d i f f i c u l t one f o r th e sc h o o l s t a f f . The s u p e r v is o r s , p r i n c i p a l s and te a c h e rs had been under one d i c t a t o r i a l system f o r so lo n g t h a t i t was d i f f i c u l t f o r them t o g e t used t o change, f o r two y e a rs , th e y had n e v er known from day t o day which s id e would win out in th e n e x t b a t t l e . M oreover, i t was im p o ssib le t o conduct th r e e cam paigns, m o stly c e n te re d around th e sc h o o l system , and n o t have th e te a c h in g s t a f f f e e l i t . N e v e rth e le ss , i n s p i t e of a l l o b s ta c le s , th e School Board moved s t e a d i l y ahead a lo n g i t s sc h o o l improvement program . The members put f o r t h u n to ld ho u rs of e f f o r t t o make good t h e i r campaign p le d g e s. They were p a t i e n t , l e n i e n t, and c o u rte o u s t o a l l com plaints and c r i t i c s . Because of th e c irc u m sta n c e s, th e r e were* numerous d e la y s and d i f f i c u l t s i t u a t i o n s , b u t as th e months wore on, th e y won th e �- Ilf re s p e c t of th e g r e a t m a jo rity o f c it i z e n s o f th e county as in d iv id u a ls and as School Board members, and, more im p o rta n t, th e improvements i n th e sc h o o l program one b y one became r e a l i t y . S chool Board members a re p a id $25 a month. One member computed t h a t t h a t amounted t o 10 c e n ts an hour over an 18-month p e rio d , f o r hours worked. The C itiz e n s Committee h e lp e d t o c a rry t h i s burden b y p u b lic iz in g th e f a c t s on ev ery p o s s ib le o c c a sio n . They ro se t o defend th e B o a rd 's p o l ic i e s and a c tio n s from unw arranted a tt a c k s . The C itiz e n s Committee members worked a s h a rd o r h a rd e r su p p o rtin g th e e le c te d School Board i n i t s program of sc h o o l improvement th a n th e y e v e r d id t o g e t a change i n i t s membership. With t h i s teamwork, th e CCSI was a b le t o announce on June 30, 19^9, th e fo llo w in g s p e c if ic improvements i n th e sch o o l program r e a liz e d in th e 18 months t h a t th e e le c te d sc h o o l ho ard had b e en i n o f f i c e : 1. A ll-d a y s e s s io n s f o r f i r s t and second grade c h ild re n f o r a t l e a s t 15 elem en tary sc h o o ls i n th e County t o b e g in i n Septem ber, 19^9. I n th e o th e r elem en tary sc h o o ls, f u l l- t i m e te a c h e rs have been engaged f o r th o s e f i r s t and second g ra d e rs who a re i n sc h o o l only h a l f d a y s. "Extended" s e s s io n s a re t o be provided f o r th e s e c h ild r e n u n t i l th e r e i s room f o r them t o a tte n d th e r e g u la r f u l l day. 2. A new sch o o l s u p e rin te n d e n t has been h ir e d and th e sc h o o l s t a f f stre n g th e n e d th ro u g h o u t. 3. A s u p e rin te n d e n t of b u ild in g s and grounds has h een engaged t o have f u l l r e s p o n s i b i li t y f o r m aintenance o f th e sch o o l p l a n t . T ra in e d c o n s u lta n ts have heen engaged in th e f i e l d s of re ad in g and i n l i b r a r y sc ie n c e , t o a s s i s t te a c h e rs th ro u g h o u t th e whole system . 5. B eginnings have heen made f o r a speech c o r re c tio n dep artm en t. A p a rt-tim e e x p e rt has h een h ir e d in t h i s f i e l d . 6. The music departm ent has been g r e a t ly expanded. 7* A f u l l- t i m e p sy c h o lo g is t was p rovided f o r i n th e 191-9-50 sch o o l budget and has been s e le c te d . 8. A te a c h in g -m a te ria ls c e n te r has heen e s ta b lis h e d t o make su p p le ­ m entary m a te ria ls a v a ila b le a li k e t o a l l s c h o o ls. 9. E l e c t r i c o u t le t s have heen i n s t a l l e d in classroom s thro u g h o u t th e e n t i r e sch o o l system so t h a t a l l p u p ils co u ld b e n e f i t from m o tio n -p ic tu re and s l i d e - p i c tu r e te a c h in g m a te ria ls and so t h a t re c o rd p la y e rs co u ld he used in a l l c la s s e s . 10. F lu o re sc e n t l i g h t i n g and new s l a t e b lac k b o ard s have been i n s t a l l e d in sch o o ls where th e y were most u rg e n tly needed. Much more work i s t o be done d u rin g th e summer t o improve sch o o l l i g h t i n g . �15 11. V o lu n tee r a d v is o ry com m ittees t o a s s i s t th e h o a rd have been s e t up in 13 e d u c a tio n a l f i e l d s . An a d v iso ry committee of p a re n ts has been s e t up f o r each sch o o l in th e c o unty, and th e s e com­ m itte e s have worked a c t i v e l y . 12. The t r i- m e s t e r d i v is io n of th e sch o o l y e a r has been a b o lish e d and th e sem ester p la n was i n s t i t u t e d . 13. I n e q u itie s i n th e t e a c h e r s ' s a la r y s c a le have been e lim in a te d so a s t o give more c r e d i t f o r e x p erien c e o b tain e d by te a c h e rs b e fo re coming t o A rlin g to n . 14. A system of s ic k lea v e f o r te a c h e rs has been e s ta b lis h e d . 15. A p o p u la tio n count was ta k e n in 191+8 in A rlin g to n by th e D. S . B ureau of th e C ensus, g iv in g an a c c u ra te p ic tu r e of growth i n sc h o o l e n ro llm en t t o be e xpected d u rin g th e n e x t f iv e t o t e n y e ars. 16. The b e a rd members worked a c t i v e l y as in d iv id u a ls and as a Board f o r th e $4,750,000 sc h o o l c o n s tru c tio n bond issue.' passed in November, 1948. 17. School bonds vo ted i n May, 1947 were s o ld by th e p re s e n t board a t a low i n t e r e s t r a t e . 18. School c o n s tru c tio n i n n earby a re a s has been s tu d ie d c a r e f u ll y by th e Board and c o n feren ces h e ld w ith community groups t o determ ine e x a c tly what should be in clu d e d in new sc h o o ls. 19. F in a l p lan s have been approved and b id s a d v e rtis e d on one E lem entary S chool, and f i n a l p lan s a re com plete f o r a n o th e r and b id s w i l l be a d v e rtis e d v e ry soon. S ite 3 have been purchased a t th e s e l o c a tio n s . A d d itio n a l lan d has been purchased f o r a d d itio n a l classroom s a t W alter Reed S chool. Plans f o r t h i s a d d itio n a re b e in g drawn and w i l l be approved soon. P lans a re b e in g drawn f o r th e K ate W aller B a r r e t t and Peyton Randolph sc h o o l a d d itio n s . S i t e s have been s e le c te d and a r c h i t e c t s a re working on p lan s f o r th e N orth F a i r li n g t o n and th e Hume s c h o o ls . N e g o tia tio n s f o r th e s e s i t e s a re n o t y e t com plete. A s i t e has b een purchased and p lan s a re b e in g drawn f o r th e proposed J u n io r High School a t V a ca tio n Lane and N orth M ilita r y Road. P lans a re under way f o r th e new Hoffman-Boston e lem entary sch o o l f o r Negro p u p ils . E x te n siv e improvements have been made in th e p h y s ic a l p la n t and in th e te a c h in g s t a f f a t Hoffm an-Boston. As a r e s u l t , Hoffman-Boston has been p lac ed on th e " q u a lif ie d " l i s t , which i s th e f i n a l p re lim in a ry tow ard th e s c h o o l's b e in g a c c re d ite d by th e S t a te . 20. A d d itio n a l b le a c h e rs as w e ll a s l i g h t s f o r n ig h t games have been i n s t a l l e d a t W ashington-Lee h ig h sch o o l a t h l e t i c f i e l d , th e re b y alm ost t r i p l i n g revenue from f o o t b a l l games. 21. A r e g u la r d e liv e ry s e rv ic e re a c h in g e v ery sc h o o l in th e county e v ery day has been p u t i n to o p e ra tio n . �- 16 - The s p e c if ic accom plishm ents l i s t e d above in Ju n e, 19^9 co u ld be ex­ panded and o th e rs could be added. Of p a r t i c u l a r im portance, b u t more i n ta n g ib le , i s th e change which has come i n th e a t t i t u d e o f th e p a r e n ts , sch o o l s t a f f and sc h o o l a d m in is tra tio n tow ard m eeting th e problem s t h a t c o n fro n te d th e c o u n ty 's e d u c a tio n a l system . Therq i s now a f e e lin g o f m utual r e s p e c t, and a c o o p e ra tiv e r e la ti o n s h ip t h a t i s more im p o rtan t from th e s ta n d p o in t of f u tu r e accom plishm ents th a n th e s p e c if i c g a in s l i s t e d . Of c o u rse , n o t e v e ry d e c is io n of th e School Board c o m p le te ly p le a se d th e Committee, nor d id th e Board a cc ep t evei-y Committee recom­ m endation. Each body r e ta in s and e x e rc is e s com plete freedom of a c t i o n . The above l i s t was re le a s e d th e day th e new County S u p e rin te n d en t of Schools to o k o f f i c e . S ince t h a t tim e , th e sch o o l a d m in is tra to r has worked w ith , n o t a g a in s t th e School Board and th e in te r e s t e d c i t i z e n s . Improvements i n th e sc h o o l system a re o c c u rrin g c o n tin u o u sly - and th e r e w i l l be m ore. The q u e stio n may a r i s e as t o what th e C itiz e n s Committee w i l l u n d ertak e i n th e f u t u r e . A lthough a s p e c if i c program has n o t b een s e t , th e r e w i l l be p le n ty t o d o . T here a re appro x im ately 13,500 c h ild r e n e n r o lle d i n th e elem en tary and secondary sc h o o ls i n th e f a l l of 19*1-9, and e v ery one of A r lin g to n 's 32 schools a re b u lg in g a t th e seams. T here a re 19,000 c h ild r e n i n th e county below sch o o l a g e . Less th a n o n e -h a lf o f th o s e now i n sc h o o l w i l l he grad u ated in th e next 6 y e a r s , b u t most of th e 19,000 p re -s c h o o l c h ild r e n w i l l be i n sch o o l by t h a t tim e . T hus, i n s i x y e a rs , by 1955, th e p re se n t sc h o o l e n ro llm en t w i l l be doubled. The b e s t e f f o r t s of th e C itiz e n s Committee w i l l he needed t o h e lp g e t a d d itio n a l f a c i l i t i e s and o p e ra tin g budgets f o r t h i s in c re a s e d lo ad o f p u p ils . I n a d d itio n , th e Committee must v i g i l a n t l y p r o te c t th e g a in s t h a t have b een made and n o t l e t th e community s l i p back i n to a s t a t e of d i s i n t e r e s t and unconcern. I f th e tim e e v e r comes when th e r e i s n o t some " c r i s i s " c o n fro n tin g th e sc h o o l system , th e C i t i z e n 's Committee members w i l l fin d a f u l l- t i m e job i n f u r th e r in g th e concept t h a t b rought th e o rg a n iz a tio n i n to e x is te n c e - namely, t h a t a w e ll-in fo rm e d and a c tiv e c it i z e n r y is t he b e s t way of m a in ta in in g g o a l nu b ile s c h o o ls . I n c o n c lu sio n , i t should be p o in te d out c le a r l y t h a t th e s e accom plish­ m ents i n A rlin g to n County a re by no means th e r e s u l t s s o l e ly of th e C itiz e n s Committee f o r School Improvement. O ther o rg a n iz a tio n s in th e County p layed m ajor r o l e s , a s d id a number of p ersons who n e v er jo in e d th e Committee. The C itiz e n s Committee to o k th e le a d i n th e f i g h t f o r sch o o l improvement, a f t e r i t was form ed, b u t th e accom plishm ents a re th e r e s u l t of c o o jje ra tiv e e f f o r t on th e th e p a r t of many groups and in te r e s t e d c i t i z e n s . * * * � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Citizens Fight for Better Schools in Arlington, Virginia Prepared for the National Citizens Commission for the Public Schools Description An account of the resource Document prepared by B. Alden Lillywhite, Oscar R. LeBeau, Ivan A. Booker, Allyn A. Walters, and Reed K. Pond containing a brief chronological account of the efforts during the past 5 years of the citizens of Arlington County, Virginia to improve the public schools. 16 pages Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource B. Alden Lillywhite, Oscar R. LeBeau, Ivan A. Booker, Allyn A. Walters, and Reed K. Pond Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource No date Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1940s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_7_13 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/afd4c5df5bfd1819179b2b6562304216.pdf bd0e2841afad0318ee0f4f7d1907e1b8 PDF Text Text Attachment to RFL #296 Dated 12/8/58 Statement by Secretary Flemming on Effects of School Closings in Arkansas and Virginia. Last September an unprecedented thing happened in America. ^ B ■ Teachers were ready to teach, young people were ready to learn, classrooms, books* and other facilities were all ready— but in four communities 13 schools did not open. This was a tragic new circumstance in a Nation which has proudly pioneered in providing free public education for all. Today, the schools are still closed— 1 schools in Little Rock, 6 in Norfolk, ; 2 in Charlottesville, and 1 in Warren County, Virginia. No one can predict when they will reopen. At a news conference two weeks ago, I was asked for an evaluation of the effects of closing these schools. I feel that this is an appropriate time to make such an evaluation in view of the fact that this week the closed schools are passing the deadline when it is impossible for them to complete the recognized minimum school year of approximately 180 days by June 30. Any effort to complete the school year during the summer months would involve, of course, the payment of additional salaries to teachers and members of the school staff and would undoubtedly be very difficult to arrange. f A precise evaluation, of course, is impossible. There are some measurable factors such as days of schooling lost. There are reasonable surmises as to obstacles the young people may face in the future. But no one can foresee all the significant social, economic, and psychological effects— on the children, on teachers, on the community— of closing the doors of public schools to our young people.... The Days Lost Since the normal date for opening school, about l6,lt00 young people already have missed 5h to 63 days of learning in their regular public schools— a total of nearly 1 million pupil-days. Of these 16,1*00 students, approximately 6,500 are attending improvised emergency classes in homes or makeshift quarters, many of them without laboratory equipment, libraries, or other needed facilities. About 3,000 are traveling varying distances to public schools in other communities. A little over 1,500 are attending newly established private schools set up especially for this emergency— schools which also often lack laboratories, libraries, and other needed facilities. Approximately 250 to 300 are attending regular private schools. Others are attending special night classes in nearby public schools, or getting part-time education by mail or through other special courses. It is clear that many parents, teachers, and students have improvised to meet the situation, in an effort to carry forward some type of educational program. There is little question, however, that many young people in these improvised classes are not receiving the same quality of well-rounded education they would have received tn regular public schools. • ^Released at news conference, Washington, D.C., Monday, December 1, 1958, in response to an inquiry at news conference on Tuesday, November 18, 1958. �- 2- And all these emergency arrangements still leave about 3>li00 young people apparently deprived of any schooling whatsoever. Effects on Teachers There were about 720 teachers in the closed schools. About Uo5 apparently are tutoring in improvised classes while 3l£ evidently are not teaching. Virtually all are continuing to be paid— this year— under their contracts. It seems logical to conclude that many of these teachers will not be interested in continuing their professional carrers under the conditions that now confront them in these communities. They will have no difficulty in obtaining employment elsewhere in view of the fact that we are confronted with a national shortage of approximately 132,000 teachers. Effects on Young People While educational losses to the young people involved cannot be measured precisely, there are many reasons for grave concern. Following are some of these reasons: Some of the young people who are out of school now may never return. During prolonged absences from school some young people develop other interests and lose their motivation or desire to return to school or go on to college. Some of those who return to school may not do as well in their subjects. Extended absence frequently causes young people to lose interest in regular, intensive study. Desirable habits are broken. Further, because of the long void since they last attended regular classes, many students will have to spend more time reviewing earlier studies before they will be well prepared to move ahead into new ground. Students who return to school after taking part-time courses this year, or only one or two classes, will have difficulty finding their place in the normal sequence of the school program. Because of the w ide variations in education received by students during the period the regular schools are closed, the schools themselves will have difficulty re-establishing well coordinated classes and curricula. Students who miss long periods of regular education lose much more than formal schooling in the basic academic subjects. They lose the benefit of many other regular activities which a re a part of the ordinary schoolday. They miss the exposure to good literature, magazines, and reference books in school libraries. They lose opportunities to acquire an appreciation of outstanding music and art. 'They lose the values of such facilities as science laboratories, machine shops, gymnasiums. Some pupils who are not in school may find some of these opportunities in the home, church, or elsewhere in the community, but such opportunities often are quite limited. Many of the 2,360 seniors in the closed schools, who had planned to go to college next year and still want to do so, will find serious obstacles in their way. For example, for some, failure to complete a school year of 180 days will create problems when it comes to acceptance of credits for entrance into college. Some students may be able to overcome such handicaps through individual effort, or by taking special tests; but many �-3students who miss all or part of their regular senior classes -may have difficulty meeting college entrance requirements. There are other effects of closing public schools which may be less immediate but which are significant in the long run. For example, sporadic or insufficient schooling can seriously lessen a young person's future earning power and productivity. Also, many young people need the sense of purpose— the moral and social guidance— provided by regular attendance in school. There is little doubt that the lack of regular, constructive activities in school can contribute to delinquency. Further, children who are suddenly unable to attend their regular school may develop a sense of insecurity, a fear that they will not be able to advance in competition with others who are receiving a normal education. Finally, prolonged and enforced absence from school can affect the development of a young person for future citizenship. Throughout the history of this country, we have increasingly come to understand that our free society can prosper only on the base of an educated and informed citizenry, achieved through free public education for all. when young people in America are denied the opportunity of attending school, we risk a loss of their faith in one of America's highest ideals. I am confident that as the losses flowing from the closing of public schools become more and more evident, the citizens of these communities are going to insist on decisions being made that will result in the schools being opened, under policies that will be in harmony with decisions of the courts. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Statement by Secretary Flemming on Effects of School Closings in Arkansas and Virginia, Attachment to RFL #296 Dated December 8, 1958 Description An account of the resource Statement detailing the loss and effects of school closings in Virginia and Arkansas, released at a news conference, Washington, D.C. Monday, December 1, 1958 in response to an inquiry at a news conference on Tuesday, November 18, 1958. 3 pages Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Secretary Flemming Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1958-12-8 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1950s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_7_11 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/63a0b743361bf2747effb1cbf9669cf5.pdf 0634caf3b9607e4cd7b1db597a5de2f7 PDF Text Text November 15, 1955 Mr. A. 1 . Lundberg County Manager Court House Arlington, Virginia Doer Mr. Dundbergi I here discussed with the School Board the contents of your letter of October 31, relative to e survey of the County governoant units operating within Arlington County. Any surrey that would result In iaprovamnta to provide greater efficiency and ecanoales of operation would of course be very desirable. Careful thought Bust be given to the ecope of the proposed survey so aa to Insure positive results of valuo to the School Board In the conduct of Its affaire. It la also necessary that any selec­ tion of a consulting firm be very carefully done so as to Insure that euch firm, or consultants to such fir®, have the necessary qualifications and experience to evaluate and make recommendations In regard to the a n y different phases of our School operation as well as of the County operation. It Is felt that the selection of such a consulting flra should he done jointly by the School and County Boards. In addition, the School Board should give consideration as to how It nlgit contri­ bute to aeetlng the costa Involved In such e survey. Any euch Bonlea, of course, would have to cose out of the surplus availa­ ble for next year's budget. Please be assured that we are Interested In the proposed survey under the provisions as sst forth ahovo. Sincerely youra. T. Xdward Butter Division Superintendent W*/*gj � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter from T. Edward Rutter, Division Superintendent, to A. T. Lundberg, Arlington County Manager, November 15, 1955 Description An account of the resource Letter regarding a possible survey of the County government units operating within Arlington County. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource T. Edward Rutter, Division Superintendent Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1955-11-15 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1950s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_7_10 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/01743c1af54223bd71dad0bd3d5b6412.pdf 9338d4b3b0d277f836222b21af88177c PDF Text Text SCHOLARSHIPS 1959-60 (for people who don't want to attend integrated schools) 216 individuals Total cost $51,262,44 S t a t e s part 3 4 .6 U . 9 0 local part 16,650,56 * * th» local part comes out of the county's funds, not out of the school board's fund*. The School Board expects larger numbers of applications this year than last. It sesuas that the private schools avoided scholarships for the most part not because they feared that public money would bring integration but because they have to supply information to the state, and this is a bother. However, some private schools, and this is particularly true of Congressional, ar® beginning to urge their clients to apply for scholarships. Congressional, which is rapidly expanding its plant, doesn't care whether it is integrated or not. I am having a list prepared showing the number of scholarships for each private school. It will be sent to me in a few day*. I era also having prepared an analysis showing what percentage of the 216 attended private school* the year before they got the scholarship. It is very large, for only a handful attended public school, IncidentaUy, the State of Virginia has prepared a similar analysis, with similar results. RECENT SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION (and year of completion) Yorktown Senior High School, I960 Gunston Junion High School, 1959 Kenmore Junior High School, Unit #2, 1957-58 Madison Elementary School (9 room addition to original 4 rooms), 1959 Langston Elementary School (addition) I960 Jamestown Elementary School (6 room addition) 1958 Lee Elementary School (2room addition and multipurpose room) 1958 Cherrydale Elementary School (remodeling) 1959 Clay Elementary School (remodeling plus multipurpose room) 1959 Hoffman-Boeton Junior-Senior High School (12 room addition) 1959 Wooctmnnt Elementary School (2 room addition and multipurpose room) 1958 Wilson Elementary School (remodeling and multipurpose room) 1958 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Scholarships (for people who don't want to attend integrated schools) Description An account of the resource Document detailing cost breakdown of scholarships from 1959-60 as well as recent school construction information from 1958-1960. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource No date Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1950s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_7_9 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/5fcfdedc2dd159bce9cbeb5a46eb6d23.pdf dc59b594349eae77f87d104cc8c6cf2a PDF Text Text November 17, 1955 Hr. Jack Bathbone Arlington Chapter, Defenders of State Sovereignty and Individual liberties 3575 North Boberts Lane Arlington, Virginia Dear Hr. Bathbone: Tour telegram of November 14 has been received. It is impossible at this time to ascertain the facts necessary to provide the information you requested. Yours very sincerely, WASHES COX Chairman WCsCOS Arlington County School Board � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter from Warren Cox, Chairman of the Arlington County School Board to Jack Rathbone, Defenders of State Sovereignty and Individual Liberties November 17, 1955 Description An account of the resource Letter from Warren Cox, Chairman of the Arlington County School Board to Jack Rathbone, Defenders of State Sovereignty and Individual Liberties November 17, 1955 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Warren Cox, Chairman of the Arlington County School Board Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1955-11-17 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1950s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_7_8 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/3c6661252c9dd2acb1973fd73d3b88a9.pdf dd3e493c8c8a9c1063d8b4ce73709fe6 PDF Text Text STATEMENT OF DELEGATE ROBERT WHITEHEAD OF NELSON COUNTY, SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 1954 I have been requested to give my views regarding Governor Stanley’s proposal to wipe out the constitutional requirement that the General Assembly provide and maintain a public free school system. I disagree completely with that suggestion. The Governor assures us that there is no intention of destroying the public schools. In that case there would seem to be no point in depriving Virginia’s parents and teachers and her 675,000 school children of the present constitutional guarantee of the continuance of those schools. He gives us nodiint of a method by which the schools are to be supported which will be in any way different from the present method. He outlines no plan under which the public schools can be maintained and yet be, somehow less public. We are asked instead to leave the whole matter to the discretion of the legislature. I think we are being offered a pig in a poke. The Governor should know that a powerful element in Virginia and in the General As­ sembly has always been fundamentally opposed to the public free school system, and has regarded it as socialism to tax the wealthy in order to pay for the education of the poorer people’s children. This opposition has not, during the past generation, been open and avowed. It has contended itself with trying to starve the public schools through inadequate appropriations, except when compelled to vote funds by intense public pressure. T hat element must regard Governor Stanley’s proposal as a heaven-sent opportunity to cripple if not destroy, an efficient public school system in Virginia. I can conceive of nothing more fundamental to the welfare of Virginia, or more properly to be dealt with in its fundamental law, than the education of Virginia’s children. If that is to be left to the whims of the legislature, all other subjects might as well be, and the State Constitution discarded as superfluous. I do not believe that a majority of Virginians are willing to surrender its public schools. I do not believe that the conscience of a Christian people can consent to abandoning them. I believe that the Governor should make a systematic and unhurried attempt to get the views of leading Virginians of both races as to the methods by which we can best preserve that system while assuring every Virginia child against compulsory attendance at a school unacceptable on principle to his parents or guardian. Virginians should be able to devise their own solution without having to borrow one from South Carolina or Georgia, from James F. Byrnes or Herman Talmadge. And it will be a tragedy if we can find no third way between the leadership of the radical elements in the NAACP, rabid for integration of the races at any cost, and that of white Tories whose concern for the public school system has never been more than skin-deep. Virginia’s public school system must be preserved. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Statement of Delegate Robert Whitehead of Nelson County, Saturday, June 26, 1954 Description An account of the resource Delegate Robert Whitehead's statement in opposition to Governor Stanley's proposal to eliminate the constitutional requirement that the Virginia General Assembly provide and maintain a public free school system. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Delegate Robert Whitehead Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1954-6-26 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1950s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_7_7 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/628141bc32ad4e38ce52fe7324759aae.pdf edcce5e25b6e405dd8181590ee335724 PDF Text Text What H a p pe n s When P ub l i c Schools A r e I n t e g r a t e d In A Communit y Like Arlington ? by Loui s e Parks Wi n f i e l d "Integration is the least of my worries;" said the principal of a Senior High School in Montgomery County, Maryland* He went on to say, "My concern is to house 1,300 students in a building designed for many less and to see that all of them are getting a good education in line with their separate needs and abilities," These were his concluding remarks after an hour-long interview with three of us from the Social Action Committee of the Hock Spring Congregation Church in Arlington, Virginia, We are an eleven-member committee. Separate groups of us visited Montgomery County where we consulted school administrators. We visited schools, talking with principals and teachers. We observed students in classrooms, in cafeterias and on playgrounds. Our whole group participated in a conference set up for us by a church group. It was attended by a member of the School Board and by parents and civic leaders. We have conferred together in the preparation of this report. Four years after Negro students actually entered schools that had formerly been white, it appears to us that the people in Montgomery County are mostly thinking about other things. An editor of a local paper in that county reports that there were never many letters protesting integration and that in recent months there have been none at all. "The only letter that has come to us in the last years that even has a bearing on integrated schools," he observed, "came from outside this area and was just a gen­ eral complaint about the Supreme Court and a theoretical argument for Nordic supremacy.Again and again people replied, "but there is very little to say" when we questioned them about the change from segregated to integrated schools. On May 17, 1954 when the Supreme Court decision nullifying the legality of segre­ gation in public schools was rendered, white and Negro races were completely segre­ gated in the public schools of Maryland as they still are in Virginia. But, immediate­ ly, Montgomery County took steps to start the desegregation process and has been quiet­ ly working at it ever since. By the spring of 1957, 959 of the 3>035 Negro school-age children in Montgomery County had been shifted to integrated schools. At the present time over a third of the Negro students are no longer in segregated schools and it is anticipated that by 1961 with the completion of two new high school buildings all seg­ regation of secondary education in Montgomery County will have ended. Elementary This report, condensed somewhat, appeared in the Northern Virginia Sun (published in Arlington, Virginia) in the issues of December 19, 20, and 22, 1958. It represents an inquiry on the part of the Social Action Committee of the Rock Spring Congregation­ al Church into the desegregation of public schools in Montgomery County, Maryland. That particular suburban area was selected for an examination of the impact of school .integration because of its similarity to the Virginia suburban county where the Rock Spring Church is located. Both communities are a part of Metropolitan Washington. Doth represent comparable cultural traditions, economic patterns and population pro­ portions. Members of the Committee are! James Pettee, Chairman, Dudley Babcock, Joseph MeCaskill, John and Barbara McDonald, Raymond Parrott, Howard Strong, Paul and Virginia Westhaeffer, Jane Wilhelm, and Louise Parks Winfield. This copy of the report is distributed as a public service by the Citizens Committee for School Improvement, Box 3542, Arlington 3> Virginia, with the approval ‘ if the above Commit.bee « - �schools are likewise moving'rapidly towards the time when each child, regardless of. race, will .be able to attend the school nearest his home, unless for special reasons his parents and the school authorities arrange for him to transfer (with his family assuming the responsibility for his transportation) to another school in the County which seems better able to meet his personal needs. In the beginning, integration in Montgomery County began on a selective basis. Those planning the desegregation program decided that available facilities' were not adequate for a complete integration of all students. Furthermore, it was thought that a not-too-sudden and arbitrary procedure might make for a more successful transition. This opinion was not held by all those responsible for decisions. Some felt that in­ tegration brought about in a single operation would have been possible and in the long run more easily accomplished, but the step-by-step procedure was adopted. At no time since the Supreme Court decision has there been disagreement on the Montgomery County's Scnool Board about whether or not the Court's decision was to be implemented. Opin­ ions have differed only as to timing and method. In the case of four sub-standard Negro schools, it was decided that students would all be transferred in the fall of 1955 to white schools, preferably to the schools nearest their homes if space were available. With the exception of these children, all other transfers were made by individual selection. Some were selected on the re­ quest of parents, others at the suggestion of school principals. In each case three basic questions were answered affirmatively before the transfer was made: 1. Are physical facilities available in the school to which the student is applying? 2. Is there a suitable educational program for this student in that school? 3> Do his parents approve of the move? Sometimes a child's application was rejected because the school he wanted to attend was already overcrowded. Sometimes the recommendation that a child be moved was dropped because his parents were reluctant to have him subjected to separation from his friends. For three years now a survey has been made each spring to determine which stu­ dents wanted to transfer the following fall, and to see which would seem most likely to benefit from a move into an integrated school. There nave been conferences with parents and with both school principals involved before the decisions have been made. After the decisions, principals and guidance counselors have spent a great deal of time helping a child and his parents get ready for a move into a new situation. Even after this careful selection and preparation a transfer in the early stages of deseg­ regation was not irrevocable. It was possible, when desegregation was in the permissive stage, for a student to request transfer back to a segregated school. A few did return, mostly because they discovered that the educational program in the new school did not suit them. For in­ stance, a boy who thought he would like to take an academic course discovered that the vocational training offered in his former school was more to his liking-. Some asked to. go back because they found the adjustments too difficult. For the most part the students who have gone into integrated schools have stayed and reports seem to indicatfe that the adaptation has presented no serious difficulties for them. In one Montgomery County school 17 per cent of the student body is now Negro. In others the figures show as few as two Negroes in an elementary school of 466 and as few as 5 in a high school of 1,299. Thirty-eight school districts have no school-age Negro children living in their neighborhood so schools there have no Negro children. Since the total Negro school-age population of Montgomery County is now only about 4.5 per cent of the total school-age population, it is not likely that under complete integration any school will ever have more than a 20 per cent Negro group. If Arling­ ton were integrated it would likewise have only a small per cent of Negroes in any school and no Negroes in many schools. (Arlington has only 1,658 Negro school child­ ren in a total school population of 23,133.) Records show that the white population is now increasing much more rapidly in Montgomery County than is the Negro population. If this pattern continues, the per cent of Negroes in County schools there will actually decrease in the years immediately ahead. �The decision to integrate public schools in Montgomery County was applied to staff as well as students. A number of Negro teachers are now in integrated schools. One school with only white children has a Negro teacher on its faculty. A large jun­ ior high school has a Negro assistant principal. It is the stated policy of the School Board that all staff appointments are made on a merit basis so it is expected that in the future an opening in the school system will be filled by the person whose training and experience best qualify him to fill that opening. "But how is it all working out?" we kept saying. We had to press our question, we discovered, not because people in Montgomery County have anything to hide but be­ cause there has been relatively so little change that most of them couldn't think right off of anything to tell us. One principal of an elementary school said that when he heard we were coming he had to rush to his files to see exactly how many Negro children he had. The ten colored children in that school were so much a part of the whole group that he just didn't count them separately. "Have academic standards been lowered?" we asked a high school principal who has an integrated student body. "a girl just left my office," he answered. "She has an I.Q. of 70 and she has problems of learning with which we have to reckon. She is a white girl. The ability range of our students is from very low to very high. One problem is to place them all in situations where they learn. Some Negro students may fall in the lowest range of ability. Some may fall in the highest range. If we place them where they belong, then the school will be good for them and they will present no special problems to the school." One elementary teacher in an integrated school reported, "The academic perform­ ance of new children is not a problem. Of course, the learning situation is better here than it was where a child had to share a room with several classes. She stated that of the five children who had come to her class from a Negro school that was recognized as sub-standard three went into Reading (S-oup 2 and two did well in Read­ ing Group 3. The principal reported that in two grades routinely tested, the achieve­ ment test figures at the end of the first year of integration were still comfortably above national standards as they had been in the past. We asked about health standards. The reply of school principals m s that all children have physical examinations and that no child, Negro or white, remains in sciiool if he has an infectious condition or a communicable disease. No one seemed to think that the incidence of illness is any higher since schools have been integrated than it was before. Some observers remarked that with the question of school health receiving more attention since integration, it is likely that all children will be watched more closely so the general school health level may be raised. We asked about the social contacts of students. Principals of all schools said that it seems always to be true that children who have had a hard time adjusting in a segregated school have had a hard time in an integrated school, and conversely a child who has gotten on well in one school has made good adjustments in a new school. The only "incident" v e heard about in an integrated elementary school concerned a little i Negro girl in the third grade. She had lots of friends and seemed secure. One day she met the principal in the hall. "Mr. Smith," she said with some agitation, "do you know what.Donald called me?" "he principal realized at once that she was talking about the new white boy in her oxass who had brought with him a history of behavior difficulties in two previous schools. "What did Donald call you?" he asked. "He called me a 'nigger'" she answered with indignation �"Do you think X had better speak to Donald?" he queried. The little girl looked into space for several seconds and then with all the irritation gone out of her she answered, "No, Mr. Smith. He'll get over it." This principal told us that his way of handling the social adjustment of new Negro students was to place only one in any class. That way he felt that there would be no danger that two or more of them would hold themselves apart or that the class would think of them as "Negroes." Another elementary school principal said that she made an effort never to place a Negro child alone in a class where all other children are white. She thinks that the newcomer might feel lonely and consequently would find the new.adjustments more difficult. In both of these cases the results show happy students in integrated classrooms. Perhaps the particular method procedure is not as important as the underlying.concern for the well-being of children. None of the high school principals whom we saw reported any serious social diffi­ culties. In integrated high schools some Negroes have joined clubs, some haven't. Most Negro students tend to sit together in cafeterias but it is by choice and excep­ tions were reported. Negro boys have made football teams. Che Negro boy in an inte­ grated school has been selected for the "all star" area team. In one school a Negro boy was elected a Drum Major. When a few parentscalled in to protest that selection the principal reminded them that it had come as a result of a democratic election in the school. They made no further complaint. Negro students who have qualities of leadership seem to have a good opportunity to emerge as leaders in integrated schools. In one school the senior clasa elected a Negro boy to one of its top positions. In still another high school a Negro girl was selected as the school representative to the All State Student Conference. School dances have continued. In one high school the principal says that his only effort to control the new inter-racial situation at dances was to announce that dances would be for couples only. In another high school it was the Student Council which discussed the possible community reaction to mixed dances and decided that there would be no more stag lines. This practice of students coming to dances with their own dates seemed to both supervisors and students to be the only safeguard needed. A Junior Prom traditionally held at a downtown V/ashington hotel was held there again after integration with no difficulty or criticism. All reports seem to indicate that when Negroes attend school dances in integrated schools they dance with Negro partners and white students dance with white partners. None of the people with whom we talked had seen or heard of mixed dating in the schools. In every high school we visited we heard that some white students had made a con­ scious effort to help Negro students feel at ease. Cne white student said that it was her observation that Negro girls seemed to be more lonely than Negro boys in inte­ grated schools and therefore needed more help in making friends. In a junior high school where 42 Negroes were expected to come into a student body of about 750 the first year of integration, the principal called, the 7th and 8th graders together in the spring to tell them that the new students were’coming and to ask them if they thought anything should be done to get ready to receive them. A student said, "Well, I think we ought to make them feel at home. If I were going into a school where most people were different from me, I'd be scared stiff and I think these Negro students are going to be scared," There were numerous suggestions as to how this "at home" feeling could be achieved. One student thought that all the new students should be brought over for a tour and a chance to get acquainted. It could­ n't be managed before school was out but it was planned for a day after the vacation began. Students were asked to volunteer to return to school as hosts for the occa­ sion and every hand went up. �There have been only rare reports of bickering or scuffling or rudeness between students of different races, never a serious incident. There is one report that at the time when papers were so full of the stories of disorder in Little Rock some words derogatory of Negroes appeared on the walls of a high school washroom. The writing was removed and its brief appearance didn<t make a ripple in a situation that was basically stable. There was no recurrence of name-calling in that school. We asked if the integration of staff had presented special problems. Some principals felt that the problems hadn't been serious but that in some ways it is more complicated than the integration of students. In one case some white parents protested the appointment of a Negro teacher to their school. Someone suggested to us that these parents were fearful that the Negro teacher might have had sub-standard training and experience. She proved to be a person of outstanding ability and now parents are asking that their children be transferred into her class. Elementary principals say that it has been helpful if a Negro teacher has come into an integrated school at the same time Negro students first came, especially if she has come from the same school. This has made the transition easier for the children and the presence of a teacher who had known them before has been helpful to a principal. "The difficulty may arise," one high school principal speculated, "when I need to fire a teacher for incompetence and she happens to be a Negro. I will hesitate be­ cause I know that I might have to face an accusation of discriminatory action." He and others seemed to feel that after the first few years this kind of situation would not likely present a problem. The acceptance of Negro teachers by white teachers seems to have been good. In the first place, teachers' workshops and curricula planning committees, etc., have been integrated for some years before school integration, so Negro and white teachers are not unaccustomed to working together. Negro teachers who are still working in segregated schools seem to feel no anx­ iety about their future placement. They expressed confidence in the fairmindedness of the people who will make appointments. We asked about the effect of desegregation on population changes because one often hears in Northern Virginia that if schools are integrated great numbers of Negroes from D. C. will buy homes in the area with the result that the value of residential property will be lowered. 'When we asked one resident of Montgomery County if he thought that this had been happening there, he laughed and said that the people rushing to suburban Maryland now are Virginians who want to be sure their children will have schools to attend. Actually the proportion of Negroes in Montgomery County's population is lower now than it was in 1950 while the total population has increased. This is in line with population trends throughout the country. Negroes are still moving from the country to the cities while white people are still moving from the cities to the suburbs. There is no reason to believe that this trend will be different in suburban Virginia. When it became evident to us that Montgomery County people are generally agreed that integration is proceeding there without great difficulty we began to inquire into the cause of the relatively uneventful transition. The answer was inescapable: Fi^m Leadership. An editor told us that he reached the Governor of Maryland by telephone within five minutes after the Supreme Court decision was announced. "Maryland will conform" Governor McKeldin said to him. From that moment official leadership in Maryland has never wavered in its support of constitutional law and in its determination that the education of Maryland's children is not to be interrupted. This has remained true at �all official levels. After the court decision an opposition group was organized in_ Iferyland and in 1955 this group was vocal in various spots around the State and parti­ cularly as a lobby group at Annapolis, Their leaders drew up anti-integration bills but these bills all died without ever being presented on the floor of the Assembly. Not one of the 123 delegates would sponsor theml "Integration," said the editor, "has not been a politically expedient issue in Maryland." No politicians have dared to debate with the State’s Attorney General C, Ferdinand Sybert who stated on June 20, 1955 " . . . since the Constitution of the United States is the Supreme law of the land, all constitutional and legislative acts of Maryland requiring segregation in the public schools in the State of Maryland are unconstitutional, and hence must be treated as nullities." Educational leadership in Maryland has likewise been outstanding. Nine days after the Federal court ruling, the Maryland State Department of Education issued the following statement: "We are confident that the local school boards, the local offi­ cials, and the parents will settle this problem without resorting to chicanery or devious methods and with due regard for the rights of all parties concerned. Any pro­ gram of implementation will be based upon professional and human considerations and not with coercive designs or methods," The educators in Maryland took hold of the problem that was primarily theirs to work out, and there was never an opportunity for politicians to play ball with the destinies of school children. Less than a month after the Kay 17th ruling the Board of Education of Montgomery County adopted a resolution setting up a committee of white and Negro citizens, in­ cluding educators, for the purpose of advising and conferring with the Board and School administrators, on matters of policy for the implementation of the recent decisions of the Supreme Court concerning segregation." This committee of nineteen members functioned tirelessly during the 1954-55 period when policies were being determined and plans of action were being formulated. Their. contribution cannot be underestimated. The Board itself met frequently during those early days, fearlessly facing its responsibilities and patiently listening to extremists (on both sides of the segregation issue) who demanded hearings and presented long lists of questions. In a "Statement of Policy on Integration" adopted on March 21, 1955, the Montgomery County School Board not only affirmed its, intention to proceed to integrate the pub­ lic school system in an orderly and just manner. It went further and acknowledged "the moral and democratic implications of the ruling" and affirmed that they "regard­ ed compliance as an opportunity to extend all of its educational programs and facili­ ties to all children on an impartial basis." The School Board was not always of one mind as to how fast to move and as to how best to proceed with its accepted policy, but its members always managed t» talk their way through to constructive compromises. When the only substantial demonstration of resistance occurred in a rural sec­ tion of Montgomery County with parents encouraging students to stay out of school and outside agitators exciting rebellion, the School Board did not withdraw the Negro stu­ dents who had been assigned to that high school. The Superintendent of Schools re­ minded the parents of the fines that would be imposed on persons persuading or coerc­ ing school-age children to absent themselves from classes and of the fines and jail sentences that would be imposed on persons disturbing the orderly proceedings of a public school. The Chief of Police at the County seat backed up the educators by warning the members of a protest parade that no disturbance would be tolerated. Nor­ malcy was restored.within a week and today that school is busy about school business with 52 Negroes in.a student body of 978. Professional educators were encouraged to make their contribution, and efforts were made to strengthen the professional staff for the new demands laid upon it. Money was made available for some twenty principals and teachers to attend University summer, workshops for special study of inter-group relations. Workshops were con­ ducted within the County for all teachers. �Lay leadership in the Montgomery County communities came to the fore and made significant contributions towards the maintenance of stability and in the direction of sound practices. The County Council of PTAs is given much credit for its work before during the school transition. Made up of representatives of all local school ParentTeacher Associations in the County, it had long been an integrated group. After the announcement of the decision of the Montgomery County School Board to integrate County schools, the County Council gave guidance and impetus to local PTAs urging them to become liaison groups between schools and patrons. The County Council sent resolu­ tions to the School Board for consideration and they sent resolutions to local PTAs for debate. The studied opinions of citizens were brought to bear on County policy through the channels of the County Council and accurate information was brought to bear on the formation of citizens' opinions through these same channels. We asked if all PTA groups had continued their relationship with the County Council throughout the transition period. We were told that one group threatened to withdraw because a sub­ stantial number of its members were unhappy about the assignment of some Negro child­ ren (who didn't live in their area) to their school for one year while construction was under way elsewhere. The threat was never carried out and their representatives continued to participate in County Council affairs. An interesting story lies in the files of a PTA in an elementary school near the DC border. The school had always been white. Its patrons included a sizeable group of professional people and. a smaller group of very wealthy people. They also had a small group of low income white people. Suddenly, at the very beginning of integra­ tion these people learned chat s crowded two-room Negro school (sub-standard to the point of no indoor plumbing) was to be discontinued and that the 53 Negro children of low income families who lived in a Federal housing development in their school district would appear in their classrooms the next fall. The PTA set up a school relations committee and in ths appointments saw to it that all shades of opinion were represented. There were those v'ho tnought the move was already ninecy years too late - those who thought it was ninety years too soon, and all those variations of points of view that emerge in any community when social change is under discussion. " »e V’ talked and talked," one member reported. "When emotions threatened communications we kept talking. We talked unbil we were agreed that the new situation must be handled in such a way that no child would suffer." With this basic agreement the committee set to work to "get ready" for integration. Teachers and parents and pupils worked together to bring about as smooth a transition as possible. Consultants in the field of human relations were brought in - Negroes as well as white - to meet with study , groups and to appear at panel discussions. White parents visited the Negro school from which the children would come.- Negro parents visited the white school to which their children would go. Observers say that the integrated school program has been highly successful in that school. Other parent groups were active in the County in efforts to help make the transi­ tion successful. One such group of white parents, after consultation with Negro par­ ents, took upon themselves the task of going around in the Negro settlements and ex­ plaining to residents what was involved in integration. They saw to it, for instance, that needy Negro children who were to be integrated in the early stages had suitable clothes so that they would not feel conspicuous with well-dressed children. Church groups in Montgomery County contributed to the community's cooperative acceptance of the new set-up. Clergymen got together and produced a clear statement about the "Ministry of Reconciliation*" Church action groups and committees not only passed resolutions of endorsements of the School Board policy but also provided in­ formation about it to the members of their congregation. Jewish groups in the County were likewise actively participating in programs of education for integration.' The League of Women Voters set up integration study groups and have given wide circulation to fact sheets prepared each year since the beginning of de-segregation. The American Association of University Women studied the problems related to integra­ tion and worked out suggestions for the handling of the problems. Members of the �American Veterans Ccmmittee demonstrated their concern. Between all these groups there was close communication and correlation of effort. Innumerable man hours — of both employed personnel and lay volunteers — have gone into the successful implementation in Montgomery County, Maryland, of a decision of the Supreme Court of the United States of America. As people related to us the things they and others had done, and as they spelled out the kind of problems they had encountered, they invariably mentioned the "dividends." "You know what this is doing for us," one principal said. "It is showing us that the old ideas about the differences in ability of different races do not hold. We are seeing more clearly than ever before that ability is an individual thing." "It is having a carry-over into the community" one member of a car pool said. "First we noticed that Negro children, waiting for a bus that would take them to an integrated school, were neater and cleaner. Now we notice that their yards are get­ ting cleaned up and their houses are better kept." This observation reminded us that for more than a hundred years the American public school has served as a leveling-up channel through which many minority groups have become both acceptable and contribu­ ting parts of the whole stream of American life. "Even the Negro students who would just as soon stay in the segregated schools have a new pride in the knowledge that they don't 'have to'" one teacher said. "It is education itself that has profited most," one heard from many sides. "NoWj" said someone, "each school must look more particularly at itself to see if it offers what all of its students need." One teacher commented that all aspects of school life will be improved because it is all being studied more carefully. Someone observed that while in the past it has been assumed that Negro boys who wanted to learn dry cleaning were better off in a Negro vocational school, now school planners are beginning to think that in a larger integrated high school the same Negro boys and many white boys as well can be offered a much greater number of vocational opportuni­ ties. "Take this last School Board election," one man said. "It wasn't fought out on •the basis of whether we are going to be integrated or not — everyone has accepted the fact that we are. Integration wasn't mentioned in the School Board election. But schools were mentioned and the debate was about the kind of education we are going to buy with our tax dollar. That is as it should be." "We feel better about ourselves," a white church member said, "less consciencestricken somehow. Not complacent, mind you, but glad to be a part of one step towards social justice and challenged to look for next steps." What happens when public school are integrated? Cn the one hand, we could con­ clude after our observations in Montgomery County that nothing very startling happens. School doors go on opening as school doors have for a long time in this country where education is so much prized. Teachers go on assigning arithmetic problems. Children go on writing compositions. The sky doesn't fall down. The economic system doesn't collapse. Social patterns don't change overnight. On the other hand, constitutional law assumes a new dignity, educational efforts receive a new stimulus; the insights of some men become more clear, the aspirations of other men become more free. It would seem to the Rock Spring Social Action Committee that Arlington could approach the de-segregation of its public schools without fear and could participate with faith in the steps ahead. # � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource What Happens When Public Schools Are Integrated In A Community Like Arlington? Description An account of the resource Report compiled by the Social Action Committee of the Rock Spring Congregation Church in Arlington, Virginia that ran in the Northern Virginia Sun in the issues of December 19, 20, and 22 1958. The report details the integration of Montgomery County Schools. 8 pages Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Louise Parks Winfield, Social Action Committee of the Rock Spring Congregation Church Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1958-12 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1950s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_7_3 https://projectdaps.org/files/original/7ff8e69430b16ac4416fb0be06966a16.pdf 91a7b6168233854dad3eb38d8ef2fcba PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools Description An account of the resource Record Group 07 contains the incomplete and unofficial records of the Arlington County, Virginia, public school system. The entire collection measures 20.85 linear feet, and ranges in date between 1909 and 2004. The bulk of the material is from the period 1946-1988. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Undated, Unaddressed, Unsigned letter from "An Outraged Citizen" Description An account of the resource Handwritten satirical letter, marked "oc/jh" but otherwise undated, unaddressed, and unsigned. Text reads: "Dear Sir: It has come to my attention that the mongrelization of the race and degeneration of our culture, so widely feared, has already come, full-force, to Arlington. I was shocked to learn that we have here natives from all over the world mixed with half-breeds of varied cultural backgrounds in one disgusting conglomeration. Worse yet, a great number of residents are proudly declaring themselves to be offspring of two racially different tribes of uncivilized culture-- the Angles and the Saxons-- not to mention the addition of the un-American blood of the dark-skinned Britons, Picts, and Scots. Is this the type of community in which our children must grow? I sincerely hope that the Defenders of State Sovereignties and Individual Liberties will take immediate action to remedy this degrading situation. Very Sincerely, An Outraged Citizen." Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG 07, Arlington County Public Schools, 1909-2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource No date Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Unknown Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This image is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use of the images in the Local History Collections of the Arlington Community Archives is prohibited. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 7_1_8_7_2