Evening star., 1943-06-24
55% Fund Boost
Proposed for
Virginia Schools
Dr.. Lancaster Also
Will Ask 'Peeeing'
Of Local BUDGETS
BY the Associated Press

quest for an increase of more than
55 per cent In the States appropria-
tion for public schools will be pre-
sented to the General Assembly next
January along with a recommends
tion that county and city expendi-
lures for instruction be pegged al
the amounts they contributed in the
l94l-2 school year.
In an address before a conference
of county and city school superin-
tendents here yesterday, DR.. Dab
ney S. Lancaster, State superin-
tendent of public instruction. said
he would submit a school budget
calling for a total of $18,6OO,OOO as
compared with the appropriation of
$1l 1886 900 for the current biennium.
Pegging county and city expendi-
lures, DR.. Lancaster explained
would relieve local communities of
stretching already overloaded budg-
cts. Under the present law counties
and cities are required to augment
the States expenditures for instruc-
ton 80 per cent.
Would Raise Teachers Pay.
In announcing his intention o1
asking the Assembly for more
money with which to operate the
public schools during 1944-5, DR.
Lancaster said the additional funds
if granted, would be used largely tc
increase the pay of teachers from
the $770 per teacher unit contem-
plated for the next school term tc
81 200 per teacher unit.
Even this increase for salaries. >
he said, will mean far less than
the national average of teachers
salaries"
The State board also is consider
ing the question of higher educa-
ton for Negroes" DR.. Lancaster
said. The Virginia State College
cat Petersburg) should make SOUND
progress under its able new presi-
dent, Luther Foster. The proposed
agreement between Virginia and
West Virginia, by which West Vir-
ginia will send its third and fourth
year medical students to the Medi-
cal College of Virginia on the same
basis as Virginia students, offers a
pattern for regional colleges for
Negroes, especially for training in
medicine and law"
TWenty-Slx counties have equal
lzed salaries of white and colored
teachers, Or will have done so by
the session of 1884, he said. Plans
for equalization have been adopted
IN l9 other counties, eight counties
report that salaries are approxi-
mately equalized, and 2l have given
larger increases to colored teachers
than to whites without so far OBJ
tanning equalization. Two counties
report no progress and there were
no reports from "a counties.
Among the cities, DR.. Lancaster
added, eight reported equalization
seven that plans had been made
one that increases have been given
without equalization yet, one re-
ported adoption of a well-organized
salary scale and six made no report.
This report Is reasonably encour-
aging, but much remains to be done.
and again we must realize that 1t is
our duty to face the facts and COM
plete plans for equalization on the
basis OF training and successful ex-
perlence," DR.. Lancaster continued.
Darden Stresses High Schools.
Gov. Darden, sketching in brief
general educational policy for
Virginia which he said he will SUBJ
NIT to the next General Assembly
told the school superintendents that
emphasis should be placed upon
elementary and high school instruc-
ton rather than upon higher educa-
ton.
I'm my Judgment" he said, 1--WE
ought to give the high school stu
dent a basic training that will fit
that student for the responsibilities
OF life. Virginia should give hei
boys and girls the training they will
need after they leave high school,
Asserting that a free church anc
a strong educational system are
fundamental to a strong democratic
government, the Governor asserted
that there is no fear" that the free.
dom of worship is to be taken away
from the people of this country, but
that the same is not true of public
education"
when you cut away either o.
these he said, you destroy the
basis of democratic institutions"
Stating that "only a handful Of
public school graduates ever 90 te
college," Gov Darden told the su.
perintendents that he thought thu
public education program of tn.
State should be based on "a plar
that will fit the students"
Recalling that Thomas Jefferson
advocated a system of public edu,
cation which embraced only ele.
mentary instruction, Gov. Darder
expressed the conviction that edu.
cation beyond the high school leve
should be concentrated upon the
will and the ability to learn"