Evening star., 1947-01-18

Sent From Arlington
On School Board Bill
BY a 'Stoff Correspondent Of The Sior
RICHMOND, Va, Jan. 18.-Ar-
lington citizens seem to be more
pleased with an opportunity tt
change the method of selecting tht
County School Board than with an!
other local legislation before tht
General Assembly, according to let
tiers and kilograms reaching legis
lators here.
The communications supportin.
the measure are about 10 time
greater than those opposing it
Runner-up in popularity is a meas
ure giving voters an opportunity t.
elect members of the County Boart
on nonpartisan basis.
Little sentiment has been ex
pressed on the bill to extend th'
County Retirement Act to Include
employees under elected officials, ans
practically unanimous support ha
been voiced for legislation openin.
the way for return to simultaneous
election of County Board member
instead of the present stagger sys
tenn. All but the retirement bill
provide for referenda. The refer
endum on abolishing the Count.
Board stagger system must be hell
this year.
Legislators Are United.
Delegates j. Manard Magrudel
and George Damn, and State Sen
ator William D. Medley, Arlington;
representatives, are united on tht
legislative program for the county.
The three have stacks of com.
munications from Arlington consti.
tuents, and the Citizens Committee
for School Improvement has beer
sending delegations almost daily tt
check on progress of the schoo
board bill.
Typical of the divergent view.
points are two letters-one from tht
National Education Association sup.
porting the school bill and another
from two officers of the Arlington
Education Association, opposing it
Ivan A. Booker Of the nationa
group, who lives at GIT North Lin.
coin street, Arlington, wrote:
"It is indeed gratifying to learr
that bill is being introduced tt
allow Arlington a referendum or
whether or not to continue the pres.
ent method of appointing schoo
board members. Once the. oppor.
tunity is given, the answer. of ths
people will be quite decisive =
many of us who have taken an ac.
tive part in civic and community
affairs in the county during the pas1
Is years or so feel this is the most
important single piece of legislation
that could possibly be enacted sc
far as Arlington schools are con.
cerned."
Association Has Not Acted.
F. H. Peterson, president, anc
Alice N. Croner, secretary, of the
Arlington Education Association
wrote as individuals and said the
group had not yet acted.
Our experience has been that oul
past and present members of the
School Board have been outstanding
citizens who possessed ability above
the average" they said. "Theil
chief concern, we believe, has beer
the constant improvement of Ar.
lington schools. We feel thai
any change in the selection of mem.
bers of the School Board which
would tend to make such member.
ship matter of politics would altel
the type of citizen who has servec
in the past and who is now serving
on the board"
The South Arlington Chapte
American Veterans Committee, tele
graphed: eve favor adoption O
legislation permitting voters to elec
the county School Board directly
replacing the antiquated undemo
cratic method now operative"
The Arlington branch, American
Association of University Women
telegraphed a similar message. TIL,
Arlington Civic Federation sent {
copy of a resolution supporting th'
plan.
Faith in Present Method.
On the other hand, Mary Bar
bour, president of the County Prin.
cipals' Association, whose member
are under the present board, sait
the association expressed full faitf
and confidence in our presen
method. - Board members unde
whom we have served have, withou
exception been people VIII
always placed the interests of ou
schools foremost in their thinking
.'' A method of selecting boar,
which would be Influenced, in an.
manner, by political pressure woult
be highly undesirable.
Endorsement came from Isabel,
Donica for the Robert E. Lee Schoo
PTA; George K. MCMILLAN, presi
dent Of the Columbia Forest Citi
zeris' Association, and Charlotte N
Pelissier for the darlington Civil
Association who said, "The presen
system is outmoded and inef1cien
and citizens wish to have large
voice in the selection
Madeline H. Tickle, secretary o
the Fort Myer Heights Citizens
Association, was instructed to in
dorse the school bill and the non
partisan county board election
measure. Similar approval of bot
bills was voiced by Miss Emma c