Evening star., 1947-05-25
Arlington Referendum

The people who live on the north side of
| the Potomac in voteless Washington will
watch with interest, and even with envy,
as the voters in neighboring Arlington go
to the polls on Tuesday to decide who shall
control their public schools and how they
shall be financed.
The real issues are clear-cut and simple.
But the fight over them unfortunately, has
been bitter, and at times there has been
tendency to indulge in personalities and
Misrepresentation which have no place in
an election to determine the future Of a
public school system.
Two main questions will be put before
the electorate. The first, and that which
has generated the most heat, concerns
proposal for a change in the method of
selecting the County School Board. The
second involves rejection or acceptance of
a $6 100000 bond issue for school improve
ments Another bond issue for public
works also will be voted on, but this has
not figured so prominently in the fight.
The school improvement bond issue is
broken down on the ballot into four parts.
Thus the voters will have choice among
some, or all, or none of the proposed i'm
provements. There seems to be general
agreement in the county, however, that
there is real need for some, If not all, of
the proposed Improvements. Hence the
essential questions may be stated in this
fashion: Is bond issue the only feasible
method of getting needed improvements?
Is the time propitious, in the light of labor
and material costs, for a building program?
Are the taxpayers of Arlington willing to
meet the cost of desirable Improvements?
1t is probable that the last question will
be decisive, and while the issue is one for
the voters to decide, it may not be too
commonplace to say that no worthwhile
Improvements can ever be had without
paying the price. Nor should the price be
measured in terms of dollar-costs alone,
for the proper education of a communitys
children ought to be dominant consider
alton.
The remaining issue-that of the method
of selecting the School Boards the most
controversial and perhaps the most i'm
portant. One group wants to retain the
present system, under which the board is
named by committee appointed by the
circuit judge, who, in turn is appointed by
the State Legislature. majority of the
residents of Arlington seem to feel that
this results in the School Board being too
far removed from the people, and The
Star believes they are right. If this proves
to be majority sentiment, then a choice
must be made between the direct election
of School Board members and their ap-
pointment by the elected County Board
The main objections to direct election
are that it would be difficult to induce
qualified people to seek Office through the
medium of a political campaign and, pos
sibly even more important, that the public
schools ought not to be dragged directly
into the rough-and- tumble of county pol
iticS. There are arguments on the other
side, such as the assertion that throughout
the country IS per cent of the school
boards are directly elected. The fact re-
mains, however, that in Arlington the
people can acquire a reasonable control
over the School Board by voting to vest its
appointment in the elected County Board,
and to The Star this seems much the wiser
course.