Evening star., 1947-05-27
Racial Division in Schools

To the Editor of The Star:
An article appearing in The Star of May %
quotes the superintendent of District of Column
bia public schools as saying that "@ = 44.27 per
cent of the budget went for the coored children
who comprise a. per cent Of the school popu-
lation." This is a dangerously misleading
statement
have just completed study of the District
of Columbia public school system with the
permission and cooperation of public school
officials. According to official school statistics,
there were, on May 8. 90,764 children enrolled
in the day schools of the District. OF these,
40,703 were colored and 50061 were white.
Negroes comprised 44.8 per cent of the public
school enrolment.
According to official information, the school
population" referred to by Dr. Corning includes
all children residing in the District in 1910,
between the ages of and II years. OF this
population 34.1 per cent were Negroes-in 1910.
Dr. Corning, therefore, compared the per-
centage of Negroes in the total District of Co.
lun1bia population between 6 and II GAL per
cent? with the proportion of moneys spent on
Negro schools in the 1947 budget CAPT per cent?.
Since the D. C. Code stipulates the ALLEGATION
of school funds between the races according
to the ratio of white to colored children between
and II years, DR.. Corning was correct in
using the to II year population as his base.
Although he was correct, the resulting con-
clusion with respect to the racial ALLEGATION of
school funds is misleading for the following
reasons:
l. The 1910 Census figures, although the most
recent available, are now years old. During
these years, Immigration obviously has up
set the racial composition of the District. Al
though it is not known precisely to what ex-
tent, the growth of Negro residential areas
would indicate that the proportion of colored
residents has increased In addition. Negro in
migrants have been heavily represented by
school-age children. To rely wholly, in 1947,
on 1910 school-age population ratios is unrea-
listic.
q With nearly all Negro children being forced
to rely on public schools for their early educa-
ton, the proportion of colored children to total
between and II would differ little from the
ratio of Negro children to all public school
children. This is not true for white children
who have more private and parochial school
opportunities Although the D. c. Code stipu-
lates the GILT year population as the basis for
allocating school funds between colored and
white, the fact that all white children of those
ages do not use public school money, raises
the per capita expenditures for white children
who do attend public schools Because of this,
the D. c. Code fails to obtain the degree of
equity that it was designed to guarantee
8. The 44.27 per cent presented by DR.. Corn
ing as the proportion of total school funds
appropriated for Negro schools is based on the
total 1947 school budget of s19,817,156, after
deducting $3.50, ,978 which could not be speci-
fed as being for any one race. The total
budget was for capital outlay and current ex-
penditures. It does not include capital invest
ment in buildings. land, etc. II the values Of
existing Negro school property were compared