Evening star., 1948-04-14
Fairfax School
Program Hinges
On Bond RuIinq
Retirement Boards S
Right to Purchase
Notes Questioned
By John v. Horner

Uy SVNu W tfOIUSt
Fairfax County, with one Of Vir-
ginias most ambitious school con-
struction programs at stake, Is
vitally concerned over legal clari-
fication of the State Retirement
Boards right to purchase school
bonds from the State literary fund
The Virginia Supreme Court of
Appeals is being asked to rule on
the question.
Fairfax has pending literary loan
applications for more than $3,000,-
900 with which to build new schools
and additions. Until the court acts,
all these are held in suspension.
Fund Work Underway.
School supt. w. T. Woodson said
81 800 900 worth of building already
underway in Fairfax is not affected
by the legal snarl This work is
backed by literary fund loans pre-
viously approved.
The legal question involved was
raised by State Controller H. g..
Gilmer, who said he would not
honor warrants on the Virginia re-
tirement fund for the purchase of
school bonds from the literary fund,
the Associated Press reported. He
held the transaction unconstitu-
tional although it was authorized
by the 1916 General Assembly. In
a move to replenish the depleted
literary fund, the legislature ap-
proved bond purchases up to $5,000,-
900.
At the suggestion of Mr.. Gilmer,
Assistant Attorney General Walter
E. Rogers announced that he would
ask the Supreme Court for a writ
of mandamus compelling the con-
troller to honor the transactions.
In this way, the constitutionality
can be determined.
Unless the bond-purchase plan Is
approved, Fairfax would have no
way to finance its construction pro-
gram except through floating county
school bonds.
Many Have Applied.
Mr.. Woodson said, however, that
the county did not expect its literary
fund applications to be approved in
full, even if the court rules in favor
of the transaction. This is because
the fund is too small to accommo-
date all applications throughout the
State.
Thus, if the Fairfax construction
program is put through as proposed,
a bond issue still may be necessary
for a part of the financing.
Mr.. Woodson said the projects
whose completion is assured are the
Woodlawn white elementary addi-
ton, Vienna colored addition,
Mount. Vernon High School class
room addition, Falls Church High
School classroom addition, Fran
COMA addition, the new Oak street
school in Falls Church,
the Fairfax High School addition,
Centerville white elementary school
addition and the James Lee colored
school in Falls Church.
Projects Carried Over.
Projects for which loan applica-
tions were pending and must now
be carried over until next year were
listed as follows:
New white elementary schools at
Bailey's Crossroads, Tyson's Corner,
Simn's Corner, Weyanoke and Hol-
Inns Hall; a new colored elementary
school at Fairfax; new unit at
Herndon High School and additions
to Burke white elementary, Fair
view white elementary, Annandale
white elementary, Mount Vernon
and Fairfax High Schools, Franklin
Sherman in Mclean, Groveton,
Oakton, Franconia and Forestville.
The latter group has been carried
over with the following projects
previously scheduled for next year:
New Tyler Park and Penn-Daw
white elementary schools, new
Floris- -Herndon colored elementary,
and additions at the Dunn Loring,
Lorton, Chesterbrook and Woodlawn
white elementary buildings. These
projects would require an estimated
additional outlay of 1908 500.
Alexandria Unaffected.
The Fairfax County program is
attributed to a phenomenal growth
of school population in recent years,
described by Mr.. Woodson as very
much greater" than increases in ad-
joining areas.
Neither Alexandria nor Arlington
is concerned by the literary fund
decision. The former has no ap-
plications for loans. Arlington has
two, totaling $275,000, but construc-
tion is in progress and the State
Board of Education has guaranteed
loans for work already begun.