Evening star., 1949-11-12
Mass Meeting
Called Monday
On School Bonds
Falls Church Board
To Explain Proposed
Building Program

81 A Falls Church mass meeting
sto discuss a proposed 500, ,00t
sschool bond issue has been callee
Sfor 8 pm. Monday at Madison
elementary School.
/ Members of the city Scnoo
Board. sponsors Of the gathering
twill explain the proposed building
program and will answer question!
from the floor.
Property owners will decide ir
% referendum next Saturda!
whether the board may proceed
with its plans to build a new
Junior senior high school and q
iprimary school and to improve
Madison.
Procedure Explained.
Most Virginia bond issues must
be approved by qualified voters
if property owners first indors Sc
the plan. This procedure was fol-
lowed last year when both. pro-
perty owners and qualified voters
approved a $1,000,000 water bond
issue In separate referenda.
This procedure will not be fol-
lowed for the proposed school
bond issue: according to City At
torney La Rue Van Meter. Attor-
ney General j. Lindsay Almond,
jr., has ruled that approval of
qualified voters need not be given
If the proposed loan is to be made
from the State Literary Fund or
other State source.
This means that if the School
Board gets the approval of pro-
perty owners only, it would Re
prohibited from obtaining funds
from any source other than the
State.
Adoption of the program, ac-
cording to Mrs. Helen M. Regan.
School Board chairman, would
mean that the old Jefferson annex
to Madison School could be aban-
doned within two years.
rolls Open NJ D AM.
Polls at three voting places in
the city will be open for the refer
endum from 6 am. to 6 pm. Lo-
cations will be the same as for the
general election:
First ward-City Hall.
Second ward-Madison School.
Third ward-Broad Street Mo-
tors.
The School Board through it's
superintendent, Irwin H. Schmidt,
controls Madison School and its
annex, Jefferson. Oak Street
Elementary School and Falls
Church High School, both in the
city. are administered by Fairfax
County.
When the city won its claim to
operation of its own schools last
June, Judge c. G. Quesenbery, sit
ing in Fairfax Circuit Court, or
dered creation of the separate
school district. In September
however, he declared that he could
not require that Fairfax County
turn over the two new schools tc
the city.
The Fairfax County School
Board, through Commonwealth
Attorney Hugh B. Marsh, pointed
out that the two schools had been
built to accommodate county, as
well as city students.
Advisability Questioned.
Some opponents of the pro-
posed bond issue have questioned
the advisability of building an
other high school in the city,
even though the existing high
school is not controlled by the
city. Supporters of the building
program maintain that the pres
ent- high school is loaded beyond
capacity" and that the rapidly
growing population of the area
establishes the need for another
high school.
present arrangements With
Fairfax County providing for ex-
change'of students would be con-
tinued if new buildings are con-
structed, according to the School
Board chairman. At present, the
county and city exchange stu
dents between Madison and Oak
Street to avoid inconvenience to
children of the respective areas.
A city proposal to attempt an
nexation Of surrounding Fairfax
County territory has 'compli-
Gated" planning of a comprehen-
sive school program. according to
the School Board, but the board
maintains that the buildings will
be needed regardless Of the date
or extent of annexation. Z.