Evening star., 1949-07-06
School Dispute,
AppearsHeaded
Back kIntoCourt
Fairfax Boord Refuses
To Give Falls Church
Control of Two Schools

A dispute over control of pub
lie schools is Falls Church appears
headed back into court today after
refusal of the Fairfax County
School Board to relinquish control
of two schools in the city.
Mrs. Mark Regan. chairman of
the Falls Church School Board,
said that although her board took
no action last night on the Fair
fax decision. the city school board
will continue to direct and operate
all schools in its jurisdiction. She
said there will be board meeting
this week to decide what action
to take.
Falls Church officials about six
months ago requested Fairfax to
relinquish control of city schools.
The request led to court action
in which Falls Church won the
right to operate it's own school
system independently of the
county system. The court order
did not specify. however, which
schools the city should have.
Retains High School.
The County School Board yes
terday said that while it is ready
to turn over Madison and Jeffer-
son Schools to Falls Church, 1t
is not willing to give Falls Church
High School and Oak Street Ele-
mentary School to the city.
The Madison School and its
annex, known as Jefferson School,
were the only schools in Falls
Church in 1912 when the city's
schools became part of the county
system. The high school and the
Oak Street School, euilt since that
time, were planned to accommo-
date students IN the entire Falls
Church area-including many
that lived in the county. accord
ing to the county group
The county board stated that
1859 county children were en-
rolled in the four Falls Church
schools this year while only 808
children living within the city
limits we're enrolled. In the high !
schools alone, the school board
said. 669 students lived in the
county compared with 224 from
the city.
Feels Responsibility.
'The school board feels it is
their responsibility to educate
children living in the county,"
said Supt w. T. Woodson.
Member Richard Stands said
the buildings that the county has
agreed to turn over to the city
actually are large enough to ac-
commodate all city children.
The school boards decision
means that Falls Church will have
to pay tuition for the students
it has in county schools, and
Fairfax will have to pay tuition for
county students in the city schools.
Falls Church High School was
built during the war by the county
school board at a total cost of
$251 900. Lanham Act funds pro-
vided $4,000 of the original con-
struction costs. Since then. a
$4,000 addition has been built.
The Oak Street Elementary
School was built by the county
at a total cost of $362.574.
Must Assume Debt.
The school board decided the
Falls Church School Board would
have to assume S46,490 indebted
ness on the Madison and Jeffer-
son schools. The county assumed
more than $4,000 Indebtedness on
these two schools when they were
taken over.
The school board received a
petition yesterday signed by about
1900 county residents asking that /,
a colored high school be built in
the county. Colored children now
attend a high school at Manassas.
The petition was presented by
the Rev. w. E. Costner and DR..
E. B. Henderson. They said a
majority Of the signers were white
residents.
F. w. Robinson was reelected
school board chairman and Alex
Haight vice chairman.