Evening star., 1950-02-15
School Board Expected
To Settle Central Hiqt
Shift in Vote Today

The Board OF Education is eX'
pected late today to settle the
controversial question of whether
Central High School will bt
turned over to colored students
More than Is speakers have in.
dicated they will address the
board before it ends the dispute
that has been on the docket fol
more than year.
Barring a change of mind by
five School Board members who
already have indicated they favor
transfer of Central, the shift
to colored students from over.
crowded Cardozo High School ap.
peared virtually assured. Unknown
is the effect of the District Courr
of Appeals decision YESTERDAY
afternoon. which upheld the dua
school system in Washington.
The three members of tn,
Buildings and Grounds Committe,
already have approved the trans
fer. Voting for the change thre,
weeks ago were Mrs. Philip Sid
ney Smith, chairman: DR.. Phillip
T. johnson, colored board mem
ber. and Mrs. Edward c. Magde
burger.
Five Constitute Majority.
Two other colored members O.
the board. John H. Wilson ane
Mrs. James w. Williams, have in.
dicated they will support thu
transfer of Central.
Those five votes are sufficien
to settle the question once anc
for all. They constitute a cleal
majority of the nine-membel
Board of Education.
Yesterday, the District Recrea.
tion Board gave more ammuni-
ton to the opponents of the trans.
fer of Central by sending to the
School Board an analysis of the
recreational use of Central. Il
showed that. in the seven months
from last July through January
40,110 persons had used the recre.
ational facilities there.
One OF the arguments against
the transfer has been that II
would disrupt the recreationa,
program for white residents ir
downtown Washington.
Opinion Invited.
Harry S. Wender, Recreation
Board chairman, revealed he had
been asked by one school board
member, Albert E. Stienem, if the
Recreation Board would give ar
opinion on what a transfer would
do to its recreational program.
This is a factual statement oi
what is being done at Central
Mr.. Wender declared. Would ii
not be equally factual if we were
to advise the Board of Education
what the results of transfer
would be?"
Other board members disagreed
with him. James E. Schwab, vice
chairman, said the matter should
be decided by the School Board
on the basis of school needs
only" .--,.
Board Issue, Says Corning.
. Milo Christensen, recreation
superintendent, said he was un-
able to advance an opinion on
what programs would be discon-
tinued by transfer, and the mat
ter was left at that. Only the
factual statement of present use
was sent. Mr.. Wender personally
opposes a change in the status OF
Central. .-.t...
School Supt. Hobart M. Corn
ing has removed himself from the
controversy. 4 pointing. out 1t. is a
matter of policy that the school
board must decide. He recon-
Fmended that the crowded condi-
Etions at Cardozo High School be
|alleviated by transferring 500 girls
to one wing of the Park View Ele-
mentary School on a temporary
basis, pending completion of the
Spingarn High School.
DR.. Corning's recommendation
was rejected by the Buildings and
Grounds Committee when it ap-
proved the tranSfnr of Ceotro1