Evening star., 1951-10-09
Resignation Of 6
On School Board
Is Accepted
Falls Church Council
Rejects Petition
To Retuin Them

To Retuin Them
The Falls Church City Council
today was awaiting nominations
by organizations and citizens tt
I'LL six vacancies on the Schoo
Board. created by designations &C.
cepted last night.
Board Member John A. John.
son. associate general counsel fol
the Department of the Air Force
is in Norway and did not join ir
the mass resignation.
Supt. Irwin H. Schmidt had nc
comment today on the coun-
cil's action in accepting the resig.
nations. He did not join the
board in resigning.
Committee to Meet.
At a meeting of the Madison
School Parent Teacher Associa-
tion set for o'clock tonight at
the school,, Mrs. Wayne Daugher-
ty, president. plans to name a
committee to make recommends
tions to be submitted to the, coun-
Gil on appointment of a new board
The executive committee of the
Committee of 100 to Preserve the
Integrity of Our Schools which
had expressed confidence in the
board and urged that it be re-
tained, also will meet tonight at
its headquarters, 14S West Broad
street.
More than 600 persons crowded
In and around Odd Fellows Hall
last night, as the council prepared
to consider the School Board
statement. The designations cli-
NAKED a council investigation of
charges of maladministration
made against the board by a
group of citizens.
''We Vote Again in Two Years"
The loudest applause of the
evening greeted statement made
at the close of the meeting by
Mrs. JennesS Writ Myer, a former
council member. who said, This
is the council that was elected on
a platform that schools were not
an issue. We vote again in two
years. Let's CO."
In its unanimous vote to accept
the preferred resignation, the
Council rejected petition signed
by more than $50 residents who
expressed confidence in the board
and urged that it be continued in
Office and that the Council cease
this harassment of the superin-
tendent and members of the
School. Board"
Also urging that the board be
retained were the Greater Falls
Church Chamber of Commerce,
the Madison School PTA, the
Sherwood Women's Club, the
Southwest Falls Church Citizens
Association, the Falls Church Ed
ucation Association and the Com
mittee of 100.
Assails Boards Letter.
Councilman Samuel E. McCrary
moved to accept the designations.
He said the boards letter to the
Council was inaccurate, incon-
sistent and, in some respects, Sc
ditious." He cited an editorial in
yesterdays Evening Star as "a
sound view" of the school situa-
ton.
Mayor Charles E. Kellogg termed
the boards communication to the
Council an ultimatum and said he
did not feel that the board had
been prosecuted in an investiga-
tion launched after the Council
TOOK Office last month. Mr.. Kel-
logg read a Star editorial of last
Sunday. which, he said, stated
the situation as he sees it.
We're in business, and we're
going to stay in business, under
slightly different management"
the mayor said. =
The councils motion provided
that the designations were ac-
cepted to be effective on appoint
ment OF successors. City Attorney
Lytton H. Gibson, however, said
he knows Of no charter provision
or State law that would require
the board to continue to serve.
State Senator Andrew w.
Clarke. attorney for the board in
the investigation, said, after the
meeting, that the councils action
ended the terms of the six mem
bers and that only Mr.. johnson
is now on the board.
The six board members whose
designations were accepted were
Mrs. Helen Regan, the chairman:
Willis H. Glover, James S. Lay, jr.,
John r. Miles. DR.. Joseph w. Seay
and Mrs. Helen Wallace.
Mr.. Lay said, after the meet
ing: That's that. We've tried
to do a job here. If that's the
way they want it. that's the way
it is"
Hopes for Unity.
Councilman w. Raymond Tay-
lor said today that the action
of the Council in accepting the
resignation of the School Board
demonstrates the desire Of every
member of the Council to perform
his duties to the community and
uphold the Office to which he was
elected May we unite on a
common front for the benefit of all
of us and the orderly progress of
the community"
Relations between the old coun-
Gil and the board were harmon
ious; but when the new council
took Office last month, one of its
first acts was to launch the invest
igation.
I,,e3irn Minsnn fnn{innd