Evening star., 1951-08-24
School Board
Will Aid Shift
In Government
Smooth Transition
To Executive Form
In Foirfox Sought

The Fairfax County School
Board has agreed to help the
Board of Supervisors make a
smooth transition to the executive
form Of government when it goes
into effect January /.
At its regular meeting in the
Office of the superintendent last
night. the school board voted to
have a committee Of its members
meet with the present supervisors
and those who will take Office in
January to discuss the effect Of
the change on the school system.
Chairman Fred w. Robinson
|and School Supt. w. T. Woodson
will be members Of the committee.
Two other members will be named
lby Mr. Robinson.
| Mr.. Robinson said the executive
form provides that the school
BOARD will be appointed by the
supervisors, rather than by an
electoral board named by the Cir
cult Court Judge, as at present.
1
Smooth Transition Seen.
Mr. Woodson, who recommended
appointment of the committee.
said he was not making the sug-
lgestion SO that board members
could seek to keep themselves in
office. but to make sure that school
administration and operatfo n
would a. smoothly into the transit
Ition.
School Board Member Alex L.
IHaight, who represents Centre
Iville District. remarked that the
results of the August 7 Demo-
cratic primary mean that there
will be three new supervisors on
that Six-member body.
II see the handwriting on the
wall" Mr.. Haight said. Centreville
Supervisor Robert r. Dye was de-
Ifeated by Stuart DeBell in the
primary.
Some people that are coming
in as supervisors, Mr.. Haight con-
tinued, ''have entirely different
ideas as to how things should be
run"
Mr.. Woodson said he hoped that
the new Board of Supervisors
would meet informally and reach
tentative decisions before the
new type of government actually
lgoes into operation, SO that only
formal action would be required
ion January /.
In other business, the board
awarded contract for it's first
new school in the current con-
struction program.
1 The contract went to Sharpe
& Hamaker, Inc, of Arlington.
who submitted the low bid, $312,-
1922. There were four other bid
, ders. the highest only $9.587 above
the low bid.
/ The school will be built near
Falls Church in the West-Lawn
, subdivision. which lies at the
junction Of Lee boulevard and
: Annandale road.
!, The school will include 10
, lclaSsrooms, cafeteria which will
also serve as an auditorium, a liz
; brary, teachers room, multipur-
pose room, clinic, storage rooms
|, and offices.
i Use of Surplus Asked.
Mr.. Woodson read to the board
la letter from Henry E. Stauss.
president of the Mount Vernon
i. High School Parent-Teacher AS
Isociation, urging that a 500. 900
surplus expected because of re-
lvised assessment figures be used
flor school construction.
4 Because of imitation, Mr.. Stauss
lsaid, the board is finding that it
cannot include auditoriums and
some other facilities in its con-
struction program. The surplus
should be used, he urged, ito
'Icounterbalance this shrinkage of
the bond issue"
The school board chairman
said that newspaper accounts of
the surplus had given an i'm
preston that the high assess
ment figure was surprise. Ac-
tually, Mr.. Robinson explained,
the board dropped a number Of
items from its 1951-52 budget
with the understanding that
revenues higher than those listed
in the budget would be forthcom-
ing to take care Of the omitted
projects.
| Mr.. Robinson agreed. however,
that the total assessment of ap-
Iproxinately $3.50 million, revealed
last week. exceeds the 500 million
figure used in the budget by a
greater amount than anticipated.
j The board took no action on
Mr.. Stauss' suggestion.