Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-05-18
Decision Is Due
Tomorrow on
Eliot Transfer
White Residents of
Area Oppose Shift
To CoIored Pupils


A decision that will affect the
future of the neighborhood be-
tween the Capitol and the Ana
costa River is to be made tomor-
row by the Board of Education's
Buildings and Grounds Committee.
Up for a vote will be School
Supt. Hobart M. Corning'S pro-
posal to transfer the Eliot Junior
High School, Eighteenth and B
streets N.E.. from white to colored
pupils. The school is practically
next door to Eastern High School.
White residents of the area say
that the ratio of colored families
to white families in the neighbor-
hood has stabilized. They say that
So per cent of the residents now
are white and there is no justifica-
ton for the transfer.
They maintain that the transfer
OF Eliot will upset this stability;
that the character of the neigh
borhood will change and they will
have to move on to other homes.
Critical Need Disclosed.
DR.. Corning's proposal is basedi
on statistics which show a CRITICAL
need for more classes for colored
Junior high pupils.
The Buildings and Grounds
Committee must make the deci-
sion first. The meeting is sched-
uled for 10 am. The entire School
Board will vote on it at a later
date.
Two other proposals are tied
in with the Eliot transfer. DR..
Corning also had recommended
that the colored Terrell Juniorl
High School, at First and M streets
NV. be used as a colored ele-
mentary school when the new
Terrell is completed this summer.
This will relieve overcrowding of
grade schools in that downtown
area.
The other proposal is that the
Fairbrother Elementary School,
Tenth and E streets S.W., be
shifted to colored pupils. There is
no contest on it.
Opponents List Arguments.
Opponents of the transfer of
Eliot Junior High appeared at a
public hearing recently. Their
arguments are these:
/. There is no valid reason
for disseminating the use of Ter
rell as Junior high for colored
pupils if space is needed so badly.
2. Springarn High School,
Twenty fourth street and Benning
road NE. is to be completed this
summer for use by colored stu
dents. 1t should be used for
junior high pupils until a perma-
nent solution can be found.
3. The District Recreation Board
last week refused to make the
Rosedale Playground, located three
blocks from Eliot. interracial. Al
Recreation Department survey
showed that So per cent of the
area residents were white and 48
per cent were colored.
4. The white homeowners in the
area selected the neighborhood
because of good school facilities.
If the facilities are removed, the
families will move eventually.
They are entitled to keep their
school.
5. Transfer of Eliot will not
meet the needs of the colored
pupils completely. DR.. Corning
has recommended a 10-room ad-
dition be built at Eliot imme-
diately to take care of the colored
pupils to be transferred there
eventually.
6. The transfer of Eliot is a
temporary expedient that should
be abandoned in favor of per-
manent solution.
An addition being constructed
at the Browne Junior High School.
Twenty-fourth street and Benning
road NE, will provide more space
for colored junior high pupils.
OvercrOwding is Cited.
A majority of neighborhood
colored groups testifying at the
public hearing approved of the
transfer of Eliot. They cited over
crowded conditions at the present
colored junior highs.
DR.. Corning based his proposal
on statistics he gave:
l. Browne, Miller and Randall
Junior High Schools, the three
serving colored pupils in that gen.
eral area of the city, will have
enrollments 1923 in excess of
capacity in September. Another
TOO pupils will be added in Sep
TENDER, 1858.
2. Eliot is 1913 under capacity.
The 400 students there could be
accommodated at Hine and Stuart.
Hine is 1874 under capacity and
Stuart 1853 under capacity.
3. Unless some relief is offered
to the colored junior highs part
time programs will have to be
organized in the fall.