Evening star., 1953-02-01
Fairfax School
10
Vote tuesday
$11.MiIIion Bond Issue
Is Largest Proposed
For Construction
By Mary Lou Werner

By Mary Lou Werner
The future of Fairfax County's
school system will be decided on
Tuesday.
On that day. voters will be
asked to approve an $11 million
bond issue to finance new school
construction through the fall Of
1855. It is the biggest single
bond issue ever put before Fair
fax voters-a half million dol
lars more than the last such pro-
posal approved three years ago.
Passage Of the new bond issue
will give Fairfax County the first
real opportunity to catch up
with the big enrolment increase
that started just after the end Of
World War II.
In 1910. the school enrolment
was 7,425. BY 1850. 1t had more
than doubled to reach 1918.
The 279 regular classrooms just
weren't enough. Children had
to be herded into every kind Of
available space - fire houses.
quonset huts, tarpaper-covered
frame buildings, church base
ments, partitioned auditoriums
and even Railways. A sos mil
lion bond issue was voted to
build more schools.
Enrolment Now 2O,6OO.
The building program A.
nanced with the sos million
bond issue and Federal and State
grants still isn't complete. When
it is, the county will have 661
classrooms - just enough for
1910 students by school board
standards.
But already the enrolment is
20.600 and on the basis Of census
figures school officials are con-
fldent Of another 10000 increase
by 1855. Ninety per cent Of that
new enrolment represents pre-
school age children already liv-
ing in the county. according to
the school boards census. Only
a scant allowance has been made
for new children moving into the
county.
Unless the bond issue passes.
school officials foresee many
more years of make-shift class
rooms and double-shift classes.
The new bond issue would give
the county 231 more elementary
classrooms and the equivalent
of 66 high school classrooms.
The total number Of claSsrooms
would reach 958-enough to
take care of the $4,000 ENROLL
ment due by the fall Of 1855.
Would Aid High Schools.
The bond issue is of particu-
lar Importance to the older stu
dents who attend high school.
Right now, only one of the coun-
ty'S four high schools-Herndon
lis accredited by the Southern
Association of Secondary Schools
and Colleges. Fairfax, Mount
Vernon and Fails Church haven't
been accredited for various rea-
sons which the bond issue would
correct. ..
Accreditation by the Southern
Association makes it easier for
graduates to get into many col.
leges without having to pass en-
trance examinations.
The bond issue has the sup
port of the school board, the
Board of County Supervisors, the
PTAs. the Federation of Citi-
zens Associations, and the School
Bond Issue Cooperating Com
mittee.
Forces against the bond issue
have several arguments against
its passage.
Extra Tax Burden Feared.
Their chief concern is the ex-
ira burden on the taxpayers. To
retire the $11 million issue,
County Executive c. c. Massey
estimates it will be necessary to
increase the tax rate by "a cents
in 1858, by IA cents over the
present rate in 1854 and by 1876
cents in 1855. After that the
rate will decrease.
A house evaluated at $4,000
would get a $2.96 increase in the
1853 tax bill.
The larger rural landowners
would feel the increase most and
they are raising the loudeSt OBJ
| jections to the bond issue. They
maintain that they should not
have to pay more taxes to pro-
vide schools for the new people
moving into the. county. The
fight against the bond issue has
been led by two groups, the Free.
holders Protective Association
and the Taxpayers Advisory As
sociation.
The status Of pending school
segregation suits before the
United States Supreme Court
also has been used against the
bond issue. Some bond issue foes
say 1t is unwise to plan q big,
school expansion program now
when segregation might be
ended in the near future. They
argue this could well mean
abandonment of the public
school system in Virginia.
Smaller Amount Suggested.
But Fairfax school officials be-
lieve If segregation is ended some
means would be found to utilize
the school buildings.
Another objection is that the
school board should be con-
tented with q smaller amount
possibly 81 million for a one-year
building program.
Several members on the school
board even believed the $11 mil
lion issue should be divided into
three smaller issues. They COM