Evening star., 1953-07-05
Noyes Group
Angry at Shift;
To Ask Hearing
Didn't Have Chance
To Protect Schools
Transfer, They Soy

Irate residents of the Noyes
Elementary School area will pc
tition the District Board of Edu-
son this week for a special
bearing in an effort to block
t:'~n~fer of the school to colored
! lis.
All we want is a hearing"
declared Joseph L. Trainor, a
spokesman for the Noyes Pro-
test Committee. I'VE never had
a chance to state our case be-
cause of the sudden way in which
the School Board transferred the
school"
Mr.. Trainor said the Protest
Committee will present the pc
tision to the School Board prob
ably tomorrow.
Committee Taking Census
He added that the committee
is conducting a census of the
Noyes area, something he charged
the school officials failed to do
before shifting the school.
The School Board voted the
transfer last week by a vote of
4 to 3. The next day the Noyes
parents asked for reconsidera-
tion but again lost by 4 to
3 vote.
The School Board transferred
Noyes to colored students to re-
lieve overcrowding at the Slowe
Elementary School.
The Northeast area involved
is east of Soldiers Home and
north of Gallaudet College. In
the general area are six white
grade schools and only the one
colored grade School-Slowe.
Enrolment at all but one of
the white schools is well under
capacity. School Supt. Hobart
NJ. Corning selected Noyes as the
one to be transferred on the
grounds it would inconvenience
the least number of persons. |
One school had to be transferred
to Colored students, he stated,
because Stoves enrolment will
be about 600 this fall, while the
building can accommodate only
$50.
Want To Present Case
The Noyes Protest Committee
does not contend Stoves over
CroWding should not be relieved.
But, the committee said it never
had a chance to present case
and prove that Noyes should not
be'the building selected.
I'VE first heard of the transfer
Just two days before school was
to close" Mr.. Trainor explained.
THE Parent-Teacher Association
had disbanded for the summer.
All the civic groups had recessed.
We were caught short"
Mrs. Karl Burtram, president
of the Noyes PTA, said, I'VE
only want our day in court. We
haven't had it yet"
The Noyes parents testified
alta special hearing and again at
the regular School Board meet
ing at which the transfer was
voted. But, they contended they
had not had time to prepare a
case
DR.. Corning reported that en-
rollment at Noyes this fall would
be 267 pupils. The building has
a capacity of $50.
Call Figures Estimated.
The Protest Committee said
school officials estimated this
without taking an actual school
census. The committee is taking
one because members say they
believe it will show DR.. Corning's
figures are off. They pointed out
that even DR.. Corning's figures
show enrolment at Noyes will
increase by % pupils this fall.
Three School Board members
supported the Noyes' groups ef-
forts to get a rehearing when
the question was voted on last
week. They were Mrs. Frank S.
Phillips, Robert R. Faulkner
and Miss Mary H. Parker. Row.
land F.. Kinks, new School
Board member, did not vote. C.
Melvin Sharpe, School Board
president, did not have to vote
as there was not a tie.
Those voting against the
Noyes' request were Wesley Will
liams, West Hamilton and Mrs.
Margaret Just Butcher, the
three colored members of the
School Board, and Walter N.
Tobriner.