Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-04-07
Planning Office
Would Acquire
School Sites
Fuirfux Board
Urges Supervisors
To Shift Duty

The Fairfax County School
Board wants to turn the job of
acquiring school sites over to the
county planning Office.
On motion Of Robert r. Davis,
the School Board yesterday asked
the Board of County Supervis-
ors to approve the switch. Mr..
Davis said the planning Office
has first knowledge of new hous-
ing developments and is the log
ical department. to plan future
school locations. All negotiations
for sites would be handled by
the planning director. Location,
cost and size of new sites would
be subject to School Board ap-
prevail.
Mr.. Davis said he has talked
with several members of the
Board of Supervisors who favor
the plan.
Pending approval of the new
system, the school board in
structed Supt. w. T. Woodson
to negotiate for a new high
school site in the vicinity Of the
Bush Hill Elementary School.
Back Up on Belvoir.
The School Board learned that
it acted hastily in adopting a
resolution two months ago to
bar Fort Belvoir children from
county schools. This was done
simultaneously with a decision
to stop operating the elementary
school on the Fort Belvoir mill
tary reservation because the
Government has decreed classes
may not be segregated. The
School Board later amended the
original resolution to accept
high school students from Fort
Belvoir into county schools, be-
cause there is no high school
on the post.
Yesterday the resolution was
amended further to exclude any
mention of barring Fort Belvoir
children from county schools.
This was done after the board
read a letter from F. F. jenkins
of the Division Of Research and
Planning for the State Board
OF Education. He advised the
county School Board that Vir-
gina law requires admission of
children living on military posts
into public schools.
Closing Decision Stands.
Yesterdays action, however.
did not alter the decision to stop
operating the Fort Belvoir school
on June 80. Since the school is
to be operated by the Govern
ment. the requirement that mil
itary children be admitted to
county schools apparently will
have little effect on the county
school system.
Attorney John Alexander ad-
vised the School Board that the
necessary legal papers probably
will be ready on April 10 to in
itiate the sale of 81 million worth
OF school construction bonds. It
is the second 81 million issue to
be offered for sale under the
county's last $11 million school
construction bond authorization.
3. B. Pearson of the financial
consulting firm of Alex Brown
q Sons, advised the School Board
that future bond issues might be
initiated by different procedure
from those in the past to relieve
the tax burden in the early
years Of the issue. It has been
customary for Fairfax County
school bond referendums to be
initiated by a petition of the
voters to the School Board. The
other method is for the Board Of
County Supervisors to petition
the Circuit Court for a referen-
dunn.
Sets Heavy Maturity.
Mr.. Pearson said the former
method requires that 4 per cent
OF the issue mature in the fifth
year, which he said places a
heavy burden on the taxpayers.
Under the other method, such
a heavy maturity is not required
so early, and the bonds may be
repaid over a longer period. He
said the alternative method
would make it possible to pay
off a heavier portion of the issue
in later years, when the county's
aSseSsable base has. increased.
Mr.. Woodson recommended
that the School Board meet
regularly four times a month.
At present, there is one meeting
scheduled each month, and other
meetings are called when they
are needed. He was instructed
to work out schedule of four