Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-21
BY ARMISTEAD L. BOOTHE

Member Of the House Of Delegates and
The Gray report makes two
chief recommendations. First. II
recommends that the Virginia
Legislature enact laws authorize
ing school boards to assign pupils
to particular schools and provid-
ing for a system Of administers
tive appeals. This is called the
pupil assignment plan"
The plan is constitutional and
practical. It will serve to pre-
serve segregation in our Virginia
public schools within the frame
work Of the Supreme Court de-
cisions for as long q time as
society In different parts Of Vir-
ginia so demands. This portion
Of the Gray report should be en-
acted into law at the regular ses-
sion of the General Assembly in
January of 1856.
Second. the Gray report rec
ommends that a referendum be
held on January 9, 1856. leading
to amendment of Section l41 Of
the Virginia Constitution. Sec
ton 141 now provides that pub
lie funds shall not be- appro-
priated for private schools. If the
referendum carries, public fund.
can be appropriated for private
schools under what is called the
tuition grant plan"
Opposed to Portion
I am opposed to this portion
of the Gray report, certain In
my mind that 1t will lead to 9
degeneration of the Virgins
public free school system, anc
that the tuition grant plan" re.
sulting therefrom is impractical,
and unconstitutional.
The assignment plan will work
Let's try it first. If 1t does work
we keep our public schools in.
tact, adhere to our Southern
tradition. and obey the law. II Il
does not work, we shall mean
while consider continuously othel
advisable legislative action.
Under the assignment plan ii
mo part of Virginia viii a single
white child be sent to a coloret
school. Under the assignment
plan in Virginia counties whert
the social problem is most acute
mo colored children will be as
signed to white schools. UndeI
the assignment plan, in som,
sections of Virginia. a limitee
number Of outstanding Negro
pupils may be admitted to som,
white schools. The law says thil
must be.
This process will not be ont
|of gradually increasing tempo
1t must be tightly and conserva.
lively administered so that nj
social problem will ever result
1t will, to a limited and con.
|tinuously controlled degree, rec
|ognize individual achievement
regardless Of race.
One Of Basic Rights
Incidentally, the right Of {
citizen Of the United States anc
Iof Virginia to stand on his owl
two feet. according to his owl
abilities and character, is one O
the fundamental rights of FIRE,
men which Virginia gave Il
America.
The tuition grant plan will no
work. It will give us a State
wide incurable headache. 1t will
transfer public buildings to pri
vate hands, will remove teacher
to private schools at less pay. will
endanger teachers retirement
benefits, will lower the standard
in public schools and replac,
them with fly-by-night privat,
schools whose generalization vii
be dubious at best, and vii
penalize the poorer families whit
cannot afford to pay the differ
Ience over and above the tuition
grants in order to send theil
children to private schools.
Most important Of all, tn,
tuition grant plan is undeniabl,
Unconstitutional. Payment o.
tuition grants alone to privat,