Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-04
Virqinio' S School Future

The Virginia Legislature, by an over
whelming vote, has put its stamp of APP
prevail on the Gray Commissions plan
to deal with the problem of Indignation
in the public schools This paves the way
for referendum in which the Virginia
voters will say whether they wish to
make the constitutional change neces-
Sary to put the plan into effect.
Thus, it becomes of high Importance
to understand what the Gray plan is de-
signed to accomplish. And it is hardly
less important to look squarely at the
probable consequences If this plan is re-
jected
1t should be made clear, at the out
set, that the people Of Virginia are not
faced with simple choice between a
good course of action and bad course.
Actually, theirs is a choice between evils.
What this whole thing really comes down
to Is the selection of the course of action
which promises to work the least damage
to public education in the State.
The opponents of the Gray plan have
keyed their attack to the theme that, II
adopted, the plan surely will divert some
funds away from the public school sys-
TEN and that 1t could seriously impair
this system. There is some basis for this
claim.
The heart of the Gray plan lies in
its purpose to extend financial assistance
to parents who are not willing to send
their children to integrated schools. II
the plan is adopted indignation will
surely follow in many areas of the State.
This will happen, for example, in Airing
ton. And 1t may be that some Arlington
parents whose children have been as
signed to an integrated school will want
to send them, instead, to a nonsectarian
private school, If So they will become
eligible for financial grant which would
pay part of the private school tuition
charge. These children would be taken
out of the public schools, and the public
schools would lose a sum equivalent to
the grant paid to the parents. The actual
extent Of this financial loss would de-
pend, Of course. on the total number of
parents who may be unwilling to send
their children to integrated schools.
What alternatives are therep What
can be expected to happen to the public
schools unless something like the Gray
plan is put into effect?
It has been suggested by Gray plan
opponents that compulsory Indignation
can be avoided by pupil assignment ar
rangement. This overlooks the fact, how
ever, that pupil assignment is provided
for in the Gray plan. 1t is the first rec
ommendation made by the commission,
and If it works the tuition grants will
not come into the picture. It should be
remembered that no grant would be paid
unless and until child had been as
signed to an integrated school over his
parents objection.
II the Gray plan is rejected, and If
nothing comparable to it is substituted,
there is every reason to believe that pub
lie schools will be abandoned in many
counties, notably those in Southside Viz
ginia. The people will refuse to provide
funds for integrated schools, and the re-
suit might well be no schools-public or
private - for white or colored children,
except for a relatively small number
whose parents could afford to send them
to private schools without financial as
sistance.
What this means, then, is that the
problem, If one is thinking in terms of
what is best for the public school system,
must be approached on Statewide basis.
The prospect of some financial injury to
schools in one section of the State must
be balanced against the prospect of the
abandonment of public schools In an
other section.
Speaker after speaker from counties
in which public sentiment is not bar
rier to indignation made it clear in the
debate at Richmond that he was APP
preaching the matter from the stand
point Of what, in his judgment, was best
for the State as a whole This is the
spirit in which the problem should be
approached when the question is put be-
fore the voters next month.