Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-29
.Groy Plan Debate

ouA oAobSAhA w AAAC SSeAA
for the space it has devoted
to the proposed amendment to
the Virginia constitution. for
this is a question which has
prompted me to do much soul
searching. AS far as my own
personal interest was con-
cerned, I did not take long to
make up my mind. During the
past decade we've passed one
bond issue after another to
build efficient, durable. easily
maintained school buildings to
house our growing school pop
ulation. Similarly. year after
year we have raised our teach
ers' salaries to meet the COM
petition of the Metropolitan
Area. So now that the city Of
Falls Church has a school plant
which will accommodate all
our children comfortably and
a carefully selected staff TO
teach them. ! am in no mood
to pay still higher taxes to send
some of these children to pri-
vate schools.
In this area our Negro pop
ulation is relatively small. and
I feel sure that given time and
considerable local autonomy
we could resolve our segrega-
ton problems to the satisfac-
ton OF most people without
any radical changes in the
State constitution. In my
opinion. the few who would be
dissatisfied to the point OF
withdrawing their children
from public school should do
so at their own expense. There
are many parents who feel,
for one reason or another. that
the public schools do not COM
pletely answer their children's
needs. Some OF these parents
send their children to private
schools. sectarian and nom
sectarian. but they get no
grants from public funds. I
would not wish to belittle the
role Of private schools. but I
believe that the public school
system as we know it is the
best means Of making q rea-
sonably good education avail
able TO all children, and l be-
lieve it is the only school sys-
tenn that the taxpayers should
be called upon to support.
So much for this part Of the
State. But I've been told that
in other parts of the State the
situation is quite different,
that in some school districts
variously estimated as Z or 20
or 50-the people will abolish
their public school system
rather than consider the pos
sibility Of any degree of inte-
grafton now or any time in the
future. And I'm told, further,
that the only way TO cope with
this situation is to amend the
State constitution so that pub
lie funds can be used to pay
tuition grants for private
schooling. Well. I wonder
whether that will really solve
the problem or whether it
might just create a lot of new
problems.
Do these school districts now
have enough private schools to
accommodate all the children
who would be deprived of pub
lie schools? II new private
schools have to be set up, who
would determine what facil-
tiles were needed, what stand
ards of instruction should
be maintained, whether they
would be profit or nonprofit in
stitutions, and other matters
OF policy? Where will these
new schools be physically To-
Gated? Can publicly financed
school buildings be sold or
leased to private operators?
How will the new schools be
stated? Will competent peo-
pie be willing to teach in
makeshift schools and with so
little security? Will schooling
be available to all children,
nonprivileged as well as privi-
legged, Negro as well as white?
II so, how much additional ex-
pense will be entailed and how
will 1t be absorbed? If not.
how will that square with the
State constitution?
1t seems to me that II too
much is left to private enter
prise the results might turn
out to be quite different from
what was anticipated; and If,
on the other hand, there is too
much public intervention the
new schools will be just as sub
ject to court challenge as the
present public schools. And so
the struggle would go on and
the problem would still be
there. Meanwhile, all Virginia
taxpayers would be bearing the
financial burden Of special
elections, constitutional con-
ventions, tuition grants for
private schooling. litigation