Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-09-11
.Viruinio Schools

ing versus assignment in the
Virginia General Assembly, it
seems impossible to get any
sustained attention directed
toward implementing the pro-
visions of Section 141 of the
Virginia constitution, despite
its overwhelming approval by
the people in the referendum
last January. Both Gov. STAN
ley's tuition grant bills and the
Gray Commissions bills are
seriously adequate and
neither constitutes compre-
hensive plan for dealing with
the problems that must be
solved if our children are to
have available any significant
number Of nonsectarian private
schools.
These bills only authorize
they do not require-localities
to appropriate funds for tuition
grants and transportation. In
a county such as Fairfax where
five of the seven members of
the board of supervisors OPP
posed amending Section 141
of the constitution, local funds
probably would not be appro-
priated for tuition grants If
State funds were withheld.
While it is true that State
funds withheld would be avail
able for tuition grants, Fairfax
receives only Is per cent Of
its school budget from the
State, and if more than 10
per cent of the pupils applied
for tuition grants they would
receive proportionately less
than those attending locally
operated public schools, while
those remaining in the public
schools would have the 50
per cent of the school budget
that derives from local and
Federal sources.
These bills also make chill
dren ineligible for tuition
grants if they can be reas-
signed to unmixed schools, yet
providing transportation for
such reaSsigned children is
discretionary with the local
authorities. Do you remember
the Arlington School Boards
Indignation plan? They an
nounced they would integrate
many of their schools, but
no tuition grants would be paid
because parents who objected
to mixed schools could send
their children to the remain
ing segregated schools. Such
parents would have to provide
transportation for their chill
dren, and as more Negroes
were admitted to more for
merly white schools would have
to keep moving their children
around to an ever-decreasing
number of segregated schools.
In other words, under the
provisions of these bills refusal
to provide transportation
coupled with assignment to
distant schools could be used
to bring about forced integra-
ton.
In one respect the Gray
Commission bills are superior
to those of the administration,
in that the localities may in
their discretion either reim-
burse parents and guardians
for transportation costs or
provide transportation to
schools attended by tuition
grant students. However, Gray
Commission bills discriminate
against tuition grant students
in two ways. In the first place,
the maximum grant is based
on the amount expended the
preceding year. which may be
considerably less than the
amount appropriated for the
current year. In the second
place, 1t uses operating costs in
the public schools--not total
costs. This would make Fairfax
tuition grant students receive
$64 less per pupil than pupils
attending Fairfax public
schools If the current year is
used as an example.
The requirement that par
ents and guardians must make
affidavits to local school boards
that they are opposed to their
children attending mixed
schools before their children
are entitled to tuition grants is
in our opinion legally vulner-
able under the Fourteenth
Amendment. What is to keep
the NAACP from filing suit on
behalf Of children whose par
ents do not object TO their
children attending mixed
schools. but who object to the
public schools failure to teach
reading. arithmetic. and the
fundamentals? Is 1t not dis
elimination and q violation Of
the equal protection Of the laws
required by the Fourteenth
Amendment 70 permit tuition
grants for racial reasons and