Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-09-03

1t is designed to mesh in
withhold State funds from inte
ment legislation previously offert
to be incompat, ble.
With II separate pieces of leg.
islation introduced at the special
session Of the General Assembly
before it recessed last Wednes-
day. the latest proposal will come
from Alexandria Delegate James
M. Thomson.
Mr.. Thomson said he wa:
working on the legislation with
Delegate w. Roy Smith of Pc.
tersburg and was not at liberty
to disclose details at this time
Conferred with Stanley
Both Mr.. Smith and Mr.
Thomson were among those who
conferred with Gov. Stanley last
week amid reports that a com
promise" plan would evolve be-
tween the Governors rigid no.
funds-to- NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. pol.
icy and his opponents pupil as.
signment programs.
Others in on the conference
were Representative Smith of the
9th District, a strong opponent
of mixing the races in public
schools; House Speaker E. Black.
burn Moore and State Senator
Gardland Gray. chairman of the
Governors Commission on Pub.
lie Education.
Arguments that the Cover
nor's funds-withholding idea ano
pupil assignment are in conflict
are based essentially on this rea-
soning:
Under Mr.. Stanley's proposal
any locality that mixes the races,
even if under court order, would
be denied State funds to operate
its schools. The various pupil as
signment proposals offered last
week, would have the effect Of
delaying Indignation in varying
degree but if the races were
mixed, the schools would con-
Itinue to be financed as thereto
fore.
Public hearings on all school
segregation bills are scheduled
to be held in Richmond at 2 pm
(EST) tomorrow. They may run
over until Wednesday or longer
OF the II pieces of legislation
Offered on the segregation SUBJ
Iject so far. a number are iden-
teal bills offered in both, the
House and State Senate. They
may be divided, generally into
the following groups:
House Bills lib and Senate
Bills 1-13 are the Governor s
program. Each is identical to the
one offered in the opposite
House. House and Senate Bills
No. l are the essence of the
Governors most controversial
recommendations. They include
amendments to the Budget Act
passed last spring, to allow the
State to withhold funds from in
ltegrated schools.
Bills No. 2 allow the funds to
continue either to a locality's
primary or secondary schools if
indignation occurs in one cate
CORY but not in the other.
The remainder of the bills in
the Governors program carry
out many of the recommended
lions of the Gray Commission,
except for the pupil-assignment
plan.
Identical packages of IA bills
were offered in both branches to
carry out the Gray Commission's
original recommendations. They
are designated House Bills 1923
and Senate Bills 21-34.
Some Wording Changed
Many of these bills are iden-
tical with those backed by Gov.
Stanley but the wording Of few
has been changed to make the
whole program conform to the
Gray plans essential features
pupil assignment by local school
boards. instead Of superintend-
ents. and tuition grants for pri-
vate education Of children where
schools are closed or where a
child would otherwise be forced
to attend an integrated school.
Two bills, by Senators Armis-
tead L. Boothe of Alexandria and
Ted Dalton. Republican. Of Rad
ford. deal with revisions to the
assignment plan. Local School
Boards would be given consider
ably more factors and hence
more latitude in placing children
in schools than is contemplated
under the Gray Commission plan.
They are designated as Senate
Bills IA and Is.
The next group Of four bills
may be classified as Assignment
Board legislation. They are by
Arlington's Senator Charles r.
Fenwick and Delegates Harrison
Mann.
Instead Of transferring the
school placement function from
the superintendent to the local
schools boards-as contemplated
by the Gray Commission-this
duty would be taken over by q
proposed three-member School
Assignment Board in each
locality.
AS a concession to opponents
of indignation, both sponsors
would allow the Governor to
select the members Of these
boards-thus minimizing the
possibility that an migrated
minded board would be selected.
The first group Of bills in the
assignment board category are
House Bills 30. 36 and 81, by
Mr.. Mann. No. 80 carries out
the plan itself. while the other
two merely support the idea by
providing for legal assistance
TO the newly-created boards. the
plan provides legal aid for school
boards.
The last assignment board bill