Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-07-15

Ridge Mountains, Charlottesville is
not typically Southern.
1t is a college town, seat Of THE
University'-which is what every
good Virginian calls the University
OF Virginia. The average family in
come of $5,576 is we'll above that
Of most Southern cities. So is the
average educational level, with so
many college-connected residents.
Main street, the principal bust
ness artery, reflects the city's taste
and prosperity. Many of the shops
have handsome new fronts. Their
windows display expensive clothes.
There are two fashionable coun-
try clubs in the area-Keswick and
Pennington. Garden clubs, con-
certs and bridge keep the women
busy.
Charlottesville has its share of
industry-about 30 manufacturing
plants in all. Only three of them
"a silk mill and two wooden mills,
are sizeable. It's industries account
for annual payrolls of more than
$l1 million, but it is by no means
a mill town similar to those IA
miliar below the Mason Dixon line.
The Southern and c g. o rail-
roads, which both pass through the
city, employ many local people.
Compus Dominates
Still, it is the University that
dominates the city's character.
The University's influence is felt
strongly in the public school sys-
tenn. College professors are nat
urally interested in education. Most
of them send their children to
Charlottesville public schools.
1t is not big school system, but
Superintendent Fendall R. Ellis and
his school board believe it is one of
the States best. Achievement tests
show that Charlottesville children
are well above the national average.
The school board has made it a
policy not to release separate
achievement statistics for white
and colored, but the situation is not
unlike that found over the State as
a whole, where white children are
one to two grades above colored
children at the same age level.
Some of Judge Pauls comments
have stirred new interest in these
statistics during the past few days
as the possibility Of keeping white
and colored children separated by
achievement tests was explored un-
officially.
The judge clearly stated there
could be no discrimination because
Of color, but he commented there
might be other methods of separa-
ton.
Councilman S. D. Forbes, who is
opposed to migration. guessed that
the local school board might try
to keep schools pretty we'll segre-
gated through achievement tests if
Judge Paul's decree holds fast.
Feoture Of Groy Plan
One feature Of the Gray plan is
supposed to be a pupil-assignment
program, whereby the local school
board would assign children to
schools on the basis Of their schol-
astic ability. Some State leaders.
notably State Senator Armistead
Boothe of Alexandria, have said the
pupil assignment program is the
best way of meeting the Supreme
Court desegregation decree.
Another feature recommended in
the Gray plan is payment of tuition
grants by the State to permit pri-
vate schooling of children whose
parents object to their attending in
tegrated schools. Virginia amended
its constitution to permit payment
OF these tuition grants, but so far
legislation has not been passed Spe-
officially authorizing such payments.
Gov. Stanley has announced he
will call special session of the
General Assembly by September
to consider the Gray plan or other
measures dealing with segregation.
The total enrolment in Char
lottesvllle schools is 4.6l9. OF this
number, 1888 are white and 1895
are colored, Broken down, there are
2,586 white elementary students and
776 colored elementary students,