The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1958-06-13
School Board Delays Decision
On Darlington Heights School
Delegation Asks
Board To Retain
School AS Is

The Prince Edward county
school board postponed action on
the Darlington Heights school until
the July meeting of the school
board.
The decision TO wait came after
the board heard from delega-
ton from Darlington Heights in
which the school was asked to be
kept at the present site and with
the same number OF pupils.
Ewitt WEIGH was spokesman for
the Darlington Heights group max
ing the request for no change IN
the school set-up He was accom-
panied By an official six man com
mittee which in addition to HIM
self included, Berry Cook. H. E.
Carwile. Jr,, Leslie Hamilton. W.
l.. Dickinson. and Clinton Chill
dress The committee was accom-
panied by larger group OF citi-
7ens The school board office was
too small to accommodate t b Z
crowd. so the hearing wa S
moved to the county court room
One Member Absent
The school board delberated
upon the subject approximately 30
minutes after the hearing and de
clded to postpone a decision be-
cause of the absence Of board
member Cook Hix. of Prospect
The consensus of opinion of the
school board members was IF you
leave a school there. make ii an
efficient school" This would indi-
cate that the Darlington Heights
patrons can expect to either retain
their elementary school with the
regular three teachers. OF have the
entire number Of pupils moved TO
Worsham next fall OF course any
variation could be worked out. but
the board members seemed to feel
that there should either be an eff
flcient school or consolidate it.
The Problem
The problem resolves itself
around the shifts IN pupil popula-
ton that have been occurring in re-
cent years. There are approx
mately so students in the Darling
ton Heights school at present with
three teachers. This is considerably
below the theoretical average that
should be 80 pupils to a teacher.
The county receives reimburse
ment 81 500, from the state on the
salaries Of teachers on the ratio Of
80 pupils to teacher based on the
average daily attendance. In the
high school it is based on 23-l
ratlol
At the present time there are
about 90 positions in the county for
which there is no state help. which
costs the county bout $50 900
yearly
The school board announced its
objective to reduce the teaching
staff at Darlington Heights school,
the board felt that it could be com
bined with Worsham, and worked
out so that there would be one
teacher per grade there.
Pay Checks June 20
In other action. the school board
authorized the final pay checks for
teachers to be distributed about
June TO-
In making the request from the
Heights school patrons. WEIGH said
our one main purpose is TO ask
that you maintain the school as it
is now being operated with three
teachers
He said he felt the pupils would
be better off in the home COM
munity because: there would be
fewer miles to be covered on the
school bus. the child can be taken
home in case Of illness; easier for
parents to pick the children up at
school. and the child would be
taught by a teacher who knows and
understands him.
WEIGH went into details presented
by the survey recently completed
by state committee on schools
in Prince Edward county. and said
the school board proposal would
not be worth the savings it would
accomplish. If economy is the
question Welch said. Tets cut
out some Of the teaching positions
that are dependable in academic
education
In the questions and answers
period that followed school board
member Calvin Bass pointed that
the problem is important from the
standpoint of budget versus
teachers. He said it would help to
have a lower ratio OF pupils to
Continued on page 81