Evening star., 1961-08-25

R1CHMOND, Aug. 70 (AP) q.
"A Federal judge has ruled
that public funds may not be
used to support private Segre-
gated education in Prince Ed
ward County. Va, as long as
the county'S public schools re-
main closed.
But Judge Oren R. Lewis, in
a 19-page opinion made public
yesterday, did not rule on a
more fundamental question
whether Prince Edward can be
compelled to reopen its public
schools.
He said a suit on the State
constitutional questions in
volved in that issue should be
brought in State courts within
go days.
The decision was formally
filed in United States District
Court here today.
The ruling was on an amend
ed supplemental complaint to
the original suit filed by at
torneyS for Negro children in
Prince Edward.
Plans Ordered
Judge Lewis also ordered the
county to perpare plans for the
desegregation of the elemen-
tary schools of the county. as
he had directed April 20, 1860.
School authorities were told to
submit a written report On the
pla nsby November is.
He said such plans should
be expedited so they will be
readily available when and if
the public schools" of the
county are reopened.
The head of the State
NAACP, meanwhile, said today
that public schools in Prince
Edward County would be COM
pletely unacceptable as long as
the county's white children
continue to attend private,
segregated schools.
Opposes Arrangement
Robert D. Robertson of Nor
folk, president of the Virginia
branch of the NAACP, said he
would advise no Negro in the
county to avail himself of such
an arrangement.
Reached by telephone at his
Norfolk home, Mr.. Robertson
was asked if the NAACP was
content with the reopening of
public schools in the county,
even if the county's white
children continued to go to
segregated schools conducted
by a private foundation.
Certainly not" he replied.
I'VE went to court 10 years
ago to get rid of just such an
arrangement as that, why ac-
cept it now?"
Besides ordering the county
to stop providing tuition grants,
as long as public schools are
closed, he ruled out county tax
credits permitted for contribu-
tionS to private white segre-
gated schools in the county.
Prince Edward was one of the
parties to the original suit on
which the United States Su-
preme Court based it's 1854
school deSegregation decision.
No Negro Schooling
There were 1927 students en-
rolled the last school year in
private white schools operated
by the Prince Edward School
Foundation. Although the same
grants and tax credits were
available to them, the county'S
approximately 1900 school-age
Negro children have been with
out formal education.
The private schools charge
a tuition of $240 in elementary
schools and $265 in high school.
Virginia provides tuition grants
anywhere in the State of up
to $125 for elementary pupils
and up to $3.50 for high school
students. Prince Edward al
lows 500, plus some adjust
ment for school bus transporta-
ton. Judge Lewis opinion does
not affect the grants elsewhere.
Design Is Separation
Without questioning the
purpose or motives of the
members of the Board of ST.
pervisorS of Prince Edward
County" Judge Lewis wrote,
the end result OF every action
taken by that body was de-
signed to preserve separation of
the races in the schools of
Prince Edward County.
Approximately $132 900 from
general tax funds were paid to
those residents of Prince Ed
ward County who sent their
children to segregated white
schools maintained by the
Prince Edward School Founda-
ton. An additional $4,000 of
tax revenue, in the form of tax
credits, was used for this pur-
pose.
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