Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-03-22
Meetings Slated
ToFightA Against
Overcrowding
BY JOHN LAWSON
Star Staff Writer

parents on the warpath.
Parents in several areas Of
the county are planning strong
protests of the boards decision
to leave one new high school
vacant and two others half
filled while overcrowding exists
in six older schools.
Leaders of one parent
teacher association will meet
tonight to map strategy to fight
the boards decision, and heads
of the PTA Council have
scheduled a special meeting
Monday night to consider the
matter.
Board Bowed to Pressure
The boards decision Tuesday
night came after many parents
objected to their children
being transferred out of their
present schools and into new
ones.
Parents protesting the orig
inal attendance area plan at
several public hearings OBJ
jected that it would disrupt
student bodies and shift chill
dren unnecessarily.
Some were opposed because
under the plan half the stu
dents of a community would
have been sent to one school
and half to another. And even
II the plan were otherwise
acceptable, many commended,
there was some doubt the new
schools would be able to open
on schedule.
Board members decided to
pacify them by placing almost
10000 students in the six high
schools, which were designed
for only tWo-thirds that num-
Der. Meanwhile, two new
schools scheduled for compile
ton next fall will be only half
filled and a third will not even
be opened.
Assistant School Superin-
tendent George Pope said he
began hearing from a new
group yesterday - those who
did not oppose the original re-
districting plan but who are
determined to fight the over.
crowding.
Plan Called Ridiculous
In one area affected, that
surrounding Vienna, the Madi-
son High School PTA executive
committee will meet tonight
to plan action. Next year the
school is scheduled to have al
most 500 students more than
its capacity.
Lawson Meyer, PTA presi-
dent, said the earlier plan
would have relieved overcrowd-
ing at the school by placing
students in the new George
Marshall High School at Ty-
sons Corner, which is to have
capacity of 1000. That school.
according to Mr.. Pope, will have
its academic section ready by
Thanksgiving, but the school
board voted to keep it closed
all year.
If the school board is seri-
GUS, it's little ridiculous" Mr..
Meyer said. 1T amounts to
penalizing the many for the
sake of the few"
Another PTA official, Mrs.
William C. Simms, vice presi-
dent of the Lee High School
PTA, commented: There's no
point in pushing the school
board to close the classroom
lag by building schools if they're
not going to be used" Lee is
scheduled to receive 1859 STU
dents next year, 459 more than
its capacity.
PTA Council Acting
Bun B. Bray, jr., president of
the County Council of PTAs,
said a special executive session
OF the council had been set for
Monday night to discuss the
subject. The matter will then
go before the full council at its
regular meeting Tuesday night.
he said.
The boards decision also was
criticized by former School
Superintendent w. T. Woodson
who characterized it as lab
Surd."
Mr.. WoodSon. county school
superintendent for "a years be-
fore his retirement last July.
said the cause of the boards
action was political.
Since each board member is
responsible to a single super
visor who may replace him at
will. members of the board are
forced to play secondhand
politics." he said.