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I PAGE 2—Feb. 3, 1955—SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS Alabama MONTGOMERY, Ala. SPECIAL session of the Alabama legislature convened Jan. 25 at the call of Gov. James E. Folsom. He asked the legislators to authorize a vast road bond issue, totaling an esti mated 100 million dollars. The special call was one of Gov. Folsom’s first official acts after taking office on Jan. 17. Normally, the legislature would not have convened until its regular biennial session in May. However, Folsom has hinted, this call may be the first of several. In addressing the legislators on the opening day of the special session, Folsom made no men tion of the school segregation issue or legislation stemming from it. His remarks were confined largely to his top priority item, roads. The lawmakers will not be limited to Folsom’s proposals. Almost cer tainly the question of school segre gation will arise. Several bills de signed to preserve classroom segre gation have, in fact, already been drafted. State Sen. Albert Boutwell of Bir mingham, who presided over a spe cial legislative committee set up by the 1953 legislature to study school segregation, said in September that he would submit the several recom mendations of the Boutwell Com mittee to the legislature at the “first opportunity.” Folsom’s predecessor, Gov. Gordon Persons, despite con siderable pressure from many law makers, refused to call a special ses sion to consider the Boutwell Com mittee recommendations. Among the proposals suggested by the commit tee were the removal of constitutional references to “public” education, and other measures which would pave the way for state-supported private schools. If enacted, the various Boutwell Committee proposals would permit the state to discontinue public schools, wherever necessary, “to avoid friction or disorder,” and to allocate public money to aid “pri vate” schools. Such measures would not automatically abolish the public school system, as Sen. Boutwell ex plained them, but would grant the legislature “flexibility” in meeting any situation that might arise. (Southern School News, Oct. 1, Page 2; Nov. 4, Page 2) An element of individual choice would be insured by the committee’s recommendations, Sen. Boutwell said. Parents would be granted the right to choose the school for their children. However, if such an ar rangement should not result in a workable solution, and one satisfac tory to the legislature, the state would have the power to discontinue the schools involved and provide in dividual public assistance for private schooling in any or all school dis tricts in the state. Gov. Folsom has expressed dis trust of any private school plan. Late in September he said: “I feel that if we deed our schools to private indi viduals they could make apartment houses of them; if strings are at tached the maneuver won’t hold up in the courts.” Perhaps significantly, Gov. Folsom never once during his campaign for the Democratic nomination last spring, or in the general election in the fall, used the race issue. Still he won the nomination without a runoff, amassing the biggest vote ever given an Alabama gubernatorial candidate. He carried 61 of the state’s 67 coun ties, including 10 of the 13 counties in Alabama’s centrally located agri cultural Black Belt where Negroes outnumber whites as much as five to one. He carried all counties and three-fourths of the total vote in the general election against Republican Tom Abernethy. Of all sections of the state, the Black Belt is perhaps most concerned with the Supreme Court’s May 17 ruling outlawing school segregation. In five Black Belt counties, but nowhere else in the state, “White Citizens Councils” have recently been organized with the avowed mission of invoking econom ic sanctions against any Negroes favoring desegregation. For the first time in the state’s his tory, two inaugural balls—one for whites, another for Negroes—were held the night of Folsom’s inaugura tion. The ball for whites was held at the state’s huge Agricultural Coli seum in Montgomery; the ball for GOV. JAMES E. FOLSOM Negroes was held across town, at the Alabama State College for Negroes. Gov. Folsom attended both, although he was criticized in advance by some whites for making his appearance at an all-Negro ball and by some Negro groups for the separation of festivi ties. Folsom’s inaugural committee called the two balls an example of the administration’s “separate but equal” policy. ENGELHARDT PLAN Sen. Sam Engelhardt of the Black Belt county of Macon has announced that he will introduce a bill designed to preserve classroom segregation by a rigidly regulated placement sys tem. Sen. Engelhardt was the author of a “free private school” bill two years ago. He still prefers that plan, and is committed to the similar pro posal incorporated in the Boutwell Committee’s recommendations. En gelhardt was a member of the Bout well Committee. The placement system bill, which Engelhardt made public early in January, is a fallback piece of legis lation in case the lawmakers balk at enacting private school measures. When Engelhardt proposed his free private school bill two years ago, it received little support, dying in com mittee. The placement plan would operate this way: Placement boards, vested with ju dicial powers ( thus making them immune from law suits) would be appointed in each of the existing school districts (at least one in each county). Board members, using lists of all school age children in their commu nities, would determine which public school in the district each pupil should attend. The Engelhardt bill makes this general declaration of policy: “Insofar as possible, pupils shall be assigned to the school and class in which they can reasonably be ex pected most fully to develop their talents and in which each pupil will be taught in accordance with his ability to learn as determined by in telligence and aptitude tests given in accordance with rules and regula tions adopted by the board of place ment.” Board members would not be con fined to objective tests, however, but might consider “any and all factors involved in the pupil’s adjustment to his school surroundings, and shall give due weight to such factors as the following: (1) Distance of school from pupil’s home: (2) The pupil’s educational background; (3) The pupil’s home environment: (4) Whether or not the assignment would sever long-established ties of friendship and place the pupil in hostile surroundings from which his former friends and associates are completely missing. (5) The pupil’s wishes as evidenced by a written request from his parents or guardian to be assigned to a particular school. (6) Whether or not in the judgment of the board the assignment would cause or tend to cause a breach of the peace, riot, or affray. Under the placement system no child could enroll in any school un less authorized to do so by the board of that district. Should parents dis agree with orders of a board of place ment, the right of appeal is granted to the city or county board of edu cation, thence to the circuit court. However, the bill requires that all appeals be accompanied by a bond “conditioned to pay all costs of ap peal.” County boards of education would provide the office space, clerical help, supplies and equipment for the boards of placement. The chairmen and associate members of the boards of placement would be appointed by the governor “with the advice and consent of the senate.” The Engelhardt bill summarizes its intent and purpose: ... To establish a practical school system whereby the state’s school pro. gram can be adapted to each pupil 1 , ability to learn. To this end it provides modem school placement system, so that pupils can be so grouped that the l es advanced pupils shall not be penalized by being placed in the class with pupil, who are more advanced or capable of learning at a more rapid rate, and con. versely, that exceptionally bright and able pupils shall not be held back to a level below their ability to learn. Therefore, this act shall be liberally construed to effectuate this avowed purpose. The chief difference between the placement plan and either the Engel, hardt private school bill or the simi. lar proposal contained in the Bout- well Committee’s recommendations, is that the former would not require amendment of the state’s organic law, which makes the maintenance of a free public school system manda tory. The placement bill is frankly intended by Engelhardt as a substi- tute proposal in event the legislature considers the private school plan too drastic. Except for his comments express ing suspicion of private schools, Gov, Folsom has not commented on the various proposals already made pub lic. However, the governor’s convic tions, whatever they are, may have an important bearing on what leg islation is enacted, since he is gen erally regarded as having a com manding hold on the new legislature —because of his impressive victory in May and because his friends and supporters hold important posts in both the House and Senate. Dr. A. R. Meadows, the new state superintendent of education who pledged last summer that he would work to preserve school segregation, has recommended a 150 million dol lar bond issue to meet school con struction needs in the state and to help equalize Negro and white facili ties. Dr. Meadows has also proposed a $600 annual raise for teachers. While Gov. Folsom has pledged support for school needs, his para mount concern in the special session which convened Jan. 25 is enactment of legislation providing for a 100 mil lion dollar road bond issue. Obvious ly, the authorization of so large a commitment for roads would weaken the chances of an even larger obli gation for school construction. Arkansas LITTLE ROCK, Ark. r T'HE lack of executive or legisla tive comment on the question of public school segregation has been the most significant—if negative— aspect of school news in Arkansas during January. Gov. Orval E. Faubus, in his Jan. 11 inaugural address, made no men tion of segregation. And the subject wasn’t brought up in the General As sembly during the first two weeks of the 60-day biennial legislative ses sion. During the summer’s Democratic primaries, Faubus had said that de segregation was the No. 1 issue of the campaign and that it was a de cision to be met at the local level. He promptly dropped the subject and made no further mention of it—dur ing or after the campaign. Schools and money, after the first two weeks of the legislative session, still remained one of the big issues. School forces, asking that the legis lature provide an additional $12,- 500,000 a year from state tax sources for public schools, still decline to recommend a specific tax source. The school forces, which include the state department of education and profes sional and lay groups, hold to the position that it is their job to outline the need and that it is the respon sibility of the governor and the legis lature to find the tax source to meet that need. Gov. Faubus has said that while he thinks the school forces have done a good job in justifying the request for additional state money, the state education department should provide specific data on how much money is now available—district by district— and how any additional money would be spent—district by district. The education department, at SERS dead line time, was preparing that infor mation. SUPPORT ASSUMED Legislators, always wary about a general tax increase of any kind, have been assured by the United Commit tee for Better Schools, a lay group supporting the education depart ment’s budget request, that it will support any “reasonable” revenue measure—which amounts to a pledge of political support to legislators who support the school request. At SERS deadline time, no tax proposal had been introduced which would raise the entire $12,500,000 sought in additional aid. But several bills designed to raise lesser amounts for school aid have been introduced. The additional $12,500,000 a year being sought (which would increase the education department budget from about $29,500,000 a year to $42,000,000 a year) would finance a minimum educational program which would include large steps toward equalizing salaries of white and Negro teachers and toward equaliz ing facilities for the two races. In the opening days of the legisla tive session, the school and money situation has been, as one school of ficial said, “a cat and mouse game”— everyone waiting for everyone else. An example of the general reluc tance to speak out: Mrs. L. C. Bates of Little Rock, president of the Ar kansas State Conference of Branches of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, de clined on Jan. 24 to give SERS a sum mary statement of NAACP activities and goals “until we can tell a little more definitely what the legislature is going to do.” There have been reports that the NAACP will ask Gov. Faubus to name a Negro to the state board of education. A racial question came up in the House of Representatives on Jan. 19 —on a proposal to eliminate racial identification on poll tax receipts. Rep. Glenn F. Walther of Pulaski County, author of the bill, said the requirement was useless—that a vote had the same effect regardless of the color of the person casting it. Rep. W. L. Ward Sr. of Lee County asked if Walther had any objection to the “W” (for white) on his poll tax re ceipt. Walther said he did not but could see no use for it. Ward said he could see no reason then why any person, regardless of color, would have any objection to the color iden tification. Rep. Paul Van Dalsem of Perry County moved that the bill be tabled, which would in effect kill it. By voice vote, the motion to table was ap proved. Walther and Rep. Robert W. Laster of Pulaski County succeeded in getting a roll call on the motion to table. Laster said: “Now let’s see you fel lows get on record. A vote for this motion (to table) means a lot of you will be sitting in the balcony at the next session.” The roll call was 59 to 29 in favor of the Van Dalsem tabling motion. SCHOOL STATISTICS On Jan. 24, the state department of education released a statistical summary of Arkansas school dis tricts for the 1953-54 school year. Ex cerpts from that report showed: Arkansas has 423 school districts. Of these, 184 have no Negro students, 228 have both races and 11 have only Negroes. Of 322,712 white students of school age, 315,111 were enrolled and 273,131 were in average daily attend ance. Of 107,340 Negroes of school age, 99,844 were enrolled and 83,211 were in average daily attendance. The average salary for all teachers was $2,234. For white teachers, the average was $2,306; for Negro teach ers it was $1,962. The value of school property for whites was $134,423,573. For Negroes, it was $19,930,927. Total school spending was $54,975,- 328 or $45,126,210 for whites and $9,849,118 for Negroes. A breakdown of the total spending included $45,533,107 for current op erating expenses ($37,310,825 for whites and $8,222,282 for Negroes) and $3,513,862 for capital outlay ($2,956,736 for whites and $557,126 for Negroes). Another section of the 1953-54 school year report showed: Assessed valuation per child en rolled $1,993. Current revenue per child enrolled $131. Current revenue per child in average daily attendance $152. Current operating expenditure by school districts per child enrolled— total white $119, total Negro $83 and all schools $110. Current operating expenditure by school districts per child in average daily attendance—total white $137, total Negro $101 and all schools $129. Total expenditure by school dis tricts per child in average daily at tendance—total white $165, total Ne gro $118 and all schools, $154. Percentage distribution of current revenue receipts of local school dis tricts—from federal sources 3.02 per cent, state 50.94 per cent and local 46.04 per cent. On Jan. 29, a suit which sought to break down racial segregation of children at the Arkansas state hospi tal was dismissed in Little Rock by Federal Judge Thomas C. Trimble. The suit was filed in behalf of a Negro child, Maurice Johnson, U of Dermott, who had been refused admittance on grounds that the men tal hospital was filled to capacity. In dismissing the suit, Judge Trim ble held that the segregation issue had not been properly raised since the child was never admitted to the hospital. “There is absolutely no tes timony that would support the charge the plaintiff was, or will be denied admission to the state hospital on ac count of his race,” the jurist said. Hearings Scheduled On Harlan Appointment On Jan. 31, the Senate Judicial Committee ordered closed hearing for Feb. 23 on the nomination John Marshall Harlan to the U. Supreme Court. Chairman Kilgore told reported that there had been “a lot of P 1 ® - test” against the Harlan appoi® men. “These protests have nothing do with his integrity, or anything 1®^ that, but to his thinking on vario®' lines,” Kilgore said. Judge Harlan, now on the 2nd Id- Circuit Court of Appeals, will be 15 vited to testify, Kilgore said. (On last Nov. 22, the Supre®' Court postponed arguments on ** and when it should implement ' May 17 decision declaring school segregation unconstitutio®^ The court’s brief statement said: view of the absence of a full c0 the cases . . . now scheduled f° r gument Dec. 6 are continued.’ „„ (The court acted after the J u ^_ ciary Committee had decided to £ , lay until January consideration ^ the nomination of Judge Harlan ^ the vacancy created in October/ the death of Associate Justice h° ert H. Jackson.)