Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

PAGE 2—August 1955—SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS South, West Texas Schools Desegregate: Shivers Cautions AUSTIN, Texas ^^segregation moves were an nounced mostly around Texas’ southern and western edges in July. But most of the state’s main biracial districts took a more leisurely pace. Meanwhile, Atty.-Gen. John Ben Sheppard warned that districts which mix students in the public schools may be headed for trouble unless they wait for the legislature to change financing laws. And Gov. Allan Shivers called on schools to go slow as he named mem bers of the Texas Advisory Commit tee on Segregation in Public Schools. The committee was to meet in Austin Aug. 1. Shivers said he believed it “can come up with the solutions to many of the critical problems now facing Texas schools as a result of the Supreme Court decision.” Shivers added: “There is too much rush and confusion at the present. I hope no district will dash headlong into action because of fear or pressure ... I hope all districts will be fully ad vised and prepared before final de cisions are made.” Meanwhile, an end of the month survey showed that a dozen Texas districts had taken steps to end segre gation next fall. With the exception of San Antonio—where the Negro scholastic population constitutes 7.7 per cent of the total number of chil dren of school age—desegregation is taking place in areas of small Negro population. One of these areas, for example, is Mission, in the lower Rio Grande Valley, where Negro scho lastics are only two-tenths of 1 per cent of the school population. Districts now planning integration have a white scholastic population of 198,569, or 12.3 per cent of the state total, and 10,503 Negro students, or 4.05 per cent of the total Negro school age children. These were the other major devel opments in July: 1. The State Board of Education announced that funds for 1955-56 will be paid alike to segregated or inte grated schools. Principal criticism of this policy came from U. S. Tate, Dallas attorney for the National As sociation for Advancement of Col ored People. Tate said “we would be distressed” if payments to segregated schools delayed integration. 2. Regents at the University of Texas announced plans for complete desegregation by September 1956, when selective admission for all un dergraduates will begin, probably based on entrance examinations. Ne gro undergraduates will be accepted this year at Texas Western College, El Paso branch of the state univer sity. El Paso public schools earlier announced plans for integration this fall. LEAGUE CONTESTS 3. Officials of the Texas Interscho lastic League announced that Negroes attending formerly all-white schools will be allowed to take part in League contests, athletic and other wise. This is subject to review later by the member schools which make the League’s rules. A separate inter scholastic competition for Negroes has been sponsored for years under supervision of Prairie View A & M College. 4. Plans for complete or partial de segregation starting in September were announced by public schools in El Paso, San Antonio, San Angelo, Kerrville, Harlingen, Weslaco, Mis sion, and Kingsville. 5. Fort Worth public schools will remain segregated in 1955-1956, its board announced. Dr. George D. Flemmings, president of NAACP in that city, said it is “willing to go along” with this decision since the board is making a study of future desegregation. Dr. Flemmings said his group did not expect any overnight change. Texas school boards took steps to study means of integration. These in cluded Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, and other cities. In northeast Texas where 90 per cent of the state’s Negro population is concentrated, there were few announcements of future policy. SUITS ASKED Both Gov. Allan Shivers and Atty.- Gen. John Ben Shepperd warned UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS BOARD OF REGENTS, 1955—Cleft to right) Dr. Merton Minter, San Antonio; Mrs Charles K. Devall, Kilgore; J. R. Sorrell, Corpus Christi; Chairman Tom Sealy, Midland; Claude W. Voyles, Austin; Lee Lockwood, Waco; and Leroy Jeffers, Houston. Not shown are regents J. Lee Johnson III, Fort Worth; and Dr. L. S. Oats, Center. against hasty action. A group of con servative Democrats, meeting in Dallas, urged the attorney general to file suits to enjoin desegregation both on the local level and in state col leges. Shepperd said that districts which integrate before state laws are changed may run the risk of losing part of their school funds, which have been distributed in the past on the basis of segregated schools. For next year, however, the State Board of Education insisted it will make no difference. This may be be cause funds for 1955-56 are distrib uted according to scholastic popula tion and average daily attendance in the 1954-55 school year. Friona is the only school in Texas to admit Negroes to white schools in the past school year. In all, it had five Negroes in an elementary school with 700 white children. GRADUAL PROGRAMS The districts which decided to be gin desegregation immediately adopt ed various plans, mostly aimed at gradual erasing of segregation. De segregation was ordered first in areas where there are large numbers of Latin-Americans and few Negroes. Exceptions to this generally were in places like Eagle Mountain, near Fort Worth, which has just one Negro family in the district and no Negroes of school age. It had 189 white pupils last year. A Negro grouD criticized a pro posal for Amarillo schools to rezone attendance areas so all Negroes ex cept 17 will be in districts where Negro schools are located. David Hughes, president of the Amarillo Community Council (representing the Negroes), said his group would go to court to contest the boundaries, if adopted. Spokesmen for the Ne groes called the plan “a shameful at tempt at evasion” of the U. S. Su preme Court’s ruling. “Gerrymandering . . . has been ruled illegal by the U. S. Supreme Court,” the council added. GIVEN A CHOICE NAACP PETITION The NAACP petition to the state board asked: “1. That you advise the school districts under your jurisdic tion: (a) of the nature and the effect of the responsibility that is placed upon them by the decrees of the Su preme Court of the United States; (b) of the nature and effect of the responsibility that is placed upon you, as officers of the state, by the decrees of the Supreme Court of the United States, (c) of the force and effect of the decrees of the Supreme Court of the United States upon the state and local laws with respect to racial segregation in the field of pub lic education. “2. That you advise the school dis tricts under your jurisdiction that the decrees of the Supreme Court of the United States of May 17, 1954 and May 31, 1955, place upon them an affirmative duty and responsibility to act promptly and in ‘good faith’ to make an effectuate plans for the im plementation of these decrees. “3. That this honorable board promulgate and issue a clear and concise statement of policy with re spect to its duty and responsibility in the premises; that that policy be consistent with the constitutional principles set forth in the court’s de crees. “4. That this board command and use all of its powers, authority, and prerogatives to press for prompt and efficient compliance with the court’s decrees; and that all of those pow ers, authorities and prerogatives be commanded and used to prevent any willful, or calculated action by school districts under your jurisdiction to avoid, impede or circumvent the full realization of the spirit and purpose of the court’s decrees.” Local action in Texas public schools follows: Houston — A 25-member biracial school committee voted to recom mend that the school board abolish segregation immediately at the ad ministrative level of school person nel. It will hold further meetings on how best to desegregate. Several members suggested recommending that the move begin in 1956. No ac tion has been taken by the school board. Dallas—The city school board in structed Supt. W. T. White “to pro ceed with a detailed study of the problems inherent to desegregating a major school system.” It defined areas to be studied. The board added that it “will be impatient with any undue pressure designed to provoke a pre mature alteration of the present policy under which the system oper ates.” L. A. Roberts, superintendent of Dallas County schools (rural and small-town), announced that he sees “little or no hope” to inteerate those schools during the 1955-56 year. “There are just too many problems immediately before us,” said Roberts. He mentioned the possibility that some state funds may be lost by in tegration before the legislature changes state laws. TO BEGIN IN FALL San Antonio—Supt. Thomas B. Portwood announced that desegrega tion will begin this fall in all 90 schools there. Portwood said he would meet with Negro leaders and teachers to help develop a plan for gradual mixing and possible re assignment of teachers according to school capacities. Students may be shifted from crowded to less crowded schools, Portwood said. A Negro high school and two Negro junior high schools have less than capacity en rollment. Van Zandt County—County Supt. Wendell H. Oliver said all schools will continue segregated next year. Fully accredited 9-month schools are maintained for both white and Negro students. Austin—The school board instruct ed Supt. Irby Carruth to study means of integration, perhaps starting on the high school level this fall. There are approximately 50 Negro high school students living in the three white high school districts and a small number of whites in the Negro high school district. Possible rezoning and a liberalized transfer rule are being discussed. Hillsboro — County Supt. John Ramsey said racial desegregation will be impracticable. A new Negro school has been built there. “I don’t think colored parents in Hill County want their children to attend white schools,” said Ramsey. “The Negro teachers with whom I have had occa sion to discuss desegregation are not in favor of it.” Ramsey noted that the Nesrro school operates on a differ ent schedule. It holds classes for six weeks in the summer, and closes an equivalent time in the fall to let the students pick cotton. Harlinqen—By 4-2 vote, the school board ordered desegregation in high school starting in September. About 11 Negroes will be affected. They had been attending a high school sup ported jointly by several districts in the area. A committee will study de segregation on lower grades. It will include three Anglo - Americans, three Latin-Americans and three Ne groes. U. S. Dist. Judge R. E. Thomason held that Miss Thelma White, Negro girl, must be admitted this fall as an undergraduate student at Texas Western College, El Paso branch of the University of Texas. The board of regents ordered desegregation ended there before the court acted. While waiting on formal entry of Judge Thomason’s judgment, officials disputed whether the action would knock out segregation in the whole University of Texas system. The regents set integration of under graduates at the main campus in Austin to begin in September 1956, along with beginning selective admis sions through entrance tests. Chair man Tom Sealy of Midland said the regents would resist any effort to de segregate faster. Graduate and pro fessional classes have been unsegre gated since 1950. Kilgore Junior College offered to reconsider and accept applications for admission of four Negroes which it reiected in 1952. This followed in structions from U. S. Dist. Judge Joe Sheehy. More than 200 conservative Demo crats meeting in Dallas adopted a res olution: “We petition and request the at torney general of Texas to enjoin, ^ behalf of the white people of El p a$0 and other places where school boards have taken action (banning segre gation) to maintain all-white schools for those desiring those schools and to enjoin the board of regents of the University of Texas (which ordered desegregation) ... in violation 0 f the state laws and state constitution ” Gov. Allan Shivers said he would be unable to accept an invitation to the meeting. “I have always been op. posed to splinter political parties and the organization of third parties,” Shivers said. Former state Sen. R. A. Stuart of Fort Worth retorted: “This is not a splinter group but the Democratic Pary of Texas.” Kerrville—The school board gave Negro high school students a choice of attending their segregated school or enrolling at the white high school. The county has less than 4 per cent Negro population. San Angelo—The school board voted to end segregation gradually, probably over a 3-year period. The district has 7,608 white and 546 Negro scholastics. Denison—The school board ap pointed a committee to study steps toward integration. Desegregation of students from Perrin Air Force Base has been put off because there is no building for them on the base. The Perrin children will be transported to segregated schools in Denison. An integrated school is planned at Per- Circuit Judge Tom B. Brady 0 f Brookhaven, Miss., was principal speaker at the rally. He called for impeachment of the U. S. Supreme Court unless it reverses its ruling. A Negro editor, Carter Wesley of the Houston Informer, criticized re- porting of the segregation story. “Daily papers of the South are not free,” he said. “They are slaves to the tradition of social supremacy for the whites and social inferiority for the Negroes.” The most significant announcement was by the University of Texas regents. It adopted this recommendation on admission policy: “The present policy of the Univer sity of Texas, based on the Sweatt case, is to accept qualified Negro stu dents only for graduate and profes sional programs of study not offered in either of the state-supported in stitutions for Negroes. Since the de cision in the Sweatt Case in 1950, sev eral hundred Negro students have attended the university in these lim ited areas of study. The recent Su preme Court decision makes it man datory uoon the university now to consider further steps regarding the admission of Negro students. The ex ecutive committee of the Board of Regents, composed of Tom Sealy, chairman of the board; C. W. Voyles, chairman of the committee; and Dr. L. S. Oates, Leroy Jeffers, J. R. Sor rell, and Lee Lockwood, was assigned this subject for study and has had the benefit of the advice and counsel of President Logan Wilson and oth ers of our administrative staff. It 1S recognized, however, that the issue involved represents a basic policy which should be resolved by the members of the Board of Regents, who are accountable to the governor, the legislature, and the people of Texas for the management and oper ation of the University of Texas. It is therefore, recommended that the Board of Regents adopt the following policy resolution: “1. That qualified students be ad mitted, without reference to racial origin, to all divisions of the graduate school, regardless of whether the de sired programs of study may be p re5 " ently offered at the state-supported Negro institutions. “2. That, because desegregation has already been ordered at the local level in the public schools of the city of El Paso, effective in the fall of this year, qualified students, regardless o racial origin, be admitted this fall all levels of instruction at Texas Western College of the University 0 Texas at El Paso, Texas. MAINTAIN POLICY “3. That for the time being and un til the fall of 1956, the present poW* of admission to undergraduate wor at the main university in Austin retained until recommendations be adopted concerning the w problem of selective admiss 10 which has been under study f° r most a year. “The reason for this last re f°^ e mendation is that beginning wit ^ fall of 1955, the main university Austin, as is generally known, ^ receive manv more application 5 (See TEXAS, Next Page)