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PAGE 8—FEBRUARY—SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS
FLORIDA
Board Orders Expansion
Of Orchard Villa School
MIAMI, Fla.
D ade County’s experiment in
school integration was called
successful after a five-month trial.
The school board ordered the in
tegrated Orchard Villa School en
larged by ten classrooms to house
additional pupils who wish to at
tend. (See “School Boards and
Schoolmen.”)
Negro ministers of Tallahassee
took initial steps toward a court
suit by petitioning the Leon
County school board to state its
policy on integration. The board
said it had none. (See “School
Boards and Schoolmen.”)
A Feb. 29 date was set for a
“showdown” hearing on the long-
pending suit to open all Dade
County schools to Negroes. (See
“Legal Action.”)
Florida’s “token” integration, which
began at two schools last September,
was called a success after five months
of trial.
Teacher evaluations at Orchard Villa
Elementary—one of the few integrated
schools in the South where white chil
dren, greatly outnumbered by their Ne
gro classmates, are taught by a Negro
faculty—said both groups had been
helped by the association and adjust
ments had been good.
On the basis of this and other reports,
which indicated community acceptance,
the Dade school board voted to enlarge
the school by the addition of ten class
rooms. This will meet the pressure of
other pupils who wish to attend this
school.
While Negroes will predominate in
this new group, school officials said ad
ditional white children will be assigned
if they continue to five in the school
district.
DECISION POSTPONED
But the school board again postponed
a final decision on integrating other
schools. Six Negro pupils seeking ad
mission to all-white schools throughout
the county were told at the January
board meeting that they must wait
longer for an answer.
Mrs. Anna Brenner Meyers, board
member, protested against further de
lay.
“Justice delayed is justice denied,”
said Mrs. Meyers. “These people came
to us in good faith. They are entitled to
a decision.”
In other action the school board or
dered letters sent to parents of all school
children explaining how the pupil as
signment law operates. This was done
in an effort to comply with a recent fed
eral court ruling that Negro applicants
“must have a reasonable and conscien
tious opportunity to apply for admis
sion to all schools . . . without regard
to race or color,” and that Negro par
ents be informed of their rights under
the law.
The letter reaffirmed the board’s in
tention to abide by this statute.
The pupil assignment law is being
challenged in federal district court.
(See “Legal Action.”)
ASKS STATEMENT
Elsewhere in Florida integration pres
sure increased.
In Tallahassee, the capital, the Negro
Ministerial Alliance petitioned the
school board for a statement of policy
toward integration. The Leon County
school board replied that it had none.
Board Chairman W. T. Moore said
that no Negro child had sought admis
sion to a white school, and no specific
problem was before the board for solu
tion.
“I feel that we have been getting
along mighty fine with all our people
and I hope it will continue that way,”
he said.
The Alliance, in asking for a state
ment of policy, indicated this was the
first step toward court action. If so, it
will be the first such suit in the north
ern part of the state, where segregation
sentiment is strong.
WANT SCHOOLS OPEN
The Florida Children’s Commission
released results of a survey, which indi
cated nearly three fourths of Floridians
prefer some integration as an alterna
tive to closing schools.
The commission said 69 per cent of
the 1,764 persons questioned in a sam
pling of opinion disagreed with the
statement that resistance should be car
ried to the point of abandoning the
public school system. This is the way
the matter appeared on the form:
“Florida should resist any effort to
integrate the races in public schools,
even if it is necessary to abolish the
public schools in order to do so.”
The result showed 54 per cent dis
agreed strongly, 15 per cent disagreed
mildly, eight per cent agreed mildly
and 23 per cent agreed strongly.
In other aspects of education covered
by the survey, 93 per cent agreed that
the state should provide sufficient class
rooms and teachers for a good educa
tional system.
MONEY NEEDED
Thomas D. Bailey, state superintend
ent of schools, told the Florida School
Finance Officers Assn, at Bradenton
that the greatest problem of the state
school system is to find money to keep
pace with needs.
The property tax is no longer ade
quate as a base for education, he de
clared. If schools are to continue to pro
vide a high quality of education, all in
dividuals must contribute in some de
gree to the common effort, he said.
“We have today as good a general
support on the part of the public for
good schools as any place in America,”
he said.
But he added that the extremely rap
id growth of school population was
confronting the state with a runaway
situation.
70 PER CENT GROWTH
In many counties school officials re
ported serious need for more facilities.
The most extreme case was presented
by Brevard County, site of the missile
center at Cape Canaveral. Population
growth has been so rapid that class
rooms were expanded 70 per cent in
1959. The expansion added facilities for
9,420 children to those for 13,500 avail
able one year ago. As a result double
sessions were eliminated.
Enrollment in Brevard has increased
five times since 1950.
“And the growing isn’t over,” said
School Supt. Woodrow Darden. “We’re
still the fastest growing system in Flor
ida. We’ve climbed from 28th to 11th
place among the counties and we’re still
going up.”
Brevard financed the building of five
elementary and three junior high
schools and additions to eight existing
schools by a combination of federal,
state and local financing. About 10%
million dollars has been spent in a pro
gram that will add 17 schools in three
years.
The long-pending Dade County school
suit (Gibson et al vs. Dade County
Board of Public Instruction) was set for
a showdown hearing Feb. 29 before
Federal District Judge Joseph P. Lieb.
The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Ap
peals remanded the case to Lieb last
month with instructions to require a
plan to desegregate Dade County’s
schools.
While Dade has two integrated
schools in operation, none of the plain
tiffs in the Gibson case is attending
integrated classes. Lawyers for the
plaintiffs said they will include a
total attack on the pupil assignment
law as part of the renewed case.
REVERSAL SOUGHT
In other legal action, the Florida Su
preme Court was asked to reverse a
Lake County court decision, which de
nied the validation of a 5.6 million dol
lar bond issue on grounds that it would
be used to build segregated schools.
Roy Christopher, attorney for the
Lake County school board, said that the
decision, if allowed to stand, would
prevent validation of any school bonds
in Florida.
On two previous occasions, Christo
pher said, the Florida Supreme Court
had ruled (in cases from Pinellas and
Dade counties) that the 1954 desegre
gation rulings by the U.S. Supreme
Court did not apply to school bonds.
W. S. Hunter, attorney for a Lake
County citizen and taxpayer who
brought the suit, said supplemental Su
preme Court rulings put a different light
on the matter. It was this argument that
OMER CARMICHAEL
Dies of Heart Attack
led to the lower court ruling by Circuit
Judge T. C. Futch.
FIGHTS DISCHARGE
David Watson Cramp Jr., an Orange
County mathematics teacher, asked the
circuit court of that district to prevent
his discharge from his teaching post,
which he has held for nine years, be
cause he declined to sign a loyalty oath.
This oath requires any recipient of
public funds to swear that he “will sup
port the Constitution of the United
States and of the state of Florida and
that I am not a member of the Com
munist party; that I have not and will
not lend my aid, support, advice or in
fluence to the Communist party.”
Cramp said that while he could truth
fully subscribe to the oath he believed
that “to do so would be a violation of
my rights as a free, loyal American
citizen.” He said the oath violated his
rights under the First and 14th Amend
ments to the federal Constitution.
Thirty-three southern college presi
dents and deans last month signed a
statement terming closed schools a
menace to democratic society.
The statement, published in pamphlet
form, listed these probable consequences
of doing away with tax-supported pub
lic education:
• Many children would do without
education entirely, and the others, ex
cept for the wealthy few, would get an
inferior education.
• There would be a sharp rise in un
employment and a corresponding in
crease in crime and juvenile delinquen
cy.
• Business would decline and new
business would stop coming to the re
gion.
• Teachers would not be attracted by
jobs in poorly financed, haphazardly or
ganized private schools, and would
either leave the profession or migrate
north and west.
• Idle schools would constitute an in
tolerable burden on taxpayers.
• The South would lose thousands of
future scientists, mathematicians and
leaders in all fields.
The statement was issued in behalf
of the signers by J. B. White, dean of
the University of Florida’s College of
Education.
A United Press International report
on the developing race for governor, to
be decided in May, said that segregation
as yet has played no part.
At this same stage of the 1956 cam
paign it was the principal issue, involv
ing each of the four candidates. So far
this year eight candidates have entered
but only one—Sen, Harvie Belser of
Bonifay—has emphasized the question.
In fact only five candidates have stated
a position.
This is a summary of their stands:
Belser—“I believe in and advocate
the local option plan. Let the people in
each county determine for themselves,
by majority vote, whether they shall
abolish the public school system in
that county.”
C. Farris Bryant, Ocala—“Segrega
tion is not a major issue.”
Mayor Haydon Burns, Jacksonville—
No mention of segregation in his an
nouncement but he calls himself “an
unyielding segregationist.”
Sen. Doyle Carlton Jr., Wauchula—
Reminds voters that he led the fight
against drastic segregation legislation in
two past sessions. Favored the pupil as
signment law which he still thinks is
the best solution.
Former House Speaker Ted David,
Hollywood—“As governor I shall do all
I can, legally and honorably, to main
tain our southern customs.”
# # #
KENTUCKY
Governor Wins Test \ ote;
New School Chief Installed
LOUISVILLE, Ky.
K entucky’s new state admin
istration, under Gov. Bert
Combs, won some important pre
liminary rounds in its pledge to
finance improvements in the
state’s desegregated school sys
tem. (See “Political Activity.”)
The state’s new school chief,
Wendell P. Butler, who in the
same position had inaugurated the
desegregation in 1955, took office
again with reiteration of his belief
that “the principle of segregation
is morally wrong.” (See “School
Boards and Schoolmen.”)
These events were overshadowed by
the death of Louisville School Supt.
Omer Carmichael, the Alabama native
who won national recognition for the
smoothness of the integration program
he devised for a district in which a third
of Kentucky’s Negroes live. (See
“School Boards and Schoolmen.”)
Louisville Negroes failed in an at
tempt to win support of Mayor Bruce
Hoblitzell for their campaign against
segregation in such public services as
hotels, restaurants, and movie houses.
(See “Community Action.”)
In late December newly inaugurated
Gov. Bert Combs won approval from
the outgoing General Assembly of his
call for a limited constitutional revision
convention (in which school desegre
gation would be specifically excluded).
He repeated this triumph with the new
Assembly in January, thus shortening
by two years the constitutional time
table for a program that among other
things would raise salary limits for
school administrators and other state
employees.
Some of the governor’s hopes for a
vast increase in public school spending
depended on the outcome of a court test
of the voter-approved veterans bonus
amendment of last November, which
specified a one per cent sales tax to
finance the bonus. In January the State
Court of Appeals upheld the constitu
tionality of the amendment, minus a
comma or two, and Combs promptly
plugged for a three per cent sales tax,
with an unspecified but large amount
of this to go to the public schools.
WINS TEST VOTE
No administration measure is yet out
of the fiscal—or political—woods. But a
test vote in the House of Representatives
on the administration’s sales tax bill on
Jan. 26 gave the administration a hand
some majority of 66 to 19. Most political
observers concluded Combs would have
little trouble in getting the General As
sembly to implement his pledge of a
“substantial” teacher pay increase, more
state-financed school building, free
textbooks and a better teachers’ retire
ment system.
The limited-revision constitutional
convention Combs seeks could not act
on Kentucky’s 1891 Constitution before
1963. (It will exclude school integration,
a field in which the governor cam
paigned “to follow the law as enunci
ated by the Supreme Court,” and reli
gion, racing, liquor, and county consoli
dation.) But the 1960 General Assembly
will determine whether the governor’s
still-unspecified ideas or the specifically
higher demands of the Kentucky Edu
cation Assn, shape the state’s school
program this year.
Wendell P. Butler, who as state su
perintendent of public instruction inau
gurated Kentucky’s school desegregation
program in 1955, was not eligible to run
for re-election in 1956. Last fall he was.
Winning by a majority of more than
100,000 votes, he was inaugurated again
on Jan. 4.
In a statement to Southern School
News, he recalled that as long ago as
1953 he had publicly described segrega
tion as “not only expensive to maintain
but morally wrong in principle.”
“My position,” he said, “remains un
changed, and I want to add that I am
well pleased by the progress that Ken
tucky has made in this field . . . Now
that I am returning to the office of su
perintendent of public instruction, I feel
that integration can best be accom
plished on the local level where the peo
ple of all races can come together and
work toward the solution of their prob
lems. To this end, the State Department
of Education will give all the help with
in its resources during the next four
years of my administration.”
‘PROFESSIONAL’ SOUTHERNER
A self-confessed “professional” south
erner, Omer Carmichael was Louisville’s
superintendent of schools from 1954 to
isoo. He died of a heart attack at the
age of 66 on Jan. 9, four years short of
his goal of “seeing through” the inte
gration program he launched in the city
schools in 1956. He had been praised by
President Eisenhower and others for
the smoothness with which he had
achieved a major change in a border
city.
Dr. Carmichael grew up on a cotton
farm in Alabama and not only worked
his way through the state university but
helped put his eight younger sisters
through college before he married. Be
fore coming to Louisville, he was a
schoolman in Selma, Ala.; Tampa, Fla.;
and Lynchburg, Va.
In the border city of Louisville he
said he found his totally southern back
ground as a schoolman “helpful” when
he argued that “Christian principle,
conscience, and the dignity of man, no
less than the Constitution and the Su
preme Court, makes school desegrega
tion inevitable.”
President Eisenhower invited him to
the White House in 1956 to explain how
he had kept Louisville out of the viol
ence-ridden headlines of that day.
January saw a brief boom and a
quick collapse of the idea that the Uni
versity of Louisville should become the
owner of Churchill Downs, Louisville’s
world-famous race track.
Some businessmen promoted the idea
as a good thing for the university, an
integrated institution since 1950. But a
journalistic “leak” of the promotion
brought fast resolutions of disapproval
from Baptist and Methodist ministerial
groups in the city.
The idea sank with Mayor Hoblitzell’s
declaration that “everybody I’ve talked
to has been opposed to it.”
COMMUNITY ACTION
Louisville Negroes failed in January
to win support of Mayor Bruce Hoblit
zell for their campaign to end segrega
tion in some theaters, hotels, restau
rants and other business places. They
were led by attorney Charles W. An
derson Jr., whom President Eisenhower
made a member of the U.S. delegation
to the United Nations last year.
Anderson praised Louisville’s “excel
lent race relations, particularly as com
pared to other border and southern
cities.” He contended that aside from
public facilities, Louisville Negroes “are
living in a community half-segregated
due to race, and half-integrated due to
the Supreme Court.”
Anderson spoke for a delegation of
35 Negroes and whites at the mayor’s
regularly scheduled “beef session” in
City Hall on Jan. 4.
“We respectfully urge you,” Ander
son said, “to take the lead in seeing that
theaters, hotels, restaurants, stores, and
other places of public service and ac
commodations will cease to discriminate
or segregate”—as, he pointed out, a
mixed number of Louisville enterprises
do.
Mayor Hoblitzell countered with the
observation that Louisville had reached
“a most enviable position” by accom
plishing as much as it has in race rela
tions without friction. The city govern
ment, he said, had done all that could
be done to end discrimination in public
facilities, “but trying to force integra
tion in private business is another mat
ter.”
In response to a white farmer’s sug
gestion, he said he did not think he had
any right “to try to tell businessmen
how to run their businesses—you must
recognize that this is a legislative mat
ter that you are asking for.” # # /