Southern school news. (Nashville, Tenn.) 1954-1965, June 01, 1965, Image 11

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SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS—JUNE, 1965—PAGE II Florida (Continued from Page 10) the National Teacher Examination. An other Negro teacher has resigned and will not be replaced. Porter said Holmes County (Boni- fay) has announced transfer of 135 Negro children to predominantly white schools next year, eliminating the jobs of 10 Negro teachers. Some have been teaching in the system for as long as 20 years. The FSTA executive said their dismissal appeared to be a case of discrimination and asked the state to investigate. He also suggested that court action may be taken to preserve the jobs. , Thomas D. Bailey, state school super intendent, said that in most cases dis missed Negro teachers are those who fail to pass the NTE. “I don’t know if anything can be done about it,” the superintendent said. “Any teacher, regardless of race, who doesn’t make 500 on the examination cannot be issued a continuing contract. “Insofar as I know I have seen no evidence of any attempt to brin<* about mass dismissals. In the first place, I don’t think there is going to be that much integration involved to make that possible.” In several school suits filed in Florida, protection of jobs for Negro teachers has been asked of the courts. In all cases so far, this has not been written into final orders. In The Colleges A&M Law School Closing Discussed The possibility of phasing out the law school at Florida A&M Uni versity at Tallahassee, which became a matter of hot controversy and a law suit two years ago has been renewed by the Florida legislature. In an unexpected action on May 12 the conference committee on the state appropriation bill wrote in a provision authorizing the school to be closed and, in that event, transferring its funds to Florida State University for a law school. FAMU’s law school was attacked by a group of white and Negro citizens as an unjustified use of public funds. In a suit filed in the Circuit Court of Leon County (Milledge et al v Board of Control) four plaintiffs alleged that only a handful of graduates had suc cessfully passed the state bar examina tions, although the per-pupil cost was many times higher than at predomi nantly white law schools where stand ards were much higher. The suit, thrown out of court on a technicality, kicked up a furore. Negro educators demanded assurance from state officials that the school would be continued. This was given. But this year’s appropriation bill re vived the argument. Within a matter of days the University Board of Re gents declared publicly that it would not move to phase out the school, con firming again that the staff recom mendation to move the school to FSU Would be ignored. The matter was brought up at the board when Chester Ferguson, chair man, asked for a “vote of confidence” m the school. It was given without comment. Ferguson announced that this is now the policy of this board.” The action insures the indefinite con tinuance of the law school at the 75- year-old Negro land grant university. ALABAMA Courts Continue Action In Desegregation Cases (Continued from Page 9) with the judges last July and called for the desegregation of grade two in 1965; three and eight in 1966; four and seven in 1967; and five and six in 1968. The court had earlier turned down a grade- a-year plan beginning with the 12th and working down. Under terms of the order, a new plan must be filed by Jan. 15, 1966. What They Say State Senator Says Perspective Lost; Calls for ‘Balance’ Some comments during May on the racial situation in Alabama: State Sen. Ed Horton of Limestone County, one of the opponents of a reso lution backed by Gov. Wallace to urge school boards not to make any more compliance agreements with HEW, in a speech in Huntsville May 10: The race problem “is causing us to lose our perspective” and is complicat ing the solution of other problems fac ing the state. While the state must re gain its balance in this regard, Horton said, “we are not going to wake up in the morning and find our racial problems were only a nightmare.” Even so, “inaction and defiance are not the answer—they have failed too often in the past and will fail again in the future.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Negro civil rights leader May 10: “Gov. Wal lace has presided over more integration than any governor in the United States. Segregation is on its death bed and the only thing now is how costly Wallace and the other segregationists will make the funeral.” King described Wallace as a man who “has probably done more to draw the Negroes closer together than anybody in the state of Alabama.” Former State Sen. E. B. Haltom Jr., attorney for the Florence School Board, in a speech May 10 in Birmingham: “Wallace owes a debt to the people of Alabama that he is not paying. He owes a debt to the school children of this state . . The state has groped for two years for a solution to the desegrega tion problem “with no help from the chief executive of the state.” Haltom said Wallace was the only man who can make and remold Alabama today. He has the right and ability to do it.” At present, Haltom added, Wallace enjoys the armor of being a man “who can do no political wrong” despite his “political bloopers and inept maneuver ing ... He can go down in history as one of Alabama’s greatest political servants, but if he follows the course he is now taking, he’ll go down in his tory as one of Alabama’s greatest po- In The Colleges Funds Withheld From 14 Schools litical demagogues.” Haltom added that, in his opinion, Wallace is the most liberal governor in Alabama history “except on the issue of desegregation.” Wallace Says Government Uses ‘Vicious Procedure’ Gov. George Wallace said on HEW’s compliance requirements under the Civil Rights Bill of 1964: “. . . Even if Congress had the power, this business of punishing children (withdrawing federal funds from schools which do not desegregate) to compel elected officials to act in a particular way is a vicious pro cedure, heretofore unknown in a so ciety of free peo ple but universal ly employed in totalitarian na tions. “Oddly enough, the left-wing liberals who justify the federal government withholding aid to children in our nation to compel action of locally elected officials are the very ones who loudly oppose cutting off fed eral aid to communists and communist satellite nations.” In Washington, Wallace explained the refusal of the State Board of Education to sign any compliance order. We will resist as long as we can within the law.” In other statements, he accused HEW of attempting to control every school, adding: “We don’t believe the people will put up with this.” WALLACE The U. S. Office of Education an nounced June 1 that federal aid funds were being withheld from 14 state- operated colleges and junior colleges in Alabama pending a determination that they have given their assurances of compliance with the Civil Rights Act. A spokesman for the Office of Edu cation said the colleges in question had filed Form 441, a civil rights compli ance statement. These forms, the agency said, are only to be used by institutions in whose activities no dis crimination is practiced, thus placing them in full compliance with the 1964 Civil Rights Act. No estimate was available as to the amount of federal funds being withheld. The institutions affected by the order were: Alabama A&M, Alabama State College for Negroes; Florence, Jack sonville, Troy and Livingston state col leges; Northwest Alabama Junior Col lege, Bay Minette State Junior College, Enterprise Junior College, Gadsden Technical Junior College, Southern Union College, State Junior College, Wenonah Junior College and the George C. Wallace Vocational-Tech nical School and Junior College. Miss Vivian Malone, whose entry into the University of Alabama was temporarily blocked by Gov. Wallace’s “schoolhouse door” stand in June of 1963, be came the first of her race to grad uate from the in stitution May 30. She said the way for other Ne groes should be easier. “The students,” MALONE She , S3id ’ ‘ <are much more re ceptive now than they were two years ago. I felt I was accepted by my class mates, people are friendlier now and more open than when I first came. I think then that they wanted to, but were afraid.” As the routine academic year ended, there were 10 Negro students on the university’s main campus, 47 others in extension centers in Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery and elsewhere. No serious trouble has been reported since the late President Kennedy fed eralized the Alabama National Guard, forcing Wallace to step aside. College Desegregation Predominant^ Predominantly Total Enrollment Negroes in Schools With Whites No.-Deseg. Negro No.-Deseg. No.-Deseg. Predominantly Predominantly Predominantly Predominantly White Schls. Negro Schls. White Schls. Negro Schls. Alabama 9—4 2—1 11—5 32,839 3,384 68 0 Florida Georgia Louisiana Mississippi North Carolina South Carolina Tennessee 24—15 17—9 11—11 19—1 12—12 5—3 6 6 1—1 11—11 3—0 3—3 6—0 5-5 1—0 8—8 35—26 20—9 14—14 25—1 17—17 6-3 21,985 115,633 34,225 46,749 31,020 42,965 19,356 2,200 13,691 3,714 10,282 6,302 9,136 1,724 51 1,715 71 1,178 2 489 24 0 0 0 10,275 0 9,122 0 Texas Virginia SOUTH Delaware 50—50 21—15 1—1 4-4 2—2 7—7 54—54 23—17 48,208 184,411 42,420 5,704 8,482 4,173 1,035 2,553 132 4,669 8,306 44-70 181—133 1 l 39—28 220—161 619,811 68,792 7,318 36,542 District of Col. 0—0 1 1 2—2 4,500* 769* 17 750 Kentucky Maryland Missouri Oklahoma West Virginia BORDER REGION ‘Estimated 7—7 16—16 17—17 22—22 10—10 1—1 4—4 1—1 1—1 1—1 1—1 8—8 20—20 18—18 23—23 11—11 0 39,000* 39,581 58,000* 60,502 24,487* 1,293 1,150* 4,714 1,100* 925 1,189* 0 1,700* 965 2,500* 851* 1,200* 1,110 980* 4,352 1,100* 923* 325 73—73 10—10 83—83 226,070 11,140 7,233 9,540 254—206 49—38 303—244 845,881 79,932 14,551 46,082 Segregation -Desegregation Status Districts With Negroes Total and Whites Deseg. Enrollment In Desegregated Districts Alabama Arkansas Florida Georgia Louisiana Mississippi North Carolina South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia 118 411 67 196 67 163 170 108 152 1,379 130 9 24 22 12 3 4 86 18 65 450* 81 White 549,593** 333,630f 1,014,920 686,761 472,923* 299,748 828,638 371,921 724,327 2,086,752* 736,017 Negro 293,426** 114,651f 247,475 334,126 313,314* 279,106 349,282 260,667 173,673 344,312* 233,070 White 131,241** 93,072 817,842 200,127 63,591 34,620 555,997 173,833 475,877 1,600,000* 600,000* Negro 87,457** 28,943 175,969 133,454 88,677 21,929 207,551 96,196 136,936 245,000* 200,000* Negroes In Schools With Whites No. % 101 930 6,612 1,337 3,581 57 4,963 265 9,289 27,000* 12,000* ♦Estimated **1963-64 11962-63 ttMissouri not included .034 .811 2.67 .400 1.14 .020 1.42 .102 5.35 7.84 5.15 TOTAL 2,961 2,223 774 8,105,230 2,943,102 4,746,200 1,422,112 66,135 2.25 Delaware 79 45 45 83,164 19,367 78,942 14,064 12,051 62.2 District of Columbia 1 1 1 17,487 123,906 17,487 123,906 106,578 86.0 Kentucky 204 165 165 607,522 55,215 540,000* 55,215 37,585 68.1 Maryland 24 23 23 566,375 169,207 561,300 169,207 86,205 50.9 Missouri 1,056 212* 203* 818,000* 104,000* NA 95,000* 44,000* 42.3 Oklahoma 1,090 321 211 555,000* 45,000* 334,000* 38,000* 14,000* 31.1 West Virginia 55 54 54 426,500* 21,300* 426,500* 21,300* 13,500* 63.4 BORDER 2,509 821 702 3,074,048 537,995 1,958,229ft 516,692 313,919 58.3 REGION 5,470 3,044 1,476 11,179,278 3,481,097 6,704,429ft 1,938,804 380,054 10.9 Border-State Schools Largely Desegregated (Continued from Page 1) about 20,000 of its half-million Negroes are in desegregated districts. Of the 516,692 Negroes in desegregated dis tricts, 313,919 are in desegregated schools. The South has 2,961 school districts, and 2,223 of these have both races en rolled, with the remaining 738 being either all-white or all-Negro districts. By the end of the 1964-65 school year, 774 of the biracial districts had deseg regated in practice or policy. This does not include those previously segregated districts that have announced compli ance with the Civil Rights Act during the coming school year. The border area has 2,509 school dis tricts, with 821 having both races en rolled. All but 19 of the biracial dis tricts have started desegregation. Biracial Districts The 17 Southern and border states plus the District of Columbia have desegregated 1,476 of the region’s 3,044 districts having both races enrolled in them. That means that 1,568 districts remained segregated and 2,426 districts had either all-Negro or all-white en rollments. Among the Southern states, Texas continues to have the highest number and percentage of its Negro students in desegregated schools. The 27,000 Ne groes attending Texas public schools with whites represent more than seven per cent of the state’s total Negro en rollment. Tennessee and Virginia have over five per cent of their Negro stu dents in desegregated schools. Missis sippi has the smallest number of Ne groes in schools with whites—57. In the border area, the percentage of Negro students desegregated ranged from 86 per cent in the District of Columbia to 31 per cent in Oklahoma. ★ ★ ★ 244 Public Colleges Desegregated in Region By the end of the past school year, the 17-state region had desegregated 244 of its public colleges and uni versities, leaving 59 that did not de clare a policy of nondiscrimination. The 244 desegregated schools in cluded 206 with predominantly white enrollments and 38 predominantly Negro. The predominantly white schools had a total enrollment of 845,- 881 students, which included 14,551 Negroes. The predominantly Negro colleges had an enrollment of 79,932 and 46,082 of these students were in schools at tended by whites. All the border states and five of the 11 Southern states have whites enrolled in predomi nantly Negro schools. Those Southern states are Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. The only Mississippi institution of higher learning that has desegregated is the University of Mississippi, which had two Negroes enrolled. Arkansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas have desegregated all then- public colleges and universities. All the public institutions in the border area have desegregated.