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PAGE 2—JUNE, 1965—SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS
GEORGIA
State Plan Approved; Sanders
Credits Meeting Of Governors
MACON
A pproval of Georgia’s school
desegregation plan was an
nounced May 26 by the U. S. Of
fice of Education.
Gov. Carl E. Sanders said it proved
how effective was his recent meeting
in Atlanta with other Southern gov
ernors and later in Washington with
Southern congressmen from nine states
t • protest planned federal action. San
ders said more realistic regulations
were implemented as a result of the
meetings.
Georgia was the 47th state to be ap
proved as the federal agency agreed to
the plan of compliance recently adopted
by the State Board of Education.
It opened the way for the state to get
almost $100 million in federal funds
during the next fiscal year, including
approximately $40 million from this
year’s federal education law.
A “Memorandum of Understanding”
involving three areas of desegregation
was attached to approval of the state-
level plan. It involved:
• Desegregation of the State Schoo
for the Blind at Macon and the Acad
emy for the Deaf at Cave Springs.
• Housing of Negro staff members
of the State Department of Education
with white staff members within two
Georgia Highlights
A meeting of Southern governors
in Atlanta called by Georgia Gov.
Carl E. Sanders caused an uproar
but Sanders said it resulted in more
realistic regulations by the U. S. Of
fice of Education, which later ap
proved the state’s school desegrega
tion plan.
Sanders warned that 30 per cent
of the white teachers of Georgia
might quit if faculties are desegre
gated immediately. Three Georgia
school systems said they did not in
tend to desegregate their school sys
tems, with two of the three indicating
they would raise taxes to make up
for the loss of federal funds for edu
cation.
Desegregation plans of various
types were announced by school
boards in many city and county sys
tems over the state.
years.
• Desegregation of public libraries
receiving federal funds under the fed
eral public school library program.
Dr. Allen C. Smith, assistant state
school superintendent, indicated all of
these problems would be worked out.
Special Schools
The State Board of Education on
May 19 approved a desegregation plan
for the deaf and blind schools which
included desegregation of housing be
ginning in the 1966-67 school term
Classes would be desegregated on a
freedom-of-choice basis over the next
three years in stages of four grades
each year.
Dr. Smith said “a legal question” was
involved in desegregation of the deaf
and blind schools and it in no way af
fects the overall desegregation plan.
Negroes in the education department
will be housed with whites when a new
state office building is completed in
stead of being scattered in separate lo
cations over the city, Smith said.
As to libraries, Smith said U. S. Of
fice of Education members merely
wanted more information, and no prob
lems were anticipated.
Gov. Sanders said he hoped federal
education officials would expedite ap
proval of local systems in Georgia that
have already submitted plans. He said
that of more than 80 plans thus far
submitted to Washington, only about a
dozen have been approved.
said the feeling was unanimous that
the problems existing in the Southern
states “are of a serious consequence
and unless there can be some reasona
ble understanding of these regulations
... we are going to seriously damage
public education in the South.”
The question, he said, is not a post
ponement in the date of desegregation
but an interpretation of the regulations
with some flexibility.
Rep. James A. Mackey, D-Ga., of De
catur, said: “We reject the leadership
of those who seek to make short-term
political capital by arguing that we
should postpone efforts to solve our
long-term problems.”
Even as the Washington meeting was
being held, Keppel was in Atlanta,
where he said he will not back down
on the directives issued from his of
fice.
litical motivations were behind the
meeting.
Negroes Protest
Negro leaders from over Georgia met
privately with Sanders to protest the
governor’s leadership role in the
Southern protest, according to Negro
State Sen. Leroy Johnson. Sanders re
ceived the bulk of the Negro votes in
defeating former Gov. Marvin Griffin
in 1962.
Dr. John A. Griffin, an official of the
U. S. Community Relations Service,
speaking at West Georgia College in
Carrollton May 24, criticized Sanders
and said the governor should have
studied the act and the latest order by
Keppel before expressing opposition.
But the executive committee of the
Georgia School Boards Association pro
tested to President Johnson that fed
eral officials are exceeding their au
thority in formulating desegregation
edicts.
Sanders said Georgia school officials
fear that 30 per cent of the white
teachers will quit if the federal gov
ernment forces faculty desegregation
next September. He said this was part
of the chaos he sought to prevent by
calling the Atlanta and Washington
meetings.
Sanders Criticized
Sanders came under fire as a result
Governors Meet
Sanders’ meeting with five Southern
governors in Atlanta, with three others
joining in by telephone, caused an up
roar. The governors declared that a re
cent federal ruling on school desegre
gation was illegal and jeopardized the
future of many school districts. A joint
statement declared: “A federal agency
has no more right to extend the law
or any court decision, by regulation
and interpretation, than has any group
or individual to defy the law or any
court decision.”
Georgia’s governor had called the
meeting for May 9 after U. S. Educa
tion Commissioner Francis Keppel re
vealed strict desegregation regulations
which must be followed to receive fed
eral funds under provisions of the 1964
Civil Rights Act. The regulations in
sisted on full desegregation by the fall
of 1967 and desegregation of at least
four grades in the fall of 1965.
Attending the meeting with Gov
Sanders were Govs. Orval Faubus of
Arkansas, Albertis Harrison of Vir
ginia, Robert McNair of South Caro
lina, George C. Wallace of Alabama
and Paul Johnson of Mississippi. San
ders said Gov. John McKeithen of
Louisiana, Dan Moore of North Caro
lina and Hayden Burns of Florida tele
phoned their support.
In calling the meeting, Sanders said
the Civil Rights Act does not say any
thing about the desegregation of four
grades this fall.
of the meeting he called.
Nineteen Northern Republican con
gressmen accused Southern governor
of trying to slow down school desegre
gation and the Georgia governor, obvi
ously irked, said such critics had shown
ignorance of sincere and responsible ef
forts. To the charge that the governors
were using blackmail and boycott tac
tics, Sanders said: “They are absolutely
unaware of the situation.”
More than 300 Georgians wrote
President Johnson urging him to stand
firm against the Southern governors.
The letter was signed by church, civic
and educational leaders.
The Atlanta Journal called the At
lanta meeting “a grave political error.”
The Birmingham News said Wallace
had put one over on Sanders. It was,
said the News, “an artful Wallace
maneuever and strategy” and the pres
ence of other Southern governors . .
“only guaranteed it the drapes of a
statesmanship which of late had
escaped Alabama’s governor.” But San
ders, who has been rumored a possi
ble campaign opponent of U. S. Sen
Richard B. Russell in 1967, said no po-
Southern Governors at Atlanta
George C. Wallace of Alabama, Paul B. Johnson Jr. of Mississippi, Carl E. Sanders
of Georgia, Orval E. Faubus of Arkansas, Albertis S. Harrison Jr. of Virginia,
Robert E. McNair of South Carolina.
More Than 8,000
There are an estimated 27,000 white
and 13,000 Negro teachers in the state.
A loss of 30 per cent of the white
teachers would amount to well over
8,000.
“I have also been told we couldn’t
possibly recruit that many teachers
above the normal turnover and in
creases,” Sanders said.
W. W. Law of Savannah, president
of the Georgia State Conference of the
National Association for the Advance
ment of Colored People protested, say
ing Sanders’ statement tends to “en
courage open defiance of law and or
der in the state and this type of ir
responsible public leadership only leads
to public chaos and shame for the peo
ple of Georgia.”
Jack Greenberg, director of the
NAACP Legal Defense Fund, said in
New York that Georgia was among the
states in which protests were received
concerning loss of jobs by Negro teach
ers because of accelerated school de
segregation.
Dr. H. E. Tate, executive director of
the Georgia Teachers and Education
Association, representing some 11,000
Negro teachers, said the organization
would take full legal action to prevent
members from losing their jobs because
of discrimination.
On May 19, Sanders said the U. S
Department of Health, Education and
Welfare will not require total deseg
regation of school faculties next fall.
The governor said he was led to believe
this because HEW approved a desegre
gation plan for Fulton County schools
that does not call for immediate faculty
desegregation and because of state
ments made by Keppel. Sanders said
Keppel indicated he would accept a
good-faith beginning, such as merely
desegregating faculty meetings.
Keppel replied that he and HEW at
torneys had “faced those issues six
months ago.” Advised of Keppel’s state
ment, Sanders said, “Then we have
been led, in effect, down a primrose
path without being given the benefit
of decisions made six months ago.”
Sanders said it was not until April 29
that Keppel mentioned faculty deseg
regation in announcing the new regu
lations.
The State Board of Education agreed
to take over the job of investigating
any complaints about racial discrimina
tion in the schools.
Three Systems Refuse
But three Georgia school systems—
Taylor, Lincoln and Sumter—said they
did not intend to desegregate their
schools, accord-
LAW
ing to a statement
by Dr. Claude
Purcell, state sup
erintendent o f
schools, on May
19. Taylor and
Lincoln county of
ficials said in let
ters to state edu
cation officials
that local tax
raises might be purcell
necessary because
of loss of federal funds.
Purcell said 66 systems had sub
mitted desegregation plans that have
been forwarded to Washington, 62 oth
ers had filed certificates that desegre
gation plans are being drafted. Sixty
systems had not said what they in
tended to do to comply, Purcell said,
and one of the 196 school systems in the
state—Toombs County—had failed to
respond on any aspect of desegrega
tion.
Seven systems were under court or
der and were bound by court orders
rather than federal regulations.
David Seeley, special assistant to
Commissioner Keppel, said in Atlanta
on May 8 that the 1967 target date set
by his office for voluntary completion
of public school desegregation will not
affect school systems currently sched-
Text Of Governors ? Statement
The following statement was issued
following a meeting of six Southern
governors in Atlanta, with three oth
ers participating by telephone, on
May 9.
Washington Meeting
Sanders and other Southern gover
nors met in Washington with most of
their Senate and House members on
May 18 and agreed they could not
block an order to desegregate schools
receiving federal aid. They decided in
stead to seek modification of the order
There was no defiance and no dis
sent at the meeting, Sanders said. He
Our purpose in meeting today has
been to discuss common problems
growing out of the confused and un
realistic regulations promulgated by the
Federal Commissioner of Education
under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964.
The intent of our meeting is not to
avoid responsibility which we have un
der the law, but, as responsible officials,
it is our opinion that recent interpreta
tions by HEW go beyond the law and
court decisions, and invite numerous
law suits.
A Federal agency has no more right
to extend the law, or any court deci
sion, by regulation and interpretation,
than has any group or individual to
defy the law or any court decision.
Officials of the HEW Department, the
Federal Agency responsible for the im
plementation of Title VI, have issued
numerous pronouncements so conflict
ing and contradictory that confusion
has been piled upon confusion among
the people and officials of our several
states.
The most recent pronouncement en
titled, “General Statement of Policies
under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964” is so far reaching as to jeopar
dize the future of public education in
many school districts throughout the
United States.
Joint Meeting
Following extensive discussions, we
have determined that the most respons
ible, logical and immediate course of
action is through a joint meeting of the
Congressional and Senatorial delega
tions of the several states represented.
This course of action is indicated for
the reason that the members of the
Congressional delegation have daily
and direct contact with the Department
of HEW. This Department is a Federal
Department and the law being admin
istered is a Federal law.
We will therefore individually re
quest our respective Congressional and
Senatorial delegations to meet jointly
at the earliest possible moment so that
we may discuss with them the grave
implication of the regulations, ask for
their assistance and hopefully endeavor
to bring order out of a problem which
now seems to be headed toward chaotic |
conditions.
This meeting, and the course of ac
tion decided upon, is to seek help, and
to give help, in the solution of a
difficult problem. We realize that edu
cation and the welfare of our children
is paramount to all people, of all sec
tions, of whatever race, creed or walk
of life. The problems which concern
us are not beyond solution, if ap
proached with reason, logic and good
will.
Governor Albertis Harrison, Jr., Vir
ginia
Governor Carl E. Sanders, Georgia
Governor Robert McNair, South Caro
lina
Governor George Wallace, Alabama
Governor Orval Faubus, Arkansas
Governor Paul Johnson, Mississippi
Subscribed to in principle bv tele
phone:
Governor Haydon Burns, Florida
Governor Dan Moore, North Carolina
Governor John McKeithen, Louisiana
uled under court orders to finish the
job at a later date.
Atlanta, for example, has been told
by a federal court to complete class
room desegregation by the fall of 1968.
★ ★ ★
School Systems Announce
Desegregation Plans
Various school systems over the state
made known desegregation plans:
DeKalb County became the first
school system to have its desegregation
plan approved in Georgia by the U. S.
Office of Education. DeKalb, with 4,000
Negro students, is the state’s largest
desegregated system. Under the plan,
all 12 schools could be desegregated
this fall since pupils in the system all
may apply for transfer to the school of
their choice.
Cobb County—Will desegregate first,
seventh, 10th, 11th and 12th grades this
fall.
Fulton County—First, second, eighth
and 12th grades will be opened to Ne
groes in September.
Bibb County—Under court order to
desegregate. By the time of the dead
line for transfer applications, 270 Negro
students had applied to enter ninth,
10th, 11th and 12th grades in the fall.
Seventeen Negroes earlier had applied
for admission to the first grade in
previously all-white schools.
Richmond County—First three grades
now desegregated and grades 4-6 had
been approved earlier for next fall.
Board of education voted to desegre
gate 12th grade in September and
grades seven through 11 in 1966. Board
also voted to segregate students by sex
at Richmond Academy.
Lowndes County—Will desegregate
first, eighth, ninth and 12th grades this
fall.
Valdosta—In fall, first, seventh, 10th
and 12th grades will be desegregated.
Jones County—Will open all ^
grades to Negroes in the fall.
Fitzgerald—Provides for Negroes to
transfer to all 12 grades in September.
Turner County—Board of education
makes no mention of race or grades,
but prescribes procedures for trans
fers of students in plan.
Rome—Will desegregate first, second,
third, seventh, ninth and 12th grades
next fall. Forty-six Negroes have al
ready applied for first three grades.
Floyd County—Will open first, sec
ond, third, ninth and 12th grades to
Negro pupils in fall.
Brooks County—Will desegregate
all
grades on a freedom-of-choice basis m
September.
Carroll County—Will accept scl
hool
15.
transfer applications until June
Plan sets up three zones with Negt®
school common to all zones. No P U P !
(See GEORGIA, Page 3)
‘We Need Fresh, New
Vigorous Ideas . • •
Now Who’s First?’
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