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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?’ f I o u w ei N ai b th re IT r s Ja di« rei th; wf ga: sta an Baldy, Atlanta Consth