EWP Gray Commission Image Page 016

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Description

Page 16 of the Gray Commission Report Appendix II details the Commission’s continued efforts to develop a legal strategy to prevent enforced school integration following the Supreme Court’s ruling on May 31, 1955. It highlights that the Commission, in consultation with legal experts and state officials, has studied various legislative options but acknowledges that significant statutory changes are required, affecting school governance, funding, teacher employment, and local policies. The report stresses the need for careful and deliberate action, warning that hasty decisions could severely damage Virginia’s public school system, and emphasizes that addressing these issues requires extensive legislative planning and constitutional considerations.

Tag

prevent enforced integration; framework of law; studied and evaluated various plans and programs; final decision of the Supreme Court of the United States; effects of the Supreme Court's latest enunciation; education of our youth; decisions of the Supreme Court; complex changes; appropriations by local tax levying bodies; joint State and local responsibility; public schools are the creature of law; exhaustive study; complex statutory changes; Constitution of Virginia

Place

Virginia

Identifier

1032705

Is Version Of

1032705_GreyCommission015.jpg

Is Part Of

Uncategorized

Gray Commission

Date Created

2024-01-07

Format

PDF

Publisher

Digitized by Edwin Washington Project

Rights

Loudoun County Public Schools

Language

English

Replaces

/Volumes/T7 Shield/EWP/Elements/EWP_Files/source/Ingest Two/Arciero/Tonys_Files/History project/The Book/Additional information/integrationfolder/GreyCommission015.jpg

extracted text

APPENDIX II
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, JUNE 10, 1955.

To: ;
HONORABLE THOS. B. STANLEY, Governor of Virginia

The Commission in its report to Your Excellency, dated January 19,
1955, stated that it would explore avenues toward formulation of a pro-
gram, within the framework of law, designed to prevent enforced integra-
tion of the races in the public schools of Virginia. In furtherance of that
aim, counsel, working closely with the undersigned, the full Commission,
the executive committee, a committee of attorneys conmsisting of three
members of the Commission and many others, has studied and evaluated
various plans and programs of suggested legislation and has now reached
some general conclusions.

By necessity no plan or program could be evolved until the final de-
cision of the Supreme Court of the United States was rendered. This was
done on May 31, 1955, and, at the request of Your Excellency, the under-
signed called a meeting of the Commission on June 8, 9 and 10 for the
specific purpose of considering the effects of the Supreme Court’s latest
enunciation concerning the public school system in Virginia.

Throughout its deliberations the Commission has been fully conscious
that one of the most important functions of State and local government
is the education of our youth. It has been at all times guided by the

~ realization that education for the children of this State is of paramount

consideration.

The plans the Commission has under consideration, necessitated by
the decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States, require numerous,
involved and complex changes in the present laws of Virginia. Such
changes relate to the State Board of Education, local school boards, appro-
priations by local tax levying bodies, the employment of teachers, their
tenure in office and retirement, distribution of school funds by the State,
and other related matters. No political subdivision of Virginia can initiate
a system designed to achieve an orderly and equitable adjustment con-
sistent with law before the enactment of appropriate legislation by the
General Assembly and the formulation and application of local policy
thereunder. The Court in its opinion of May 31, 1955, recognized that a
variety of obstacles would have to be eliminated before any transition
could be had to a school system operated in accordance with its views. The
responsibility for assessing and solving these problems was placed on the
school authorities. In Virginia the public schools are the creature of law
and operate as a joint State and local responsibility. Time and exhaustive
study are required for the formulation and enactment of legislation if the
interest and welfare of the pupils of both races, the protection of the status
of the teachers, and the financial problems involved are to receive con-
structive attention. Hasty action could well result in the serious impair-
ment or destruction of the public school system. This should be as obvious
to all who have carefully considered the problem confronting the State

and the localities, as it is to the Supreme Court of the United States itself.

Because of the many complex statutory changes involved and the
necessity to consider many of them in the light of the Constitution of
Virginia, it has not yet been possible for the Commission to work out

16

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