Fight For Better Schools(1949)

a [Music] the United States today faces a complex world society in which the relative strength of ideas and ideologies can be decisive priding herself on a mighty Public School System America is Awakening to the fact that her schools are IL equipped for today inadequate for the future millions of our children are acquiring a second rate education and as America's population increases the urgency of the problem becomes overwhelming in the last 80 years the US School population almost quadrupled itself the years between 1947 and 1960 will show an increase of another 40% almost 10 million children faced with this problem of inadequate schools and a rising population was the county of Arlington Virginia in 1946 Arlington citizens were all too well aware that their school system was pitifully out ofd many apparent believing that the schools were controlled by a tight political machine felt that there was little chance to take an active part in improving them for interest on the part of citizens was discouraged rather than [Music] welcomed as irritation mounted members of the PTA and other Civic organizations quietly began to investigate their educational system they found that that Arlington's 330 teachers taught almost 11,000 children in overcrowded classrooms they found that many of the rooms were so badly lit that the children's eyesight was in danger three classes were often taught together first and second graders could attend school for only half a day forcing upon overworked Elementary teachers a double load of pupils principes had to spend long hours at exacting clerical work because the school offices were under staff with nothing done to reassure the parents that they could expect anything better they finally decided to act on their own realizing they needed information they took themselves to nearby Washington for help at the Office of Education of the Federal Security Agency some of them learned the expected National Trend in school enrollment they were supplied General background material which could then be applied to the specific situation in Arlington visiting the National Education Association Arlington citizens asked if their schools were really as bad as they thought they were they learned about other school systems had a chance to compare good school systems with their own and found facts supporting their suspicion that Arlington Schools rank below those of comparable areas at the next joint meeting of the school and County boards a group of aroused parents was ready with some embarrassing questions when is the so-called emergency of halfday sessions for first and second graders going to be over when I was in school here 30 years ago it was an emergency measure and now our children are faced with this same emergency some of us parents think that our teachers are carrying far too heavy a teaching load and we would like to know what the board proposes to do about it what can we parents here tonight do to get the school facilities we want told that their only remedy would be to raise money by a bond issue one father Oscar laau went quietly to work his request for volunteers to circulate a petition was passed from hand to hand and leau recruited on the spot some 20 signatures that evening saw the start of a long bitter fight to free Arlington schools from political control it saw the beginning of an amateurish but determined Group which a few days later met to form a Citizens committee for school Improvement with an impressive list of objectives we the citizens committee for school Improvement have taken as our objectives the following in the first place we promise to work other [Music] the first big job of the new citizens committee was a bond issue petition through diligent work the members got 5,000 signatures of taxpayers but nothing happened the petition was sidetracked realizing that only drastic measures could bypass the local politicians Arlington lawyer Malcolm Miller saw an opportunity in a special session of the legislature we're styed as long as the politicians can appoint us school board and stop us from electing one do you think that we'd have any chance of getting some local legislation passed at the special session giving us an elected School Board I know it's a long shot but we've got to take the chance of getting a bill through Malcolm we've got a week to get a bill written okay let's get going Miller and other committee members took their proposed bill down to the state capital in Richmond by law no school board could be elected in Virginia so Miller and his group pleaded for a special Amendment to the Commonwealth statutes Arlington County's own representatives were visited first they promised to introduce Miller's Bill day after day while the assembly was in session the Arlington delegation kept up its Lobby by persuasive arguments and sheer insistence one legislator after another was one over to the committee's side letters and telegrams poured into Richmond state senators and representatives were urged to vote for the amendment which gave Arlington County the right to choose between elective or appointed boards by what seemed a miracle the bill became law in May of 1947 with the referendum of the school election finally on the ballot the citizens of Arlington went to the polls and won by a 2:1 vote the right for its citizens to choose their own board the committee now faced its big fight and its main chance to get a good school board a nominating convention was held where candidates sponsored by 51 Civic organizations were voted on in seven different balloting five candidates were chosen from a field of 23 and it was decided to run them as a slate it was a big night for the citizens committee as well as for the reform nominees over a Year's hard work had gone into making that memorable convention possible now 1400 strong the citizens committee worked with the candidates in setting up a well-knit organization one of the candidates Dr Barnard Joy lent his home as Campaign Headquarters Precinct leaders volunteered and each was assigned a [Music] district each in his turn promised to recruit enough other workers so that the entire County would be thoroughly canvased committee members found the money to run paid advertisements in the local newspaper publicizing the school Improvement candidates [Music] radio time on a local station was procured so that every week for a period of 2 months the better schools Crusaders could Hammer home to their fellow citizens how they would manage the schools if given the chance the task of compiling the names and addresses of taxpayers and voters proved long and laborious mailings to thousands of Voters went slowly until money was scraped together to buy a duplicating machine clerical work was done for the most part by Housewives who devoted almost all their waking hours to the campaign even the children learn to help it seemed that every able-bodied citizen had been enlisted to fight for better schools for [Music] Arlington the citizens committee nominees continued aggressively their expose of school conditions each Saturday they inspected a group of Arling in schools followed by reporters who now gave wide publicity to their findings opponents of Reform were quick to reply that citizens committee is nothing but a bunch of radicals leau group wants soft jobs for themselves in our school system and if that bond issue goes through somebody's going to profit mark my words kindergartens and all day sessions H so the mothers can go gting about the cocktail parties I suppose maybe but I think they're a very sincere group of people I'm for them my dear with excitement High the school Improvement group worked to get out the vote on Election Day for this first school board election in Virginia's history an unprecedented number of citizens turned out to vote some 13,000 the long weeks of strenuous campaigning had paid off and the school Improvement candidates won a smashing 2 to1 Victory with their entire slate elected thus a group of amateurs working against well- entrenched opponents got the people on their side and licked the political machine newly elected board went right to work in order to find out how many new schools and teachers were needed the board asked the Federal Bureau of the census to make a special survey of Arlington County the board discovered that Arlington had almost an eighth of a million people and that its child population was concentrated in the lowest age groups those which would be moving into the schools by 1950 other good sources of information for the new board were citizens advisory committees which reported on school conditions and recommended an even bigger school budget armed with the census and the advisory reports the school board asked for and got A4 and 3/4 million bond issue in November of 1948 with funds assured the board members visited neighboring well-designed schools and looked over sites in the county where their own future schools might be built careful planning with the architect selected assured economy and functional design for seven new schools and for several additions to older ones with plans finally approved construction was started on the new buildings the new board in little over a year had done a job which ordinarily would take years to accomplish besides the construction program Arlington caught up in other ways an improved school health project super vised by a full-time doctor has been put into [Music] effect a halfhazard musical curriculum was straightened out and today even the youngest children learn to toodle an [Music] [Music] instrument keeping Pace with modern Trends Arling int's visual aid program was expanded by the formation of a teaching material [Music] Center there teachers could readily find such needed materials as slide films phonograph records and Motion Picture films over 50 new teachers were hired so that for the first time in decades teachers had a chance to give their pupils some individual care and the benefits of enlightened teaching methods teachers were freed from worry about holding their jobs and could now depend on a standard pay scale a new superintendent William a early had little trouble recruiting new teachers you'll find it great working here miss young between you and me inton is an Educator's dream because the people in this town really are interested in that school meeting regularly to further the Improvement of the nation's schools by citizen groups are a number of prominent Layman who in 1949 formed a national citizens commission for the purpose of impressing on every American the urgent need for him to take an active part in the betterment of his own community schools in New York the commission has set up a clearing house for information on School progress in every part of the country we're very interested to know what Arkansas has been doing Mr bonds Arkansas has always ranked practically at the bottom of the states and so far as money expended for educational purposes goes last year for example we spent only $85 per child this year under our new governor Sid McMath we're making our plans to get off the bottom run of the educational ladder we organized a caravan an educational exhibit on Wheels which during one month traveled over 2,000 miles and exhibited in 16 communities across the state that way we showed these communities the best in school equipment and the purpose of our Caravan is for the people at the Grassroots to see how much better opportunities their children would have if they gave their schools at adequate support we need right now $50 million worth of new buildings we want these to be modern and scientifically planned but we're stretching every dollar that goes into them local districts are raising about 15 million on school bonds and thanks to Governor McMath the state will try to help poorer districts with a million dollars in building Aid this isn't enough but our state is rapidly beginning to climb out of a situation that our citizens and communities realize must be improved the children of Arkansas are going to get the schools they need because we're arousing the citizens to a sense of their local responsibilities it isn't easy as you know Mr toy but we're getting there I know you will commissioner and our compliments to you and Governor mcmah I think you would be interested in seeing what some other areas are doing the commission points with pride to Delaware where much has been accomplished there the citizens organized a Statewide Council which was instrumental in getting $19 million for school construction a raise in Teachers Pay and a general review of the school laws Kentucky too is getting in step with the times and on a local scale Westport Connecticut has completed a comprehensive study in in Great Neck New York superintendent John Miller working with local Civic organizations has made the schools a focal point of the community the national citizens commission is also cooperating with the advertising Council in a nationwide campaign through the Council American Business is contributing millions of dollars worth of advertising space in newspapers and National magazines nearly every Network show on the air has donated time so that the problems of the schools can go to millions of listeners The Outdoor Advertising industry is cooperating Across the Nation the campaign for school Improvement has been wholeheartedly backed by such well-known Educators as Harvard's President James B Conan I believe our system of public education is one of the unique features of the society which we have developed on this continent the formation of the national citizens commission and the development of local groups working for their schools is potentially the most important move in the past 50 years for the advancement of Elementary and secondary education in the American Community there is today a job for all the people here they live and here are their children and their schools and they must decide whether they public schools are equal to The Changing Times and to the needs of a free people well the problem of our schools lies at the heart of our free society and none of man's institutions has a deeper import for his Destiny as a citizen be it in the community the nation or the world [Music]