a segregated all-white school. Furthermore, the Board has argued that the proposed Robertsville closing is justified by the closing of an all-white school in the area in the recent past. To our knowledge the school referred to was the allwhite Tillman School, which was closed in 1956 and is not located in the northern district boundaries. However, the school Board has omitted mentioning the closing of the all-black Coosawhatchie School, built in 1956 and closed in 1965, which is located in the northern area of the county. Aiding to confirm our view of racial bias in favor of the Grays community is the well-found rumor of the proposed construction of a new Grays area school to replace the existing outdated institution. If this situation arises it would confirm J.O.I.N.'s position that the Grays school was selected not on the grounds of being the superior educational facility or being the most economically advantageous, but upon the fact of its location being situated in the white Grays community. As has been the case in the past, the burden of busing is left to fall on the black community. In light of the evidence presented, and the past actions of the School Board, we feel that the Robertsville children who represent the majority student population will not only be subjected to the strain of long-distance busing, but will also be forced to accept an inferior physical plant condition. We, the members of J.O.I.N., and concerned citizens throughout Jasper County, South Carolina, request an unbiased, on location investigation of our claims by the Office of Civil Rights. We hereby solicit congressional action and pressure as well. Thanking you for your prompt attention in this matter, I remain, LEROY SNEED, Chairman. JASPER COUNTY, S.C., PLAN FOR INTEGRATON OF SCHOOLS The plans in this paper are drawn to eliminate the dual school system in Jasper County, South Carolina. The full intent of each and every article contained in these plans is to establish a unitary school system that will comply with all laws and regulations pertaining to schools by the County of Jasper, The State of South Carolina and the United States of America. These plans are submitted as the best plans to give the children of Jasper County a sound education system taking into consideration the money available, the physical layout of the county and factors such as existing school buildings, road systems and available personnel. Pairing was the basis of making the switch with some modifications to eliminate schools which were too small to offer sound education. Schools of Jasper County on January 1, 1970: 1. Jasper Elementary. 2. Ridgeland Elementary. 3. Jasper High---- 4. Ridgeland High School_. 5. Hardeeville High---- 6. Matthew West High..... 7. Hardeeville Elementary. 8. Matthew West Elementary_ Grays, S.C.: 1. Grays Elementary- 1-6 1-6 7-12 7-12 7-12 7-12 1-6 1-6 1-6 Robertville, S.C.: 1. Robertville Elementary. 1-7 Jasper County has operated its school system on a freedom of choice plan for several years with the following breakdown for the school year 1969-70: Under the proposed plan for Jasper County the following schools would operate with an estimated enrollment based on 1969-70 figures given above: These enrollments would vary from these figures to some extent due to bus routes and access to the various schools. This would however be a close basis from which to work on setting up the schools. BUSING STUDENTS TO SCHOOL Bus routes would be set up on a basis of school locations. The Hardeeville-Matthew West complex would run a unitary bus system to bring all students, grade 1-12 to the two centers. The Grays-Ridgeland-Jasper complex would run a bus system to bring all students, grades 1-12, to these three centers. A division line of distance and population would divide the two systems with no duplication of routes and each child assigned to the nearest center that served his or her grade served by buses from that center. PERSONNEL The personnel of Jasper County Schools would be based on the present faculties of the various schools. All qualified administrators would be hired back to work as administrators in the newly established schools. All principals of the various schools will recommend the teachers in their school (1969-70) to their trustees for re-employment in Jasper County. All teachers will be placed in accordance with the student load and with their certification and abilities. There will be no placement due to race, color, or creed with each person employed being considered only from the standpoint of professional standards. Recruitment of teachers will be done by the principals and the county staff with the selection of qualified applicants being restricted to the school principals and the schools' Board of Trustees. The ratio of teachers will be approximately on the same basis as the ratio of teachers for the 1969-70 School year. Specialized areas would or could be the only exception to the ratio assignments. SCHOOL PLANS AND POLICIES This basic plan of unifying our school system was made for 1970-71 by the committees which you will find listed. These committees were unbiased and included people from all areas of Jasper County and from all of the present schools of Jasper County. These plans are all presented from the standpoint of establishing a good education system and did not take politics or integration into their make-up. These plans will be followed to the extent money is available and Jasper County will work toward implementing them in full as it is practically possible. STUDENT TRANSFER It shall be the intention of the Jasper County Board of Education to allow no school transfers for the purpose of increasing or decreasing integration in the Schools of Jasper County. Respectfully submitted, C. E. Lowther, Chairman, F. A. Nimmer, Thairo Daley, James Cope, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE, Mr. J. D. O'QUINN, Superintendent, Jasper County Schools, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, DEAR SUPERINTENDENT O'QUINN: Our Office appreciated the opportunity of meeting with you in Columbia, South Carolina, on April 28, 1970, to discuss desegregation plans for the Jasper County School District. We received your letter and enclosed plan on May 8, 1970, and we are pleased to inform you that your plan, when implemented, will be adequate to meet the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. From your plan, it is our understanding that your district will be completely desegregated at the beginning of the 1970-71 school year. Pupils are to be assigned to schools based on geographical zones established by the district and no school will duplicate the grades of another within the same zone. All pupils will attend the schools in the zone in which they reside. The proposed organization of schools and the estimated 1970-71 enrollment by race is as follows: The faculty will be assigned in the district so that the ratio of Negro and white teachers in each school will reflect the ratio of Negro and white teachers in your entire district. Administrative assignments will be made as indicated below: In all other respects, Section 10 of the enclosed Policies on Elementary and Secondary Compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 will guide the district in relation to employment of professional personnel. Your district's request on behalf of Robertville residents that the Robertville School be permitted to remain as an all black school cannot be allowed; however, you could, as an alternative, "pair" the Robertville and Grays Schools or use the Robertville School as the only elementary school for the area rather than the Grays School. The information you have provided indicates although the Grays facility is older, it is an adequate facility and has two more classrooms than the Robertville School, plus a gymnasium. You have also informed us that use of the Grays facility only would require less transportation than use of the Robertville facility or use of both schools on a paired basis. In addition, we understand that severe drainage problems at the Robertville School have contributed to your decision to close that school. Under these circumstances, this Office can accept your provision for closing the Robertville School as meeting legal requirements. It is our further understanding that the dual transportation system will be eliminated with all pupils transported to schools on a unitary basis and all aspects of your school system, including but not limited to activities, services, programs, and facilities will be operated in a racially nondiscriminatory manner. In order to clarify that aspect of your plan which states "these plans will be followed to the extent money is available and Jasper County will work toward implementing them in full as it is practically possible", Mr. Lamar Clements telephoned you on May 12, 1970. In that conversation, you indicated that the statement related only to certain curriculum proposals and does not impose any contingencies upon implementation of your desegregation plan. We believe that the above accurately reflects the desegregation plan as clarified by the telephone conversations to which we referred. It is important that within ten days of the date of this letter we receive written confirmation that the plan outlined herein has been adopted by your Board and constitutes the agreement between the district and this Office. We appreciate your leadership and that of your staff and Board in development of this plan. If our Office can be of further assistance to you please do not hesitate to call upon us. Sincerely yours, LLOYD R. HENDERSON, Education Branch Chief, Office for Civil Rights. (Whereupon, at 12:20 p.m. the Select Committee on Equal Educational Opportunity adjourned, to reconvene at 10 a.m., Tuesday, June 23, 1970.) EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 1970 U.S. SENATE, SELECT COMMITTEE ON EQUAL The committee met, at 10:20 a.m., pursuant to notice, in room 3302, New Senate Office Building, Senator Walter F. Mondale (chairman) of the committee) presiding. Present: Senators Mondale, Randolph, and Brooke. Staff members present: William C. Smith, staff director and general counsel. Senator MONDALE. Our meeting will come to order. Our first witness this morning is Mr. G. Holmes Braddock, who is chairman of the Dade County Public Schools, Dade County, Fla. We are delighted to have you here this morning, Mr. Braddock. I have a copy of your testimony. You may proceed as you wish. STATEMENT OF G. HOLMES BRADDOCK, CHAIRMAN, DADE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD, MIAMI, FLA. Mr. BRADDOCK. Thank you, Senator. It is a real pleasure for me to appear before this committee. I will try to excerpt my report. Senator MONDALE. We will include the full statement as though read in the record, and you may emphasize such portions as you wish. (The statement of G. Holmes Braddock follows:) PREPARED STATEMENT OF G. HOLMES BRADDOCK, CHAIRMAN, DADE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD, MIAMI, FLA. It is a real pleasure for me to appear before this "Select Committee on Equal Educational Opportunity." At the outset, I must make clear that I am speaking as Holmes Braddock, who happens to be the Chairman of the Dade County Florida (Miami) School Board. I am not here as the official spokesman for our Board, nor do my views necessarily represent the majority of our Board. I am, however, speaking to these issues as I have done many times publicly for the past several months. I do not presume to be an authority on the total aspect of Equal Educational Opportunity but having served for the past seven and one-half years on the school board of the sixth largest school system in the United States, I have been exposed to much of what has taken place in education. Being a native-born, native-reared, and native-educated Southerner, for which I am completely proud, I can speak to the issue of segregated education and the hyprocrisy surrounding the attitude of much of the South. SOUTHERN SEGREGATION AND COMPLIANCE You distinguished gentlemen are, of course, aware that the South had de jure segregation until May of 1954. However, in arguing for segregated education, we |