As the SOUTHERNER went to press last week, the Atlanta Board of Education
went to court. At that time, two plans were submitted to Fifth District
Judge Frank Hooper for review, one for faculty integration and another for
student integration. When the proceedings began January 12, teacher integration
commanded the spotlight.
The Atlanta system's call to court emerges as one of the many issued to
Southern school districts recently. What makes it different is that the
Atlanta case began 12 years ago--on January 11, 1958 to be exact. And because
this is not the first court order (202 previous legal moves have been made
during the suit), it is unlikely that Judge Hooper will allow the system
a delay until next fall as has been extended to some other school district.
What it all boils down to is that on March 4 the faculties of each school in the system will be adjusted to reflect the racial makeup of the entire school system. This is a 57% Black, 43% White ratio in total but breaks down to 60:40 in the elementary schools and 52:48 in the high schools.
Approximately 1800 of the 5000 teachers in Atlanta will be transferred. About 35 members of Grady's faculty will be shifted The school presently has six Black instructors.
SPECIAL CASES EXEMPT
At the time the system went to court, it appeared that the integration plan
would include some sort of lottery coupled with a seniority plan. Teachers
with over 21 years of service and those above age 60 would be exempt. Other
allowances would have to be made for persons instructing special classes.
Principal Roger Derthick feels that Atlanta should be granted a delay because it has previously followed the integration guidelines. The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered the termination of all dual school systems but Principal Derthick, as well as many other education officials, do not feel the Atlanta system is segregated. Statistics pretty well bear this opinion out.
What will be the result of this integration plan? No one can say for
sure, though practically everyone has speculated. Dr. John Letson, Superintendent,
is following the course he must by trying to persuade everyone involved
to stay cool. On a December 17 television message, he used the phrase, "Make
change with maximum advantage, minimum disruption".
The ruling may result in wholesale teacher resignations but jobs around
the state are scarce. It will probably result in a quicker resegregation
of the city as white families move out to avoid integration.
Undoubtably, some teachers will resign if transferred. The number, though,
is unpredictable. Principal Derthick said in December that he felt the middle
group, those with 10 to 15 years left to go to receive their pension, would
see the most resignations. Those with just a few years left will stick it
out whereas those who just came in the system were aware of the problem
when they were hired.
Grady's teachers were questioned as to their reactions to the faculty shakeup.
by Peggy Freedman
A survey was conducted December 16, 1969 on the teacher lottery. All teachers
were asked to complete a question form and return it to the SOUTHERNER.
Out of a faculty of sixty, only ten per cent returned the survey.
When asked what their course of action would be if the lottery were passed,
one teacher said she would change schools willingly, three stated they would
either quit or retire and three were undecided. Of those who had not yet
decided, they said the determining factor would be where they were placed.
One teacher expressed her feeling about the lottery by stating, "If
teachers are to be pushed around like so many cod in a net, I'm not sure
I want to be associated with a profession that is so little esteemed."
AGAINST LOTTERY
All of these teachers agreed that there should not be a lottery. This system
of teacher integration is not only unfair for the teachers, but would also
be detrimental to the students' education by interrupting the school year.
A member of the faculty expressed her feeling by stating, "I agree
there should be more black teachers, in heavily integrated schools, but
I don't think white teachers can be as effective as young black teachers
in all-black schools."
CREATE CONFUSION
The opinions about the result of the lottery concerning students' education
were varied. One teacher said, "I think there will be a lot of confusion
initially, then a leveling off. Standards can remain high if parents' don't
panic and influence their children not to work." Another expressed
her feeling by stating "Any. disruption of a school in mid-year will
not benefit anyone involved: administrators, teachers, or students. As a
result of such action in mid-year, I believe that a whole school year will
be wasted."
The results of a teacher lottery during the midddle of the year would mean complete turmoil. It would interrupt the education of the individual student. A transition of teachers would be confusing to many students and lessons would be lost. Difficulty in getting accustomed to a new school would be a problem influencing over half of our teachers.
Will this crisis break the backbone of Grady? We, the students, must provide the school with a steady constitution.