Freeman v. County School Board

82 F. Supp. 167
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Virginia
DecidedJuly 29, 1948
DocketCiv. A. 644, 631, 175
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 82 F. Supp. 167 (Freeman v. County School Board) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Freeman v. County School Board, 82 F. Supp. 167 (E.D. Va. 1948).

Opinion

*168 HUTCHESON, District Judge.

These three cases involve charges that the school boards of. Chesterfield, King George and Gloucester Counties have discriminated against the plaintiffs on account of their race and color in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

The plaintiffs in case No. 644 are colored school teachers employed by the School Board of Chesterfield County, who claim that by reason of their race and color they are paid a salary less than that paid comparable white teachers employed by the Board of that County.

Cases Nos. 631 and 175 involve plaintiffs who are colored pupils in the public schools and the parents, next friends and guardians of colored pupils in King George County and Gloucester County, respectively. The complaints in those cases are similar in substance and allege that the school boards of those counties have discriminated against the plaintiffs on account of their race and color in that the public schools maintained for the colored children are greatly inferior in construction, equipment and facilities, instructional personnel, libraries and transportation service to those provided for the use of white children.

While the factual issues presented in cases Nos. 631 and 175 differ from case No. 644, the legal questions involved are the same.

The legal principles applicable to the instant cases have been exhaustively set forth in numerous decisions of the Courts. Two of the leading cases from this Circuit are Alston et al. v. School Board of the City of Norfolk et al., 4 Cir., 112 F.2d 992, decided June 18, 1940, and Mills v. Board of Education, D.C., 30 F.Supp. 245, from the District of Maryland, decided November 22, 1939, by Judge Chesnut. Also applicable are the views expressed in Reynolds v. Board of Public Instruction for Dade County, 5 Cir., 148 F.2d 754, and Morris v. Williams, 8 Cir., 149 F.2d 703. While it is true that those cases involved alleged discrimination with respect to salaries of colored teachers, there can be no serious contention to the effect that the principles there set forth do not apply with equal force to discrimination in providing inadequate facilities. Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada, 305 U.S. 337, 59 S.Ct. 232, 83 L.Ed. 208; Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma, 332 U.S. 631, 68 S.Ct. 299, 92 L.Ed.-.

The legal principles are so well settled by the cases cited and the long line of decisions of other courts that I do not deem it necessary to enter into a discussion of the law. No doubt exists that the governmental authorities of the state may not discriminate against' any person or class on account of race or color. Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada, supra; Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma, supra. It follows that when a state, as has Virginia, provides at public expense free educational opportunities for its children, those provided for members of one race must be of substantially the same type as those provided for members of another race. In view of this the only real controversy relates to the factual situations presented in specific cases.

The facts concerning the three actions will be separately discussed.

Arthur M. Freeman et al. v. County School Board of Chesterfield County et al.— Richmond Civil Action No. 644

Prior to 1941, the defendant school board maintained separate salary schedules for white and colored teachers and principals, under which the salary scale for colored teachers was substantially less than that of the white teachers. In that respect the situation in Chesterfield County prior to 1941 was almost identical with the facts in the Alston case. In 1940 the salary of each colored teacher was increased in the amount of $100 per year as a result of protest by colored teachers and other citizens of the county. Thereafter the school board abolished the separate salary schedules and established a schedule applicable to all teachers of the county, in which no reference is made to the race or color of the teacher and upon its face the schedule applies to all teachers alike.

A further controversy arose in 1946, at which time the school board took the position that no discrimination existed. This action was subsequently filed.

*169 The salary schedule in effect for 1946-1947 fixes minimum salaries for various positions ranging from $1250 to $1900 per annum. It is practically conceded that' prior to 1941 discrimination existed. Therefore the question presented is whether discrimination is at present practiced and is likely to continue.

Numerous statistics were filed in evidence. It is shown that for the years 1942-43 and 1945-46 no white teacher received less than the highest salary received by a colored teacher. For the year 1946-47 only 9% of the white teachers received salaries lower than the highest salary paid any colored teacher.

While it is true that the salaries paid colored teachers have been consistently increased, those paid white teachers have increased also. 96% of the white teachers received salaries above the minimum level set for the salary schedule, whereas only 36% of the colored teachers received salaries above the minimum. 91% of the white teachers received salaries equal to or higher than the maximum paid colored. There appears during this period a consistent increase in the number of colored teachers holding degrees. In 1943-44 the percentage was 39 for colored and 35 whites. In 1945 — 46, 52% of the colored teachers held degrees compared with 27% of white teachers. In 1946-47 the percentage of the colored teachers remained the same as compared with 29% for white teachers. The average salaries for 1947-48 are as follows:

White male principals $3625.00

Colored male principals (only one) 2300.00

White female principals 2413.12

Colored female principals 1829.00

White male high school teachers 2508.33

Colored male high school teachers 1850.00

White female high school teachers 1969.92

Colored female high school teachers 1920.00

White male elementary teachers 2600.00

White female elementary teachers 1939.50

Colored female elementary teachers 1769.79

There are four white male principals, whose salaries range from $2550 to $4550. There are eight white female principals,, whose salaries range from $2125 to $3080',. The salary range of the thirteen colored female principals is from $1650 to $2000, only two of them being in the higher bracket. One of those has had twenty-three years’ experience all in Chesterfield County, and the other has had twenty-one years’ experience, sixteen being in the county. The lowest paid white female principal has had twenty-three years’ experience, twelve being in the county.

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82 F. Supp. 167, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/freeman-v-county-school-board-vaed-1948.