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Ro:en Lerr:.s La Frankie

I:r.s ;rojeci was ccne lnder tj.te supervlsion of:

Prctessor iiarr;.' L. 3rov,i , jr. , S-consortroies sor Davic B " AustrnPrcfessor Robert A. Dentier

A: -rc.,'ec J-,' :i,e Connliiiee

IJd LE

on :re Degree of Doctor cf Education

[4AY 1 1967

S "rbnittec ln iarii. i f uIf iliment of ther-q -lr..rents for tre DeEree of Doctor oi Eciucatron

ieachers Coiie,e, Colur,rbia Unlversity

1967

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Statement of Proiect

This project is a case study of the public school conflict which

occuned in Englewood, New Jersey, a suburb of New York C.l ' ' Engle-

uood is a residential community of over 27,000 located two miles from

the New Jersey engance to'the George Washington Bridge and was one

of the ftst northern communities to receive national prominence because

of the racial problems which confronted its public schools.

The purpose of this project was to describe and analyze the crlti'

cal Board of Education's policy decisions that had relevance to the issue

of racial segregation in the public schools of Englewood from 1930 to

1963. Events and Critical Policy Decisions were e:{amined for the im-

rnediate and ultimate effects and influences felt by all parties who had

| '8toke' ln the issues

This study is concerned wtti the nature of the dectsion-maktng

Flcess as it operated in Englewood, New Jersey, the people who h-: :

ctme intolved, and @ and lgu the lmpasse occuned. to illuminate

lhls, seven Critical Policy'Dectsions have been studied r'l relatton to:

(l) the ptanning process, (2) policy-making, (3) politlcaltechnlgues

cnd, (4) 6d6inistlative procedures :

Procedures Followed

A case study approach was employed in an atiempt to describe del

clilon*rnaking by the Boards of Education and Superlnteirdents. ltd;b'j'i

)

:i3a ,1ct ihe cr::.::f : ci la';:::E reie.'a:.ce :o. of l::'--'llcations for racral

s':lre,:raiion were lccordeC as pert.t;lent Cata ' These ciata were then or-

c.lnized lnto ten topical caiegor:;.es ' An examinati:n of the dat3 revealed

i.cisions made by the Boal<j ui ijr'ic.:].:,,:.. d;ii sJpi]: ]]]i.ri.JCais ' .:1 .:l^ ] rJ

extended, alleviated, or rnaintained e c:ildiijon of racial seqreg?ti'n iI:.

t:e Englewood Public Schocls. The*qe decisions which resulted in the

es..3ilishment or continuation of school policy having relevance to racial

segregatron j.n the public schools were termed "Critical Policy Decisions'

Seven Criticai Policy Decisions were identified and became the basis

for iurther research carried out to determine the nature of the significant

processes utilized through which the decision-makers took action and

r,rade decisions.

Newspaper accounts of the events were researched from the files

oi the Enqlewood Press Io and from articles of various dally papers'

Fro::.i these materia.Is, an exhaustive chronolOgy was developed Of major

events which had relevance to racial segregation'

The writer resofied to an event analysis technique to make obser-

vatlons concernj.ng interactions and relationships of various community

,iroups. As a supplement and to provide additional data' numerous per-

5!.,31 interviews were conducted vJith participants and observers'

Conclus ions

Tr': frnai phase of the study consists of the v'riter's attempt

j j/' : -' :!1r,rnQS from the study of the decision-making process'

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the publrc schoo.is rras, and con_..,lir,itr 5^ io L.e a m.jor problenr confronting the City of Englervood

.i poil;y of r,rcial scgrcgJrion and contar:t:r,er.! wds aciualiy ac_:i\'.i), pursucd by the formal porver structure even as late as 1962.

Thc ncntbers of the tsoards of Education vrere not the ,,real,, deci_slo;:-riakers of Board of Education policy.

Elforts of former Superintendents of School to exert influence inri,c decisron-making process were largely ineffective.

The crtl' councir and lvfayor became jnvorvel borh officiaily and

rrotfrcialry in the decision-rnaking process concerning natters and

:rircjes clearly within the p,.rrvielv of the Boards of Education.

The Engrewood experience, r", a"arr" to sensitize the reader toc{iflain influences and relationships whiclr are like.ly to be found, a!_:i.ough not in exactly the same lorrd, irr most other citjes. Therefore,r::y ctty which underlakes to desi'qregate its public school population

ho:ld certaiiry find it fruitful to read this study and to'profit from these.ricriences so that the mistakes made by the Boards of Education and

Superintendents in Englewood might be avoided.

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prc.ic-sis oi racral sc.jregatton,in ncriler:.1 public scllocis have

:r"': .:J-::inl rn nulrbcr a;.rc siEni{icance si;ce ii,e time of the s:rpiene

C:-:i c.:ctsion of 1954. O;.re of the first northeir cc;nnunrties lo receive

'..r:r::..:l atie;itron because of the racial proble;:s confronting public

lc::;cls r.,as Englewood, New Jersey.

Engiewood. a reside jrtial communit), of over 27 ,ACl located

:H; ;ties fro,tr the New Jersey entrance to the George Vlashinjton Bridge,

t: u ra:ier unique conimunity in rnany ways, a conmunity that mi;ht wellr{Tre ds a nicrocosnl for further study, especiaily regarding the issue of

ra:.ll se;regation of northern urban centers.

Probably the most serious problem to conftont the city slnce its

t'rr5l(-:rce arose lrom charges of racial serreEation in the public schools,

cc::,o::!y.referred to ds the de Iggl-g segregation issue. The problem had

::c :,e:rcsls prior to the turn of the century, but after 1g30, the problern

:.;dii lc take on a more significant meanin.g, finally compelling the Board

(.: !c-co:10n, Supertntendent, and ultimately the total community, offi_

ilr:.i ro recog.ize and seek a viabre settrement to the impasse that con-

3c:,:ro ihe clty. Many plans, policies, administratlve procedures, ex_

.n-i ri:.:iions, and polltical techniques were advanced to solve the raclal

;3.:;ens a.s r,hey arose; but, at rnost, they served only as temporary

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sil-ili::rs untii oiher crrses arcse. Much ir:ne, effort, mone!'. e:1d frus-

:raitJii hsve been the price paic for atte:t)ctlng to maintain !:.e status quo

d.r!; i.:ilin.l to recoE:rrze anc to ceal efiec'rively !!ith the neei for change.

Bchavioral scientists iend to agree that change, r^hether it is

l::C;cei b),nat'.rre or by iran. results in co;rflict. Nothing sig:lificEnt in

::€ i.ttlic of education or related areas cen be accomplished vrihout a cer-

tetn anount of struggle and conflict. as conflict is the natuIal olrreiative

.ii ch3nqe. Changing the stalus quo when conditions wanant it b€comes

<lr o:reration requlring great skili, even \f]]en one possesses ti'ie back-

qrorld and know-irow necessary to have a reasonably Jood chance for

success. On the other hand, failure to recojnize the neeci for change

renis ro multiply the problem within the static condition and often results

rn catrstrophic consequences sometimes brought about by a neglect on

rhe part of the decision-makers to take full and sensitlve account of the

slakes of all persons or qroups to be touched or influenced by the deci-

srcn. Neglect in turn leads to an inadequate or distorted perception of

the real problem at hand.

This problem of raciai segregation was created over an extend-

cd perlod of time by people who lived together in a community in a defi-

ltlc stdte of transition. This study is concerned wlth these people and

v;irn how and y{y the resultant impasse occurred. An attempt will be

naie at the same time to show the cleavages that spllt the commurrity.

The followlng, then, are the resealcher's propositions: (l)

Prror to reachlnq a viable solution in a condltlon lnvolving a maJor

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l;:ii..rssc, a ccrtain conditjoning perlod must pass in order for the co.n-

xrJnlt), to br:come nrore receptive to change. (2) Chanqe rneans confirct -

;:tiie of signiircance in the field of education or related dreas can be ac-

c,:,;illrshed \Aithout a certain amount of struggle anC conflict as contlrc!

ls ii'.e natural correlatlve of chan3e. (3) Prior to reaching a viable soiu-

:to:: of a ma.jor soclal-ecol\omrc riilemma much conflict, tlme, effort,

:,c::oy, and frustration are expended, resultin3 in a certain amount of

rlsie and mlsunderstanding. (a) The "logic" of the planning process

a:rC the expert professional advlce and counsel rendered by educatlonal

rcnrnrstrators is often thwarteci and/or transformed from its original con-

lr\t on the 1^ays to becoming actual policy. Ifwe focus on the actions

ol rhe loard of Education and the Office of the Sr-iperintendent, it bec.ones

&LvloJs that Boards of Education ncrmally tend to perpetuate the interests

c:ii culiures they represent.' Too, the office of Superintendent of Schools

ll o ;uasi-political offlce and therefore 1s quite llkely rendered Ineffec-

!11! by vrtue of the nature of the position and relatlonship to hls

t.:.plo1,er--the Board of Education. (5) Rational declslon-making as a

r:ii:j,!rd of good planning is an ideal, but real orqanizations (like real

;*.;.ie) do not make decisions in a substantially rational rnurrn"r.l F*-

It!j, lIc determlnation of what constitutes rational behavior cannot be

rt.in hllhout reference to the obJectives of the lnfluential partles to a

i,l ':all(-i. Declsion-making \^1thin the political power structure is often

:lliartln Meyerson and Edward C.

lbc Pubirc Interest (Glencoe, Il1.: TheBanfield, Polltics, PlanninoFree Press, I955) p. 15.

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,rri;r('d dt nalntair)lnu thc status of thc inlluential. In practice, thls ob-

lecrlve takcs precr:cience over dccision-nraking based upon carefullv

;;i;,.rcteci, lon_:-r;::rge planning.

T:us, the Englewoocl experiences to be presented jn this paper

::)d"v scrve io sensitrze the reacer to certain rnfluences and reiationships

Bhic)', dre lrkely to be found, althou3h not in exactly the same form, in

:r'osi oiher cities, Tiierefore, any city which undertakes to desegregate

rls public schcol population is almost certain to meet problems similar to

ir,os!'encountered by the Board of Education and lts superlntendent ln

i'glewood. Generally speaking, the public interests which came lnto

crnlllct in Englewood should be indicative of the public interests that

no;,conflict in other cities facinJ a crisis of thls nature.l

The purpose of this project is to describe and analyze the

cntlcar Board of Education's policy decrsions that had relevance.to the

lssue of racial segregaiion in the erementary schools of Engrewood, New

lcrsey, fron 1930 to 1963. The critical policy decisions have been

rl:Cred in relation to: (l) the plannlng lrocess, (2) pollcy_maklng,

ili politicat techniques and (4) administrative procedures.

The Board of Educatlon and office of the Superlntendent were

ll,r' tocdl polnt for the study. competing considerations were described

.:,:tJ thc resultant critical pollcy decisions analyzed (galns and penaltles)

I Martin Lieyerson and ldward C.g_{_$g_lgbllc Interest (Glencoe, Il1.: The

Banfield, Politics, plannlnqFree Press, l95S) pp. ll-15.

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.rr:,) irrc ilrijJaci on th{r sclrools and t}le conlrnunity. The influences and

; )::ii.s erieried Dy'rhe resircnsible decisron-rnaking groups on each other

h,,:.,dssessrtci in the lljht of the rolc the Board of Educatlon and the

li.;p^-rrrenie nt played , Tire iInmedr.rte and ultimate ef fects and inf luen-

"'rr leli bl all parties wlo had a ,,siake" in the issues v;ere traced and

i'::crrb,:d frorn thcir tentative beqinnings through the actual declsions

irld* ln each case to show how the decisions nriqht have been trans_

l:-'.::cd rn the process.

The nature of the decision-makinJ process, or -h-gly declsions

rrrc reachec and vfu ihey were ultimately advanced as solutions to the

::ii-,Jsse uere considered analyticaily. The aim was to describe how ad_

:l:lstrJtive and poiitical decisions were made and to provide a framework

.l irdly5ls to enable one to see how better decisions might be made.

Tlre study does not include a specific list of recommendations

:';i {rcilon. The inteliectual objectlve was rather to assess these general

itrr;r'5r:tons and critical policy decisions from the point of view of

;'l::rcdl socio.logy and the theory of administration via a case study ap_

;r:xch. Tire study was conducted over a period of eighteen months. Ex-

'r-rrvp lntervie\'/s \rcre conducted with leading particlpants for the pur-

...:e cl supplenenting and interpretlng extenslve matertals secured from

Jr .,: n111 5, nlnutes, speeches , and newspaper fiies.

In the conduct of the study, the writer did extenslve research

r!:.!:c;rertod irom 1930 to 1963, including all , or portlons of, the re_

!lrr1 o! tlrree chief school adminlstrators.

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T:ls.',,,is (l st,lci), oi'.::; i::gicv,'ood, New Jersey school con-

:ir.t. A cas. s:::j. arjrroacii',..es e;iplo)'!-ci in the atteiript to descrlbe

'.- '- I ';- loarcis cI Ei:cation and Superintendents from

.' -ll to l:-o3 ir. ::ai'.ers rela'.ed ro racial se.Jregatlon.

The cfficial minutes of the Boards of Education for the perlod

ir,':r 1933 ro 196: were e;iami.ed as a starting point of the study. Every

;1.:r il:at met the criterion of having relevance to or implications for

rrcral se;re;ation was recordeci as pertinent. These data were then or-

,14::::ed into ten topical categories as follows: (1) Changing Boundary

'-:. cs (2) Stuceni Transfers (3) Staff Personnel (4) Public Relatlons (indi-

r':'i:ais) (S) Public Reiations (interest groups) (6) School Plant Planning

i.') Currlculum Revrsions, Additions, Total Instructional Program (B) Com-

.-::it-y Surveys, Studies, Trends, Predictions, Statistics (9) Human Rela-

Itr,:,s (it) Superiniendents - White - Stearns - Shedd.

,;j'_,' :Crnliflcation of Critical Policv Decislons

An ex?mination of the <iata drawn from mlnutes of the Boards of

lrl.:co!1()n or;anized in the ten catelories revealed decisions made by the

;1;a:Cs of Education and Superinterideirts which had extended, allevlated,

1.r ::alrtalned a condltion of racial segregation ln the Englewocd Publlc

Scl:ools. These declsions which resulted ln the establlshment or con-

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l::,..dilor o! sc:,-,-i :c)rc;.'havrng relcvance io racial segregatlon tn the

;,lirc scl)oL\is i\ere:.rned critical pollcy iecisrcns. for a ciecislon to

ir:l.ssl:iei es a cri::cdl polic! declsion, lhe cecision had to havere-

:...jr,:c r:) d ::,.as:rei ci^ange in the starus ggg cr to hdvc naintained the

':.1'1s i-r ;:.-r:i:s:t:.ccs in \ri]lci'r si.aj^.ci:E pollcy rtas uncier attack.

:i.r r, l; crder'.o r. icentifieci as a criiicai pol.icy ciecision, the decision

:..ic lo ire prececec:.r'a:id,/or followed by a serres of connrunity reverDer-

,r:r:;:s rn the ior:r of conflicts inraclvrlg individuals or co;nnrunlty organi-

l*Ci:orolocv oi Events

Sever crrtr.cai policy decisrons v.'ere icientified. They, in turn,

:rcdne the centers of inq|iry aimed at describing the process by which

cc.lsloiis v;ere rrade in matters related to racial seeregation in the schools

,': l:rqiewood, New lersey. In this'phase cf the study, newspaper ac-

;:r-it:il dnd other records2 of events surrouiiding the seven crltical policy

1A cierailei account of the events were compil-ed by referring to: ..J ,rf rr, v,s!-.apers: Enqleu.ood Press -[ournai, Ber:en Evenina Record, New

-.-':-.---g!, lJer'ari Star Ledrier, anci ihe liew Yori Herald Tribune. Compre-'-. ilJ! lrawspaper frles belongrng to the lnglewooci School District from::i. rr:ouqh 19J3, anci newspaper files of Mrs. Robert Greenberg, a cltl-:c' .rl [;r';lewcx]d, were utilized for the stuCy. Where newspaper refer-"'ir'!i)irccs Iack paqe nurnbcrs, it'1s because pdqe nuntbers were un-iirr;dl.ic from the newsijaper files used in this study.

2Tlre wrirer was in the unique position as assistant principal of:)ri,;hi Morrow Hrgh School, the publrc high school of Englewood, New,rr'..v. lie, iherefore, irad access to records, rnemoranda, first-hand:'1.:j:::Jllon anci, actually, he was a participant observer during the periodi:.:a irirst, 1962 lo August, 1966.

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.:,.,'iSioi)S r\ar.3 a _:: :::i,J. Fronl th.esC i]t.tterials, a;i r-:i:.aistive ChrOnOi_

.',,\es deva]a--a: i: :rjcr evc.iS reie'a.ti to rscral se:rL-gition \^,hich

' r-,.tr r- c-^ -. !.-ircu 1i, !:.r-:,,.:._.u ;:iinq the thi'rti-two ;,ear perioJ stuciied.

.',: .,. :l rs of t:." :i : :s :: :-\1aki1g_process

VJli:- :.-,:s c::arieC chronolo;y p,repared, t:e researcher

u::rlyzeci tne ei..:.:: r:-i:he cjecision-naking lrrocess. The process by

h:ICr crltical .D:t:,-- ieclsions were made was descrr:ed in relatlon tO

::.: follcwing: (i) :_-.e planning process, (2) policy-rnaki;:E, (3) political

i{:l:-r}ques and (_:i ea.::inistrative procedures. From thrs description the

'^ilie! v!as able tc::serve the inieractrons and relationships among in-

ct'lduals and e:,:._:1itlr groups reflected in the record and to see how

r|.e dctions reialec io o;re event impinged upon and created conditions re-

1u:ilng in anothe! €',€nt in the chain of decisions-

blervlews

One acci:tonal technique was employed in narshalling the data

!t ihe study. Tr:e yj.iter and one assistant, Mr. Ronald Breiger l, a "tu-C.r:t at DwiJhr Mcr:-ov; Eigh School, conducted over eiEhty formal and in-

lcr::.al interviews- I:tierviews were arranged with certain partlcipants

rn,l cbservers incluc!n; two of the Superintendents of Schools2. The

lM.. 3r.r;".'" contribution was parilcularly valuable because hefrld crevtously es:allished a good reputation with the Negro community of[:r; le*ood .

2lntervie'ros we,e conducted with former Sujerintendent Flarry L..!i.arns, and lv{arx R. Shedd, present Superintendent oI Schools.

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..1,:'. 11r\,,s, c!]ndllatcd idl(ri,l\, .rftcr ihe construcito;t of ti:e basic chronol-

:.r' oi r)ver)ts, sca\,r-:ai iif o purposes i.n particular: They prOvided the

*::ior v, itir dn opLrortJrti.i:i to test the accuracl, and completeness of his

;.:, l1;;1i11.i11, accounts ;nd to collcct nuli)erous details that added further

ii 5i.;lris it)io the eve:.ts a:iC tencieci to tre the various events together.

l ricrvie\\s, iherefore, \'ere noi stanciard in content but they were entered

l:'.o \rIih the purposcs r.reniioned above and usually to add other specific

ric:rs of rnfcrn)ation required to reflect accurately the events as they took

; lacc trnci rhe parts individuals and groups played in this unfolding.

qers.l-q!e-l-r

The final phase of the studl, consists of the writers attempt to

ir{lw out meanings from the data on the decision-making process collected

u:rc analyzed in this study of the f,nglewood School Conflict. Emphasis

j:r ihis concluding seciion is placed upon testing the valldlty of the

rr:r'..r's prevtously stated propositions reJarding the conflict theory as

li.cse oropositions related to the issue of racial segreqatlon and the re-

5-il3:.: critical decisions that \^'ere made relevant to the Englewood

Scr-ocl Conflict.

format of the Report

The study is dlvided into four parts. Part One is devoted to

irrc dcvelcirnent of the historicai background and ecologlcal characterls-

tl:is of tie cc;nnunity. Part T\ro provides the reader wlth an extenslve

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i,r:l:rology of evcnis fronr lS'30 to ]963 that had rclevance to the issue of

;li:,rl se;;re-;atron in f,ngicuood. Thts part is littroduced as a lneans of

ri.rssifying all signrf icarlt events. showirrg ho\A' thc) *'ere iltcrrelated,

!r.:s provldrng a frame('ork of reference usecj as a basis for conductinl

lc:lr,al onci jnfornral intervier!s of certain participants. The detailed

r.:i,)rology also proviies the reader the unique cpport.unity to assess the

r]il,l utrlized by the rariter thereby permitting the reader to arrlve at his

oln conclus ions .

Part Three is inuoduced as a sequential follow-up in an

or:clytlcal attempt to focus on the decision-makers, to better understand

i.&l\\ decisions made were arrived at and why these particular declsions

rore made.

Part four identifies and describes the Critical Policy Declsions

r:ode by the decision-makers, the alternatives faced and the consequences

lo ihe communlty.

The Summary and Conclusions follow which tend to point up the

',il;lCit),'of the researcher's original propositions. Much evldence ls pre-

lertecj ihat iras serlous implications for other cities facing the problem of

trctel segregation within public schools.

TABLE OI CONTENTS

Page

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::ST OI' iLLUSTRATIONS

PART I" HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Sorne Re]evant Laws and Court Cases .

I. Roberts vs. City of Boston of lB492. New Jersey School Law of l88l3. PIcssy vs. ferguson Dbcisjon of lB96.1. The I947 Constitution of the State of New Jersey5. The United States Supreme Court Decision of

May I7, 19546. New Rochelle Case of t96l

Ecologicai Characteristics of Englewood . . .

l. Geographic Location2. "lr{ain Street" Community3. Development of Serious Conflicts4. Engiewood In ltansition5. Religious Characteristics of the Community6. The Four Wards7. Englewood's School Buildingst. The Private and Parochial Schools9. Student Rccognition of Problem

10. Four Factors Contributing to Segregatlon

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i.r.:,: li. C1:IiO;\OLOGY Oi t'.:l:-S r::-:\'"')if TO RACiAL

Si-Clii(l;lllcrN ilr' lLGLI,"-OOD (i930 - 1963)

ii:; o: SLrpcrinteitic:ti \\'Iiio:, J. U'i'.!:.

i. f ir:,i F.',:cicL:c Rrie;.:.c=s -.o Raci3l Seq!egationl. I'rist Poitcl Decisrci iilt'"a:r; io Racia] Segre-

!T al icnj. l. f .irl: i'tro Sigrriicant EVents.i. Trc lr.c"r Lr:rcc]n junicr High School

i:: ol Supcrrniendcni Harrl' L. S:eari:s.

I . iorl;,' Ch;rges of SegregationJ. De {i;rrnr-: }'1ajor School Froblenr in 1953j. Oui-'vaici N€gro Migration.i. Thc Ohlo State Survey:. The Question of liomoEeneous Groupingo. iio.rrd Resi:tnations - L{ayor's Action7. \crv Rochelle Case. . O:rq!: oi the Stearns R.ePort

:. i,t'w Si-'c;reqation Chargesli,. iirr,an Lcague Supports Boardll. 'lnntro.rersial Deadline: February 1, 1962

I.. T;rc lirst "Sit-In" Case:i. Threat of BoycottI i. ii,-,lease of Stearns Repo:-t! ,. Dt.mocrdtic Party's Standi ',.. ii,.'sli,-nallon of President; ApFointrnent of Negrro

l'. Thc Dcnronsiration School.l$. Govr,rnor's View of Problem

:, Li ol Sui)crrniendent N{ark R" Shedd

i(

Denrorrstration School PIan Abolishedil,'aral lnterrnediate School ProposedOr r,;rn of Ilnglewood Movementil.r: Lr.ncoln School Boycottli:ui.c (lomilt is sioner Intervenesii.i'rr:asc rn Private School Enrollmenti.i,.s istancc to Central lnierrnediate SchoolLc;1,51 ot ine State Fact finding TeamCr'nudl inlermedlate School PIan Rejected

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PART IV" CRITICAL POUCY DECISIONS

l'n.rt Criiical Policy Decision. . . .

l. Constructing a Second Junior High School atLincoln School (1938)

Seco:rd Critical PoIicY Decision.

1. Altering the Traditional Neighborhood SchoolBoundary Lines (1954)

Tirud and l'ourth Critical Poiicy Decisions'

.i . Constructing a New f,lerrentary School (i957); Con-structing a New Junior Hiqh School and Audi-torium (1957)

i1::h Crirical PolicY Decision. - - .

I . \larn'Laining the Traditional Neighborhood School

Policy (1962)

S;xrh Crrlical PoIicy Decision.... .

l. Esiablishlng a Demonstration School (1962)

Sevenlh Critical Policy DecisioD..r.

l. Establishing a Central IntermeCiate School (1962)

'lhr Scven Critical Policy Decisions ' ' 'xvii

l0l

106

lr3

I2t

l3l

I38

144

LlJSicNs" I5I

167

3. R,rports, Studics and Special Conferences,r930 - 1963.....

I76

t79

LIST OF TABLES

Table

l. Populat:.on of lnqiewood Acccrding to U. S.Ccnsus Reports (1930 - 1960) . .

2. Per Cent of Non-White Population (1930 - 1960) . .

3. Per Cent of Non-White Population byWards (1960).....

4. Background Daia and Racial Composition ofEnglervood Public Schools, Octoberr

q

5.

196i LAt the Heiqht of Crisis)

Negro Enrollment for the Public Schools ofEnglewood (1930 - t964) .

N{ayors of Englewood and Board of EducationAppointees (1930 - i963) . .

Members of Boards of Education According toMayoralty Appointments and ShowingBaiance of Power According to Wards.

Members of Boards of Education and OtherSignificant Background Data (1930 - 1963).

"Inside" Community Organizations and Degreeoflnvolvement " ".. ...: "

"Outside" Community Organizations and Degreeof Inrrolvement " "..

AnAnalysis of the Seven Critical Policy Decisions.....

Background Data and Racial Compcsition ofEnglcrvood Public Schools, October,1964 (After Viable Settlement). .

Page

80

90,91,92

97,98

r50

163

l6

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24

76

78

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10.

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LIST OT ILLUSTRATIONS

iiEure Page

I. inglcwood, New JerseY l0

:. Social Map of Englewood, New Jersey byWard> ..... . 12

3. Popuiations by Wards According to Race and MedianFamiiy Income and Housing Value by CensusTracts-1960.. l8

f,nglewood Public Schools Showing ChronologicalDeveiopment of:

I. Englewood Public Schools.2. School Boundary Lines Prior to 1954"3. School Boundary Line Changes as Result of

Board of Education Second Critical PolicyDecision of 1954

Socrogram of Mayoralty Appointments of Members ofBoards of Education (i930 - 1964) (This SociogramShorvs Lines of Succession, P'esidence, Wards Re-presented and Indicates Involvement in CriticalPolicy Decisions.) .

{

{ i.

82

#*

r'1s. ,

PART I" I]ISTOF,ICAL BACKGROUND

A. fuj-e-Rolqvattt La"s ancl Co

Tc provide the reader with a rnore comprehensive insi-cht into the

r:arure of ihe total prcl-.lc;-il of racial segreijation, the v.rlier presents a

verl briei historical survey of the events which occurreci outsiCe the com-

nunity. These events date as far back as lE49 with the court case of

'n'oi,or1s vs - Citv of Boston.

I. Ro)erts vs. Citv of Boston of 1849

Roberts vs. Citv of Boston was the ffst school segTegatlon case

!!'er arqued in the United States. It was argued by a nan who was to

become an outstanding spokesman for Negro rights in the North; charles

Sunrner, :he lawyer of record. I

Surnner represented a Negro girl who had been refused admlsslon

to a white school because of a local ordinance statinJ that the educa-

tlon of the races had to be separate. This case had many of the ear-

r,arks of the cases presently being heard in the state and Federal

courts. suniner maintalned two llnes of argument: (l) that all cltrzens

rl lr'lassachusetis were guaranteed equal rights under the blll of rights

lliarry S. Ashmore, The Ne,:lro and the Schools (Chapel Hill:Unrverslly of North Caroiira Press, I954) pp. 3-4.

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':::, :1J:o coi,stl',1:ia:., (-) t:,e sepa.'atc scicois ci D--s::--.'..4:e In-

' :!:.r1.,' unc.qual. I:-. i.'ct :rrs cltent hac lo rnaii a ciisti:-ce o: 1,100

:i,:: ri c-'rder to aitcic i.:.r cldssfs \!nen sr-.e ao"iJ ha"e'.reliei only

' jr.,:l to a \rijtie sci.!--ol ihai was locateo near her ho;:,e.1 (See

:is:l:,c)n)'cf Superrnieicent of Engleuooc, Scha:1s, Iiarr-w L. S:earns,

:c.arr.ir;rg whrte stuciei''is attending Quarles School insteaC cf the pre-

c.::tndntly Negro Lincoln School.) Chief Justrce'Shaw heic e;ainst

S.;nncr and cilsmissed his central thesis (this 1^as prior to tre adcption

11 lirc fourte enth Anendi:rent to the Fecieral Constituticn) *'i'u\ the

0;l:1lin ihat any caste cistinction aggravdted by segre;a:ed scnools,

"ii n e;<ists, is no1 createci by larv and procabiy cannot be cia;Eed by

lrrr . "

L lira Tersev School Law of l88I

The next legal event of significance occurred when tie liew ]ersey

ia'.;lslature enacted the following important school law in l88l:

No child between the age of four and twenty yearsshall be exciuded from any public school on account ofnrs or her religion, nationality or color, A memi:er of anyircard of education who shall vote to exclude fronc anypubllc school any such child on account of his or herrelrgion, na.tionality, or color shall be gui.lty of a mis-icrneanor, and punished by a flne of not ress than fifty(1ollars, or by inrprisonnrent in the county'jail, *orihouse,or pcnr.tentiary of the county in which the offense shallhave been committed, Ior not less than thirty days norrrore than siJ months, or by both fine and lmprisonxrent,

Illarry S. Ashmore, The Neoro and the Schools (Chapel Hill:':\'r.rsrty of North Carolina Press, 1954) pp. 3-4.

ln lhe Crscretion of the courl. I

r\l:horgr this law has been in eifect since i8Sl, rt too, supports

::.,, prirc:plc '.hat "Lalv has ne vcr -vci :rade rnan noralr " because it

:,r:1, ci io iie,,'ei,t separate racial eciucatr.on from deveio.oilg. In fact,

ri'xrculiy, j.t cieveloped while the larv vras in effect.

In Nevr Jersey the lavr nade no distrnction between the races as

lo tl)cu'rights in the pubiic schools at any time. Yet separate educa-

r'on, up to the high school graCe, persists in a semi-iegal way in sone

o! the southern sectlons of the State even today.2

l. Plessv vs. Ferquson Decision of 1896

The classic case, of course, resulted i.n ihe Plessv vs. Ferquson

il:S-!!.]9!-9t]!gq. The Supreme Cotrt of the United States sustained

:he consiitutionaij.ty of seqlregation laws in this famous case which

*i:i:rred in Louislana. The Court maintained that it was powerless to

cn!;rrce legislation that attempted to rely on the moral law. The State

oj louisiana mandated that the railroad companies had to make pro-

,."lrions for transportation on a separate but equal basis for the white

l::d colored racial groups.3

lf,lcairor and Vishnu Oak, "Development of Segregated Educationrr: Nr''.r iersey" (unpubiished Masterrs dissertation, North Carolinai:ileqe, Durham, October, 1938) P. 6.

2mia., ts-zo.

3Rob".t R. Hamilton and Paul R" Mort, The law and Publicl'.t;,:,:lron (New York: The Foundation Press, Inc., 1959) p. 5ll.

It is lntcrcsilng to note that the united states s"rprein" co"t ari

.ci r;1 i.lct or1'riidlv t:e "separaf e i)ut equal doctrrne, " but that it

,:.jl:riiled anC c,:r'clopcC out of ihe case of Rocerts vs ' Cilv of Boston'

:-. '.:.!j case uf Pi-ssv vs. Fcrquson, tire Supre:rc Court in essence had

.,i|L'tr s(lncilcn to thc tirL'ory o{ segregation as well as to the actual

;r:.iJr,rJC of 1t,';:rovrdrnq the accolnmodatrons were equal' I ln this

1d::J.'is case, the Court referred to Justice Shaw's precedent setting

c.rse by way of a dictum. Plessy, d nlan of one-eighth Negro descent'

ilsr:(lci the Couri to uphold his personal rights accorded.him under the

:irteenth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Federal constitutton. The

Cc'rrt handed ciown a declsion against Plessy, stating:

Laws permitting, and even requiring (separation ofthe races) ilr places where they are ltable to be brought

into contact do not necessariiy imply the inferiority ofeither race to the other, and have been Jenerally' if not

untversally, recognized as within the competency of the

state IeJlslatures in the exercise of their police power'

The most comlnon instance of thls is connected with the

establishment of separate schools for white and colored

childrep, which has been held a valid exercise of the

le.lislative power even by courts of states where thepolitical rights of the colored race have been longestanC most earnestly enforced.

.i. Tire 1947 Constitution of the State of New Tersev

TherevisionoftheConstitutionoftheStateofNewJerseyledto

a Cocurnent which included a section of RiEhts and Privlleges. Artlcle

lRobu.t R. Iiamilton and Paul R. Mort, The Law and Publlc Educa-

:icr (New York: The Foundation Press. Inc', 1959) p' 5lI'

2Harry S. Ashmore, Tle Ne('tro and the Schools (Chapel HilI:

'.inlverstty of North Caroilna Press, 1954) pp" Il-I2'

5

l-::r:ir:hrs scc'"ro:"\, \o. 5, so statcsl "No person shall be denied the

1.r.ri':r,.nt of an:,, i:tYil or military rigllt, nor be djscrimjnated against in

::..'r.):r.ririsrc of a:r-i'ciVil or miiitary right, nor be scEregated in the

::.::ra or in the p-bIic schools, because of religious principles, race,

: -c:, ::.;csu]', or natronai origin."I

iiiis docunent gavc support to the Negro cause as it was a newly

ll:prcci Cocument ivhich Eave greater recognition and support to the

rc:se of rninorjty groups.

:. The Llnited States Supreme Court Deciqlq!,a{-}4c)l-Lz.-1 .4.

what had started in the City of Boston in lB49 in the case of

i.:{'ris vs. City of Bogtlll was, in effect, climaxed in the greatest

iri;le victory of the Negro people in all areas of life, especially in

i::r area of education. The historic words spoken in unanimity by the

Srpronc Court of the United States on May 17, 1954, maintained that:

To separate (Neqro children) from others of similarage and quaiifications solely because of their race gener-ates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in thecommunity that may affect their hearts and minds in arvay unlikely ever to be undone. . . .We conclude thatrn the {ield of pub}ic education the doctrine of 'separatebut equal' hes no place-. Separate educational facilitiesare inherently unequal. 2

This momentous decj.sion set the stage for making the application

lCharters of Freedom (New York: American Book Co., 1960) p. 22.

2virgLl A. Clift (ed.), Neoro Educatron in America (New York:;i::'pir & Brothers, 1962) p. 20I, (citing) United States Supreme Court,).1.:;.'17, 1954, 347 U. s. 483, 74 s. Ct. 686, 98 L. Ed. 873.

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1:? """ 'drr.r'rri'Js so ortc' citcd ,rs necessary to fulf iillng the Anlerican

f,!**n to, ail clirzens o{ the united states, The dccision extended the

ff{!:;;,:c ol c.iual citizenship ar:d equality of opportunity and started

*Fl {rrllj rJrrlng toward a major revision in iaw and raclal practlces

[r !.i*:c Unrte.cj States. I

'ire Su;:renre Court in its declaration of the I954 decision noted

i,}u r:ll:he development of educdtion and the stress and signlficance,i.

{ *,*rr*t clr i! by roday's society when lt stated:T

In approaching this problem, we cannot turn thee!c;k back to ]368 when the (Fourteenth) Anrendment wasis)ttcc, or even to 189r, when the plessy vs. Fergusonr'1tp.6s61" bui equaj' ruling) was written. We must con-tidrr publlc education in the li,ght of its full developmento:d rts present place in American life throughodt the Nation.Qrly ln this way can it be determined if segregatlon lni'illtc schools delrives these plaintiffs of equal protection*!:he law....In these days, it is doubtful that any child':l.ly be reasonably expected to succeed in life if he isei.'1ied ihe opportunity of an education. Such an oppor-L*:ii1y, where the state has undertaken to provide it, ts ati;hl .-..'htch must be made available to all on equal terms.2

ttrlr drdmatlc ruling in May of 1954, was a direct reverqq! of the

,'* but rqual" clause as outlined under the plessy case of lBg6.

,,,S* g*:$_:gg had been s.rddenly ciran;ed, but it was not untll May 31,

l1{iir ttst !he Unlied States S,-rpreme Court unanimously adopted the

S{bf,**d$.:;r:tJn of rhe school ruling under the jurlsdiction of the United

(ed.) , Ne-'ro Educatior in America (New york: Harper2d2, (citrn!t) UniteC States Sulrreme Court, May lZ,74 S. Ct. 686, 98 L. Ed. 873.

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Sl,:ics Drstrrci Co,lr'.s. Tirus, a doc-trine that had been in "ff".t to. o,rul

l;.r1f 3 .,',',,, \!ds ,rLolished,I

.,. Nrrr Roc;ella Case of I96l

ln l9:,i, litiJation of qreat relevance {or the community of

ii,,;leuooi occure d ru the New Rochelle Case or Taylor r.,s. Board of

:ri,c.Sl_19.t-of Nerv Rochelle, New York, I9l F, Supp. IBI (S.D.N.y.

l9i,l) . This case i.s often referred to as the "Little Rock of the North,,,

ds lt vvas'!he fjrst highly publicized case concerning charges of

Ce facio seEregation ln a northern public.school. On January 24, 1961,

Judge lrving R. Kaufman of the Unlted States Distrlct Court handed down

hrs cecision aqainst the New Rocheile Board of Educatlon. Thus, ]udge

Xaufman four.rd lt unnecessary to decide whether school boards should

consider race or whether they should be color-blind. Here, where the

school board had discriminated agalnst members of a race, it had a

rtghi and indeed a duty to conslder the factor of race if necessary to

rrsht tne wrong it had previously done. Moreover, good faith efforts

111 this srtuation were not enough. The school board had an absolute

dury to undo the harm that it had caused. Judge Kaufman dld not in his

oprnlon spell out just how thls should be done. Rather, he left it to

tle school board to present a pian for "desegregation," whlch he might

l',,ir.Jit A. cltft[. Brothers , 1962) p.r!54, 347 U.S. 483.

(ed.) , Neqro Education in America (New York; Harper202, (citlng) United States Supreme Cou-rt, May 17,745. Ct.686, 98 L. Ed.873.

cr(j('r irllc .-ilc.i c: :lavc maCc, to right the \!ronq he had found.l

r.,,r^'r i': i-.rn went Ll\ren futther and cieclared that since 1949,J JU!_'L .\- "-

1:.(. Dcaic of f:,::::.oa had not acted in good faith toward correcting or

...oivr:1g ixe Lr:-ccli School problen- In fact, the Board had actually

r.!i:'(,d to n3r:::::: seqregation and had intended to do just that.

The li:',"' ?.,::helle Case is noteworthy because in many respects

rt plrallels i::e iii,;lewood Case. Even the school buildings that were

ii:volved r.n roi;: cases were named Lincoln, in honor of the Great

irancipator. li is inportant, also, as it served to give an impetus to

:hc cduse of rhe \egroes who were determined to break out of ghettos

orcj achieve eqjalliy of opportunity. Another similarity is that even

sone of the pa-r.rcipants who played major roles in the New Rochelle case

cventually pial'ei Lnportant roles in the Englewood Case. Mr. PauI Zuber,

i young NeEiro a$orney who had been successful with the Skipwith Case

in r-ewYork Ciiy, was asked to serve as legal advisor in the New

Rc,chelle case. After a startling success there, he was actually brought

Inro the f,nglewood Case. Dr. Dan W- Dodson, a nationally recognized

hrman relations expert and the person who had undertaken a study of the

r,:cral imbaiance at the Lincoln School in New Rochelle, was also

rr(:ommended to the Englewood Board of Education by the N.A'A'C'P' to

,crve as one of the consultants for the depth study undertaken by the

lThe Unr:ed States Commission on CivilU.S.A., Purlic Schools North and west' 1962

p. 69.

Rights, Civil Riqhts(Washington, D.C.: 1962)

S r, r'rr;-.1,-:'.-;::'.: a: S--tiocis, Dl. Harry L. Stearns. I

!. i:.llc:i::i Che::.-tsristics oi licle$,ood

---^:.^.. U ,( .':c;':i:l -O_-.:ilOl

Englev,c.cc rs ioc::eci iwo:niles tron the New Jcrsey entrance to

l:.c Gccrge Yr'astri!:_c:On ts:rCge in tne southeasiern section of Bergen

Couniy. s!;Een coun'.)' is rocateci i^ the northeastern corner of New

]ersey borderirg Nei'york state on the north and the Hudson River on

lhe east. En-clewood is containec in a rand area of ress than five square

nrles, geographically er-tending cown the western slopes of the pau.sades

'.o the norrhern edge o{ the "meadowland" which borders the Hackensack

River.

Englev;ood was founcied ln lgS9. It was created to establish a

haven lor the wealthy wall street commurers, and thus became known as

thc "Be&oom of wall street-" It was an ideal location for the busi.ness-

sren of 'rhe city, linked by rail and ferry, well within acceptable commut-

ri'.q dtstance yet far enough away from all the noise and congestion of

clty iife to afford a country environment in close proximity to New york

Crty.

l. "N1ain Sueet" Communitv

The early setrlers of this region were principally the Dutch, the

ITh. Unit"d States Commission on Civil''.S.A.. Pubirc Schoois North and West, 1962?o-<,

rP. Jv J..

Rights, Civil Riqhts(Washlngton, D. C.: 1962)

, -btit:

llt:rrllish, thc Fre:-.cL. tie Poies and tire Norwegians. AJthough Englewood

r','rs Ioundcd in lS,r9, ii was not unti} .!.899 that it was incorporated as a

.r,1,.I L develop:: ts a rrmain strect neiqhborhood" t].pe of community

u'irch resulted in ue location of major businesses, churches, govern-

ne:rtal offices, sciocls, and other vital community systems along the

rnain sffeet of the ci'.,v. Since Englervood was one of the oldest

established communities in the area, it served for years as a hub for

nany of the surrouncing municipalitiesr acting as the business center

and accepting tuition students in the public schools from several out-

lying school di.stricts.

3. Development of Serious Conflicts

As Englewooci elolved from a wealthy community to one of highly

diversified nature, serious community problems developed. Pinancial

wous exacted their toll from the community as man], WaIl Street bankers

resided in Englewood.

In the late 1930rs, the Nazi Bund Oroanization threatened the

lntcrnal security of tl"re city. In the 1940rs, arguments arose between

|arrous community orEanizations and members of the Board of Education

over the use of Harold Ruggrs textboks in the public schools. It was

charged that his books tended to undermine the American government

a:ld rvere branded by some people as basically "un-American." The

t959.

IelglgyqoO Press J-ournal, Englewood, N. I., Centennial Edition,

TICURE 2

soct_Al \t P cF h*cLE\{ooD. Nnv IFtRsEy

BY WARDS

*?.J

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pA

Palisade Avl

tm

af

o

lurincss C

iiiin,,'inetTrirbfifi;;El. Ban I,.

2. Thcatre3. R ai lr€d Statil. C ity HaUi. Fire Houe6. Library7- P6t Office

Schools (Poblic)l. lrmNin EIeh,?. EDgle St. CentBl3. Lincoln Flea1. Libertt,Elem.5. Cleveland EIeb.6. Rosereh Elem.7. DwiSht Morow [lS.5. EugJewood jr. !LS.9. Qurle s Eler.

scl)oois (Priure)l. fnlte*oql Bolr llS.?. Dhighr Sch@l Cirls3. f lbabeth llono'Elem,4. Mcidr flen5. St. Cecilia Elem.6. Sr. Cecilia ll.s'

f **m*x* S2. Episcopal3. Roman Cetholic4. Temple Emanu-El5, Beptin6. Methodlrt

/^\ Welfaft AqenciesE/ 1. HdpiEl

2. Memcial Hou

t,

cJnflict over the usc of these books evcntually swept the entire nation.

In the early I950's, charges of ,,teaching Comnrunlsm,, in the

pul,lic scnools were made against certain teachers in the Enqlewood

s.irool systenl. other significant issues have arisen from time to time

rnvolving such questions as the "Bethune InciCent,,, in which the

rrght of controversial speakers to use public school facilities was

challenged. I

,i. Enqlewood In Transition

Two major events contrlbuted heavily to the future problems of

Lnglewood at this time: The GeorEe 1 -ashinEton Bridge opened to

traffic in 193I, connecting New York City with Englewood and provid-.

tng the linkage necessary for exodus of those people who wanted to

flee the City of New York;2 A Ereat out-migration from New york City

occurred following World War II, at which time many middle class white

people flocked to the suburbs.

Between 1940 and 1950, Englewood's population increased from

approximately 19,000 to 23,000. 3 A ..,rery significant transformatlon

rlas takinE place. Englewood previously had been predominantly a

lwo-class socio-economic community comprised of the wealthy and the

IEnqlewood Press TournaI, Englewood,

2Enqlewood Press, Englewood, N. J.,

'Ibjo., February t7, 1933.

N. |., May 1, 1952.

February I0, 1933, p. I

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iii

l4

.cr)r. Nolv, \ rth thc increascd mobility of the populaiion Iolloi{ing

:ir war, the bulk of thc new population becante miCCIe class. Many of

r:.,: uealthy citizens of Envlewood had brought or imported Negro domes-

ll.- workers ironi the South in the early I920's.

T\^o interesting events relevant to racial seJregatton in Engle-

uood in 1933 were reported and described in the EnqIer*ood Press.

Cr)e such item was reported as follows: (Headlines) " 150 Southern

Negroes Imported To Englewood Since Last August By Speciai System

At Sl0 Apiece,"I In another articie Cated February 17, 1933, the follow-

lr9 was stated: (Topic Headlines)

Segregation Advocated; Negroes Sharply Object.

Blankenhorn Rebuked by Colored Group.for MakingSuggestion; Negroes Express Surprise at Story of Influx to"Mecca For the Indigent" Here.

Segregation of the NeEroes in Englewood and thedesienation of Lincoln School as the City's colored schoolare oeciared b1'Councilnan iacob F' Blankenhorn to be theonly likely nreans of "making Englewood less attractive forthe indigent Negro."2

Thc "Negro community" increased in numbers to the point where

ln;Iewood, except for Hackensack, contained the greatest number of

lregro residents in all of Bergen County-3 The 1960 U. S- Census

Roports indicated a total population of 27,057 persons residlng ln

lEnqlewood Press, Englewood, N. J., February 10, 1933, p. l.2:loia., February i7, 1933'

3luia., February Io, 1933.

,ff^=

I5

ingler';cc3. O: tiris tciaI, approxima'L€ly i\eenr.)"-seven per ceii ivere

l\egroes" Thc',';hrte pcpulation had increasecj a iotal of only 3,679

Iron 1930 to 1.960. The non-white populatio:l had approximatel-v ioubled

ris peiceiiage of the toia! population.

The Vast rnajorit), of ihe Negro population in Englewood (apprcxi-

::.atei1'r.ini]; per cent) resides in the Fourtn Ward. The Fourth Ward,

althouqh predominantly Negro today, follorsed a pattern of invasion-

succession with the ItaIian, Irish and Jeivish populations formerly in-

habiting the area,

Ori-oinally, the Fourth Ward was an all white area, but from the

early part of the century, a gradual ransfo;:ration resulted in a Negro

ghetto. As a consequence of the population shift, the Fourth Ward,

roday, houses nearly all of the more than 7,000 Negroes who live in

lngleruood.

5. Reiisious Characteristics of the Comnglily

Englewood has a total of at least twenty-six churches and temples.l

It is generally agreed that the population is approximately fiJty per cent

Protestant. One-haif of these, lo.Tto,

are Negroes. Racial segire-

gatron patierns are still adhered to for the most part within the Protes-

tant churches. The remaining fifty per cent of the population is

drvided evenly betvveen the Roman Catho.tic Chu:ch and the jewish

lDirectorv and Guidebook, City of Englewood, N. J., 1955.

TASLE 1

rc:]:it i'i-ia\ cI ai i-.l-E\r'cc!) ACTCi.DI\C TO ll. \ CI]iSUS REPORTS

Tolel\1'hir ePolulati-

Ir;rt a rc\i !ii ieP.puIalias

Inqease

^- @ -1t'hir c

Polulatio

17,SLlj

1 S,91 6

2d,057

TABLE 2

PER Ct^*T OF NON'rfHITf TPUlnTrON(1930 - 1960)

l9 !-j

l ')0

I 9rl

9rl.

s{d I

h ed II

w r:ti III

\ xJ f!'

lo 20 30 40

{1930'r:nd)

Tci: I

\.-.x -\\'h itePof{ lf,tj dr

ls,l63 I ------

I 5.939 I 6rb

18,92e I z,eeo

18,942 I 13

Pm CE{T OF I-OI--WHITE FOPL'I,TION BY WARDS( le6o)

Lrl. 0

Adap(ed frcm Eprlewood'r Sch@lr {Hdttrd UDiversity, May, 1965) p' 13'

r'!

*I+

T7

::i'.1s, eaci.r cl3::'::i:': ailirroximatel)/ n'Jent:"-five pcr cent of the total

rc.p.:iairon of Ingl cr';cod.

t, i-,-. Frl:r \\iarCs

aL.- ^\+r' i< c,'!.-riivided politicalLy rnto four rnajor divisions' The1i:E I rL-!

r,arn sueet' Falisacies Avenuer divides ihe connunity from east to west

and tn turn is bisected fy the Erie Railroad uacks cutting through the

connunity irorn norih to south. These "natural barriers" have divided

the city into four politicai wards which have contributed greatly to the

problem of racial segregation. The establishment of wards tended to

soliciify the various status groups that had become identified with each

\vard a:ld served, for the most part, as lines of demarcation. Ironically,

ihey were assigned numerical values which were equated to the posi-

tion they reflected on the socio-economic scale' e'g" the First Ward

conlained the highest price real estate and the greatest amount per

capita income per family, and the SecondWard the next highest' and

so forth"

7. Enqlewoodrs School Buildinqs

The Englewood public school system includes five elementary

scliools, one located in the First, Second' and FourthWards' and two

in the Third Ward. Each elementary school was organized on a K

ihrough slxth grade plan. The Lincoln Elementary School' located ln the

Fourth Ward - the school to become the center of controversy because of

lts ninety-eight per cent Negro enrollment - was originally the oldest

|ICURE 3

Ptli ilLi Ttl\ S l l ., \, )S .\ aat'll DN tr TO RACE "l\D \1Il!'N FA\{ILY NCOME. : . .. r:t, \/ilTil I\ a)-: -\ fi i\'i5 - 1:)oJ

Leqend !

*"tt] ward Boundary Lises

Census Tracts

6f;Hl

Mediln HdrinS Value

Median Family lrc@c

+.\"

i'

L- l sr \\'ARD

pf"?utnrrort al U^RD

f- SH;TE - 3,?o7rt/dl v,{,rE - l+L

ToThL' 1,o{3

f,cEl,7- {rfl {d;fE - 36

H;e_";F 4olfr.oo"

ll"xs.t I-TR^cT -1vttr/\. Iui',:,irY i::'(h l

tvetr -9,(!l V r

T.lL-a+8 ,^\'8.tr 1& u*te'gJ1

q''1,'?-)fi4d6.{-

2ND \1'ARD

?o?sLAfrrtrt 3y grrD

il*ire - t +tof,lcrl UHrrE - '1rt

I totr. - sliT

lPef,cerr x"x ufitz-77

IilililAPA$,r,11.

Adapted from EnllewFd's Sch@15 (Harverd Univgsity, 1965)P'13' Map l-2'

I9

ci'r:.cntrlry school in thc system. It hdd been destroycC by fue and re-

Drrlr in 19I6. A rving'xas added to the building in 1938.

Llberty Schooi, thc oldest scl]ool rn the system, built in 190I,

l5 located in the Third Vr'ard but is very near the Lincoln School' Also,

i!ii-;isd in ihe ThrC Ward is the Cleveland School built in 1909, and lo-

crled in the northr'astern section of the Third Ward. Two additions

:rve been made to the Cleveland School, one ds recently as 1949.

Originally, the Franklin School, buiit in I907, and located in the

iI'st ward, was considered the "elite" elementary school forthe upper

socro-economic group. I Thi, schooi has since been replaced by the

rew Donald Quarles campus-style elementary school completed in I959,

6nd located on a ten-acre tract in a rather secluded section of the Filst

\','arci. Roosevelt School , located in the Second Ward, was built in 1915,

$rrh an addltion added in 1949.

The junior and senior high school plants are located on the same

carnpus of approximately thirty-four acres located in the Third Ward'

The new Englewood Junior High Schooi, composed of grades seven, eight

and nine, was completed in 1961, along with a new auditorium that is

;rresently utilized by both the junior and senior high schools. (The new

lunior high school replaced the wvo former junior high schools, one Io-

cdied at the Engle street building in the Fifst ward and the other, the

i_incoln Junior High School , located in the Fburth Ward.) The senior highiilr

li

it;r

it

tiri'

Ilnterview with a P.T.A. officer, I965.

20

ii:r:ri, which rs c-,f inglish Tudor design, was built in 193i, and has

l(rvcC io housc grades ten, eleven, and tvrelve. The originai high

r.:'rooi building has had no major alterations or aCdiiions sjnce the

.'r:lrral slruc'rure v,as built more than thirty years ago.

From a study of the background data and racial composition of the

::blic schools, one can reasonably conclude that a conservative policy

:i schocl plant plar-rning and schooi organization has been the policy

,ro::^.cted in Engiewood. The only new elementary plant to be built since

1916, was the Quarles School in the First Ward at a cost of approximate-

ly 51,000.000.

:. The Private and Parochial Schools

Englewood's private and parochial school s'-stems enroll more

:|an 1200 resident students. In addition, approximately 170 other

resrdent students attend non-public schools outside the community. I

irrs fact means that approximately twenty-seven per cent of the resl-

Cc;1t pupil population attends schools other than the public schools.

),iany of the wealthiest and most influential families of Englewood.con-

lr|.rue to send their chiidren to private schools within or outside the com-

nJnity, perpetuating a family tradition. Those who send their children

io rhe parochial schools also have their primary interest, both morai and

irnancial, centered on other than the public schools. Thus, parents

ICenter for Field Studies, Harvard University Graduate School ofioucation, "Englewoocl's Schools" (1965), pp. 54-55 (Mimeographed)'

7'c

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;di€€@eEo: .34:/:itl)xv

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a.: o

=; .r' Jl i R

- -: =4-<c u c :-' d<< 6 ; O 6 o 6 d, d a n.dL<.'/, .1-: u- - d:: d: @ do d 4 dtiiu:4 clB cl4 cl i E:t i ta:/.t;< O,rZ o'J< O< o O<O . O Oo eNoi6 NNN 6oo od 6 b9o o d

D=.3i3 8;$ 83s Ss 3 8;; I 3

"8

aiJ

'2 = .2o2 ; ? ?R' ! Y ?, = axi2;. z; X..iXXl- o Y). o .- dJ YA YW6 a 6 ; ==;!FL€ I 6 i e;f !=1 A;JUrl ALQ49

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caIoaUi.a

22

who send 'rheu chilffen io the public

:iols a:c, :--- inori'.y group. I

irgiertood H:gn School student and ecl:or of the school

:,.\!s!)aper \\'rcie ar article rn 19'17, entitled An lxa::rle ior a Nation'

ii rvas prepe.rec ior one of her college classes and mace reference to

lie rnpeniiig crisis in Englewood.

I i:a.",e Irved in Enqlewood, New Jersey, for elevenyears- Srrce I not'eci there I have seen some changes takeplace. T:.e population increased from 16,000 tc 25,000...I har,e g:en aware, too, of things that have renained con-stani. f:ie beautiful high schooi, even though ciesperatelyrn neeci, has not been provided with an auditorium. The

wealiil.' fanilres contlnue to iive on exquisite estatesnrCden cenind rnassive, old trees in the lovely hill section'The .'iegroes remain crowded together in their own sectionof tov,'r known as Texas...I want the white adults torecognr.ze the inteilectual equality of the Negroes as didthei cirliren in the hiqh schooi who elected liegroes tooffice i:: several of the organizations there. I wantEnglewoc,d to be a national examp.le of a perfect community'

Ir.l . Four Factors Contributinq to SCqLCSalion

The probiem of racial segregation had been brewing for a long

rl]e. It was evident that ihe community-at-large, though, was aware

cf the probiern. The Boards oi Education and the superintendents, how-

c','er, iailed to recognize the problem officially' Segregation developed'

lCenter for Field Siudies, Harvard University Graduate School ofi..:uca'.ion, "Engiewood's Schools" (l965), pp' 52-56 (Mimeographed) '

2Enqlev;ood Press lournal, Englewood, N'J', November 27 ' 1947 '

j!

'.,ii!I

l'!

*t*tift

23

-:,r.;rol-.lr;r i::cone acti.J es a rrsult oI rfiree contr:bu.ring iactors:

(;) Il\:oiuntari, seEreEattc: ::-.u.i'.ed because o{ r:e poor scc:.o-economic

roi,jitions inio which the )i:qroes v,,ere tiuusi and which ihay hai come

:J accept as a way of life- (2) Voluntary segregation CevelopeC rrhere-

by certain Negroes, in an a::e:.pi to perpetuate therr culture, rtr.shed to

irvc out theu lives 6mong i..€jr olvn ki.nd cf people. (3) Segregation by

.'rsign was evident. This rras a planrred attenpt by the powtr structure

io coniain the Negroes in a ,civen area. and in Englewood ihat area was

rle Fourth Ward. A fourth :a:ior occurreci after World War n. ^{ore

em-

ltdsts was being placed on tle signifjcance of a secondary education

and ihe need to "stay in sciiool." Problems rnounted for the school sys-

:en when the Negro studeirt, rvho formerly had been a "victim. of the

statistical "dropout," anci v.'ho, in many instances, had failed to com-

plete his junior high as well as his senior high school years, now sudden-

iy rccognized the need to renain in school. This added to a rapidly

lncreas ing Negro enrollment.

Also, many middle class Jewishfamilies moved into the Thjrd

Ward from outside the city, and these people, for most part, were highly

rnterested in a school systen of quality education. Many of these families

loined ranks with the Negro iamilies in attempting to find a solution to a

('ommon problem - quality educgtion for their children.

The fact that the Third Ward became an interracial neighborhood

especialiy as a result of this influx of Jewish families appears to have

had a great bearing on the outcome of events in Englewood. In addition

TABLE 5

NEGRO INROLLMINT FOR TIIE PUBLiC SCHOOLSof ENGLtviooD (r930 - r964)

Adapt ed from !ni! g-ocg' s-ggbglg(Harvard Unlversity, 1965) p. 45.

e,t.;

tiI

Year Totallnroliment

NegroEnrollment

Per CentNegroEnrollment

l 930

I 940

I950

l9 6l

I964

3,3r6

3,825

3,520

3,759

3.973

643

775

773

r, 382

| ,662

I 9.4

20.2

22.0

3 6.8

4I.8

.i,

25

:J yal.Dr-rg cducatiorl , thc Jcwish people bccause thcy, as a people, have

:.ii:r i)crsecuted thrcughout hlstory. were more than usually supportive of

:".! Nf(jroes in rhcir stru!'lle to attaln equality' It would appear then'

i,i'.r rl not bcen that Jewrsh people moved into the Thfci Ward in numbers'

i:,u iieErois of Enqlevrood would have experienced qreate! difficulty in

rli:u fight for equalitY.

Although the Lincoln Elementary school was ninety-eight per cent

)irgro, thc Liberty School located in.the Thfd Ward contained over six-

TL^ ^:y pcr cent Negro enrollment at this time' The chilCren of the newly

e"ieblished Third Ward families attended this school'

A]Iofthesefactorsplayedapartinaddingtotheproblemof

o',crcrorvded conditions that later deveioped in the schools and tended

liJ eri'rphasize the "racial imbalance" that had actually existed all the

:r,e. It is obvidus that a problem of this magnitude did not just

hJppen; i! deveioped over a long period of time'

P.\I,IT II. CHRO]\JOLOGY OF EVINTS RELEVANT TO RACIAL

slGRlG.r,'IIOI'l IN ENGLEWOoD (i930 - 1963)

This chronology is presented in a detailed fashlon for a two-fold

;irlcse: (1) To provide a continuity of factual information to enable the

rcr,icr to "see" the story as it is unfolded , (2) to point up the siqnifi-

rlnce of events that were ciirectly related to each other and served as

r:r Cria used in the event analysis.

Thiscasestudywasdividedintothreeeras.Thefi'steraconsti-

:.,,j:€-s a portion of the administration of superintendent of schools winton

!. ',Virrte, who served in this capacity from I918, throuqh August, 1944'

ii.ts era is introduced primarily as background material and tends to pro-

uie a setting for future events. The study is focused on the second era,

tl".,rt of Superintendent Harry L. Stearns, who served from August, 1944'

:hough August, 1962, a period of eighteen years'

Thestudyinc]udesalimitedportionoftheeraofSuperintendent

lfarkR.Shedd,whotookovertheofficeinJuneof1962,duringthe

hr:ght of crisis. The third era is introduced primarily to provide a con-

ilrurty for the ca3e study which reached a climax at the time of the re-

itrcment of Superintendent Stearns and the appointment of Superintendent

Shedd.

Tto

s*f*LI?I",;

It

27

A. Era of Superinte ndent Winton T. White

l. i:r:.: k ccr iqq iJllil!"!le-Racial Scoreoation

To ind.icate !hat this problem was actually one of long duration,

i:.,r of the fi-rst significant events occurred in 1933 whcn a delegation of

h:.r,.rl i,.arcnts irom the Lincoln school Distlict attended a school board

r',ceirng held September 19, 1933, and requested that theiJ chil&en be

rcnsfcned to Liberty School.l The Board of Education refused the re-

qrest, however. This became the first recorded reference in the Board

oi Education minutes to indicate that a probiem of racial segregatlon

e):lsted in the Englewood Schooi System.

In 1935 the Board of Education unanimously restated its policy

!:rar appointments to the teaching staff were to be made on the basis of

jji.ess for the position without regard to the race, religion or color'2

;hrs was also the year in which the Board of Education ordered the closing

cf the swimming pool at the Engle Street Junior High School.3 Although

tr \fas officially stated by the Board that the reason for closing the pool

:i lhe Engle Street Junior High School was "for reasons of economy"'

5.veral interviewees remarked that the pool was closed to prevent the

lBoard of Education Minutes, Englewood school District, Engle-

\rx'.l , New Jersey. September, 1933, p' lBl'2ilid. , February 19, 1935, P- 253.

3tbic., April 9, 1955, P. 260.

l;"1.

{,t!r'.I'[

iSl

3

$

l

23

::\:jj-;q o: i:. races beconinq a sericds iiroblem because of the increSse

ll iiccro L:.roi!nent in the ir:;le Strect School. The sv;it:rrting pool at the

i:.91c Sirce: lrnior Hi-oh School i'.as the only pool in the cnti-re school sys-

lc:r, lt ires clcsed by Boarc actlcn anrj it has not been reactivated to

ihls day.

:. I-rrst Fol:iv Decision Reletaxi'.o Racial Seqreoation

The first major policy cecision by the Board of Education to

ci:ange the uaditionai pattern of school organization took place in 1938

.{hen the tsoarci decided to consiruct an addition to the Lincoln Elementary

Scnool. Tne priinary purpose vtes io convert this school structure into a

conbrnaiion eiementary anc junlor high school for residents of the Fourth

!'/ard- I According to the Board of Education, the Engle Street Junior High

Schocl was overcrowded. On this basis the Board planned the change-

A grant of S79, 996 fiom the Federai Emergency Adninistration of Public

',','orks for the addition to tlre school was approved. This action by the

Eoarci led to the first organized protest by a Negro organization when the

r.irban League pointed out that lbe number of students was too small to

support a full junior high scirool curriculum and that the school would be

rn all Ne-cro school.2 Thu U.i-n League urged the constructlon of a

:;chool built rn a location that would insure an integrated enrollment-

lBcard of Education Minuies, Englewood School District, Engle-$oc,d, Nelr Jersey, July 26' 1938, p. 419.

2Enclewood Press, Englewood, N. J., October 6, 1938.

29

i. l:.i : liv: S: r-.il:ca!tt Even:s

r- ri1i, .n- e,,-^rirrenden.. rtaS auiholized by the BOard Of!.r! JrPL:

lijucatlon ic :ransfer a shite siucen'. fron tl:e preCor.inantly Negro

l-rncoln Sciccl io the Liberiy Schooi upon tae recon:nenCation of her

fa:rly oh,vslcrun.I Tnit sane yeer the 3oarc of Education gave its

ciinron, "iha: in the fut'ire chil&en shoulC aitend i}le elementary

scnool in iie iistrict in uri,icn they live anci that transfers from one

dlsf)ct to another should be made by the Superintendent of Schools

only as a r:raiter of adminisuative necessity!! !"2 lttis was the year,

rco, rn which the Englew'ood Urban League succeeded in having the

toard appoint a lfegro teacher to the new Lincoln funior High School in

the fourth Ward. Norris Hatcher becaine the fAsi Negro teacher in the

history o{ the city.3

i. The New Lincoln Iunrpl-I1&-h.-S-qh99l

The State Board of Education in 1941 granted approval of the new

Lrncoln Junior Hiqh School as a secondary school with such approval

cxpning June 30, 1942,4 thereby actually condoning two separate junior

iBoard of Education Minutes, Englewood School District, Engle-wriod, New Jersey, p. 52.

2trtd. , March 19, 1940, p. 71.

3rbtd.

4llid. , April 29, 1941 , p. L52.

-14

r.i.f..

30

:..r:r sci.ools lor i;-,t'C::.; ci f,rlq;icwooi' (iour:'€:11 1'ears Iater. in i955'

:r.r: S:Jic Con',;ntss:c:.cr oi iducation hanced io'!n a ruJtng rerrersing the

i:!\':o:rs State accrecl: riion chargrng ihai ine Lincoln iunlor High School

FJsarsciallySegre;a:eCschoo]andrlouldhai.etobeeliininated.)Prior

::S:at.'approvaloithe;ie\Njuniorhighschool,anrnvestigationofthe

l:,:ee upper grades h'as conducted by the Sta''e Board of Education to de-

rtr;:,rne wheiher de f3c:o segregation was inlDlved' This junior high

rchool officially oper.ec in February of 19'10 rthen seventh grade students

:r::. ihc Fourth Ward rreie assigned to ihat scl^'ool' However' both iunior

f,igh scnools were operated under the ainklistration of the Engle Street

]:nror High Schoot. The enrollment at Lincoln Junior High School (I80

f'.:prls in grades seven through nine) I did rpt meet the minimum of 250

r.:q.rlred by the State Department. The Lincoln Junior High School was '

llo*ever, authorized and approved as a secondary school by the State of

!icw Jersey.2

During this same year, the Board approved the transfer of two

liegro students from the Lincoln Junior High School to the Englewood

i;ntor High School to enable them to receive instruction in a foreign

j.l:rguage not included in the curriculum of Lincoln Junior High School'3

IEnolewood Press ' Englewood, N ' J' ' February 27 ' I94l'

zluid., May l, 194 I-

3Board of Education Minutes, Englewood School District' Engle-

*ur:d, New Jersey, September 9, 1941 ' p' 173'

*

3I

l:.t 5:;rcl appror;ei'.:.c irarrsfer of a sr-udcnt from the Lincoln School to

ir'..:i:cr cie:rentarl sclco) on the basis of a doctor's certificate,

B. l: a c: SuDerinter.)Ce H r:rr L. Stearns

l. i-';rlV Charccs cf Secleqation

The first even'r of significance to occur under the administration

cl ijrrry L. Stearns took place in I946 when the N4iddle Atlantic States

C!r::ir.-)ission on ColleEes and Secondary Schools criticized the current

;,rlrcres pertaining io social and service club membership of students

rn Divrght Morrow High Schooi as a result of an evaluation for accredita-

l:on. Charges of discrimination according to race, color, and creed

uere leveled at the administration.

During the year of 1948 a second significant event occurred: the

Drvision Against Discrimination of the New Jersey Department of Educa-

l:on, wrth the aid of county superintendents of schools, completed a

survey of every schooi in the State to determine the extent of segrega-

ltcn. The sLirvey revealed that in forty-three New Jersey school districts,

sc:,rregdilon of pupils in the elementary schools was evrdent and in one

rci:col district, (Englewood), segregation at the jurrior high school level

uos reported.2

lEnqlewood Press Tournal, EngJewood, N.J., November 28, 1946.

2u.bun League, Engiewood, New Jersey, "Chronology of Eventsielevan: to Defacto Segregation in Englewood, i939-I961" (Mimeographed.)

ti

ir

ti

I

I

l1

i!1I

lll1

llI

I

lri

I

:

I

32'i'he Board oI Ec:ci'riol.r in 1953, aciing upon repeated requests

;::::r,:ssurcs, crnploycci the first Negro teacher, Casper HilI , to be

r:::i1:rr,d oritstie the predominantly Negro Lincoln School. He was ap-

;'::r:r:d io teach physics and btology at Dwight N{orrow High School.l

:. l1@Dunng this sanre year, a report, Proposals for Development for.

r:1_i.rbirc Schools of Enqlewood, New Jersev, 1953, was submitted to

r).r !uDilc by the Board of Education. The report defined the major

:cfrool problem as the Engle Street Junior Hiqh School. To eliminate

llls problem, the Board proposed to bulld a sixteen-classroom addition

r:-.:rq wit\ an auditorium and other necessary facilities at Dwight Morrow

!il9n School and to change the school organizaiion to a junior-senior

l.l;h school plan. This report also proposed "neighborhood school"

rsrndary line changes and the construction of an eighteen-room ele-

.^.c:rlary school on Davison Piace and a new elementary school on

l,:layette Place to replace the Lincoln School. The Lincoln School was

ln bc abandoned to the city as a future Civic Hall.2

In 1954 the Board of Education appointed a Citizens' Review

-lonrnrttee composed of twenty-five citizens, supposabiy consisting of

Itsoard of Education Minutes, Englewood School District, Engle-r.rd, New Jersey, October 13, 1953, p. 140.

2::larry L. Stearns, "Proposals for Development for the PublicSchoc.ls of Englewood, New Jersey, I953. " (Mimeographed.)

??

].rois-sectlon cf ilie corimunity.I The Cornmittee's task rvas to study

.::ld "us.d by'.i:e Soard in preparation of its Buildlng Program, to sit

y.::i, ihe Board in the study of addjtional data and testrmony and further,

to JJ!,lsc the Soard of community reaction as an aid in the formulation

I! :trc Boari of jts final recommendation to the Board of school Estimate

l::o crty council.,, The report by this committee was submitted on March

t15, I 9s4.

The Board of Education made the decision to hire outside educa-

lnndl experts to review all records of the proposed building progiram,

:o revlew all records of the citizens' Review committee, and to review

oplnions of citizens of Englewood relevant to proposed new building

cJnsiruction. Dr. Walter c. cocking of New York city and Dr. william

l. Arnold of the university of Pennsylvania were appointed as the "out-

rrdr?" educational consultants. 3

InIr/iayofthesameyear,theBoardofEducationmadethedeci-

sion to eliminate all out-of-town tuition students of Dwight Morrow High

School commencing in September, 1956, to reduce overcrowding in the

various buildings and to permit better planning for tile future'4

Illnolewood Press Tournal, Englewood, N' f', February 4, 1954'

2Board of Education Minutes, Englewood School District, Engle-sood, New Jersey, March 8, f954, P. I78'

3tuia. ,

4luid., May 10, 1954, P. I76.

t

!

34

. , Ou'.\1 ,rd Neqro \{icration

Sltoli.ly after \'\'crld War Ii, many Negro families began an outward

f ;J:dilon iront the Fourth ward area across the schc)ol district Iine into

:.'.ii su('iion oi the lourth Ward that had been assigned attendance to the

l;!i:rr1, lllementary School. This migration, and an influx of many middle

;.,!ss whitt: families into the Thjrd Ward (predominantiy Jewish and prin-

i::rlly from Nevr York City) resulted in a loss of enrollment for the Lin-

';clr School and placed undue pressure on the enrollment capacities of

irc Llberiy and Cleveland Elementary Schools, both of which were located

:r the Thfd Ward. The Board of Education, after some study, made the

:rclsion to alter the neighborhood school boundary lines in order to re-

;:c!e overcrowding in the Cleveland School by increasing the size of the

ir.coln School District to include almost all of the Fourth Ward.

On June 28, 1954, the Board adopted the resolution and diverted

rd:lc new krndergartners to Liberty School and others to Lincoln. The re-

luli of this change in district lines was that some Negroes who had recent-

i}'noved out of that part of the Fourth ward serviced by the Lincoln school

i;urrd that their chil&en were again to be assigned to the Lincoln school.

Ccmplalnts alleging discrimination were filed with the State's Divlsion

,i;0lnst Discrimination against the Englewood Board of Education by the

,\-.A.A.C.P. on behalf of two Negro famiiies. The case was the first in

)ierr jersey in which a Board of Education had to appear as a defendant

c;t crar!es of racial discrimination and was one of the first, if not the

35

cisc of this type, north of the Mason-Dixon Line. i

The BoarC of Ecucation proposed the cons'rr,rciion of a 93,200,000

;::ll.-rr hrgh school and auditorium to be located on properiy adjacent to

i}..,i1-;hi \lorrorv High School in February of 1955, as reconmended by Dr.

i.'c:--]irng anC Dr. Arnold. This proposal, if implemented, rvould have

rlur:rnated the duai junior high school system in the City of Englewood.2

In May, 1955, the City Council made the decision to hire a firm

cf experts, Errgiehardt, .Engiehardt and Leggett, of New York City, to

Ircpose school building plans because of the many questions being raised

b.v the taxpayers. The firm was hired to pass judgment on whether the

3oard of Education's proposal for building construction was adequate or

lot, and if not, to make recommendations of their own.3

On May 19, 1955, the Commissioner of Education handed down a

decrsion charging that the Englewood Board of Education was guilty of

ctscrimrnation in the manner in which it had redrawn the neighborhood

school boundary iines. It was ordered to redraw them on the basis of

sound educational practices in accordance with the principle set forth

ihat all children should be permitted to attend the school nearest their

restCence. Further, and for reasons unknown, the Commissionerwent

lBoard of Education Minutes, Englewood School District, Engle-wood, New Jersey, June 28, 1954, P. 213.

2lbid., February 10, 1955, p. 260.

3Enqlewood Press Tcurnal, Englewood, N. J., May 19, f955.

rlfltt{a {

t\,. If,\,,a\-:) P-a'-l-- \aliL\l\ 5l:C.f N-. i!:ri3\CLOaIC,IL DE\ !1CP\1tliT CF:1. 1;.1.qr.,_,i r;..a:rc !:.;ar-1. Sri.'-'l :r.t rJrn' Lii.! ?::s r.' 19S"1.

3. S::.o-'l if,:r,.l2n Lric C::::ies rs Resllt of Botd ofa.rJcr:isr 5e.(rrd Ctr:i;:: i.li.\ Decision ol 1954.

Leqend:

-

Original Sch@l Difics.

----- Schol Boun&ry LiaerAte! ChanSe in 195{

1ST WARD

Froldin School

Eogle Street Scb@t

li*f.[]"*mtltHtr

,rwR@selelt Sch@l

37

-.:.:c orccr the Soard oI Ecu.ation to elrnin3ie the separate junior high

sci.col rn the Lincoljl cilsirici as he charced that it constituteci a vioia-

:.-,i oi the l9i7 Consiiiution of the S'.at.e of New Jersey. and in effect,

n,rs.r r.:crally segreg:ted iunior high schocl. The Board \r-as ordered to

il::--ri,3'.e ij)e Lrncoln Junror Hrgh School ry September I, 1956. or at

;ti!i'!o subrnrt plans for a firm commilnent io alter these facilities by

*ar date - I

The City Council rejected, in July of 1955, the Board of Educa-

tron's building plan as outiined and proposed by the educational con-

suliants, Dr. Cocking and Dr. Arnold. The action was taken on the basis

cr{ findings and recommendations by the educational consultants of Engle-

harcr, Englehardt, and Leggett who claimed the plan was educationally

unsound in some detaiis and not long-range enorrgh.2

The Board of Education complied with the decision of the Commis-

srtrner of Education as handed down on May 19, 1955, in the case of

'J,':lrer and Anderson vs. Board of Educatlon of the Citv of Enolewood-

The Board of Xducation then established a new boundery line for children

rn rhe Lincoln School area that met with the approval of the State

Commissioner of Education. 3

IDeclsion of the Commissioner of Education, Trenton, New JerseyIlay I9, 1955, p. 9.

28ercen Evenins Record, ]uiy 15, 1955.

3-..,lDrO.

7:.i,;:

l

l

l

l3B

in Octcber. 1955, the Board of Education rnace the decision to

l.olri .: crty-wide conference on Englewood's school problems. The pub-

ltc rras rnvrted to a*.tend and participate. The meeting was sponsored

tri lhe Board of Education at the request of the Citizens'Committee on

.Ii iLiiC LCuCalIOn.

The Board of Education in April of I956, in compliance with the

Slarc's mandate that it eliminate Lincoln ]unior High School as a segre-

galed school by September, 1956, decided to eliminate the Lincoln ]unior

iirgh School by combining the seventh and eighth grade school system lnto

oxe to be located at the Engle Street Junior High School. The ninth grrade

s:udents from both junior high schools were sent to Dwight Morrow High

School, thereby changing the school system organization ftom a six-three-

three to a six-two-four arrangement. This resolution was advanced as a

ternporary one to serve until a new study of the school system and com-

l,.iunrty could be completed and a buiiding program outiined.2

1. The Ohio State Survev

The following month the Board of Education made the decision to

hue Ohio State University's Bureau of Educational Research to conduct an

lndependent survey of Englewood's school needs as suggested by the City

lEnolewood Press Tournal, Englewood, N. J., September 29, 1g55.

2Board of Education Minutes, Englewood School District, Engle-rvooC, New Jersey, MaY 14, 1956, P. 386.

"*t,.

39

Council alter it had rejected the previous Board of Education's recommen-

Crilons based on the Cocking and Arnold report. I

Tne Board of Education released the results of the Ohio State Sur-

*1,Tcam to the public in July of 1956. The cost of the recommended

Fcgrarn \!as estimated at s7,500,000. The survey report recommended

rrlention of the present six-three-three schooi organization and outlined

c long-range plan for an eventual school system comprised of one senior

hrgh school, two junior high schools, and eight or nine elementary

2tcnoQls.

The Board of Education was faced with the task of providlng a new

1.,:rior high school in accordance with the order by the Commissioner of

[ducation. Plans for a new junior high school had been underway even

xlor to the Commissioner's ciecision, but had been blocked by the Common

Council and the Board of School Estimate.

In March of i957, the Board of Educatlon, after questionable delay

and under community pressures, made the decision to construct a new ele-

:e.ntary school at Davison Place in the first Ward. Five previous studies,

lncluding the Board's original proposal dated December, 1953,3 hud i"o-

laied the Engle Street ]unior High School as the school district's major

lBoard of Education Minutes, Englewood Schooi Disuict, Engle-rrood, New Jersey, PP. 34I-342.

2Enqlewood Press Tournal, Englewood, N. J., July f2, f956.

3luid., May, 1954.

40

;i::ric:r anC pr.inc concern. I ne Stale had condemneC the Lincoln Junior

i:,;:. Schocl as a segregaled school. The tsoard of Education. however,

d{,::.j.d ro construct a ne\\'elementary school as part of Phase I of a

r.::cl burloing neeCs progran. This was followed by the decision to con-

::.:;jt d srn:rIe junior high school on the senior high carnpus located in

:'e ThIId Ward. The decisron to construct the new junior high school

lr::r only after iong and frustrated attempts to receive approval from the

Crl.v Council for the necessary financiai appropriations.

l. Thc Questron of Homoceneous Groupinq

The Board of Education in August of i957 appointed a special staff

rr siucjy and direct the preparation of a program for the Engle Street Junior

tll-lh School to care for individual pupil needs. (Homogeneous grouping

trC been recently disapproved for Englewood.) The aim of the Board of

I:rcation was to analyze each student's needs and special abilities so

l:.Jr lhey could be met most effectively.l

In January of I959, the Board of Education was sued for $250,000

:i an Englewood father of a student who was injured at the Engle Street

j:r:or High School when he was pushed by a Negro student, resulting in

rhd loss of a leg. The suit charged that the school should not have been

li:le(jrated as students of different abilities, backqrounds and economic

o:l crsciclinary attitudes were in attendance and that the teacher in

c:^arge was unable to cope with the situation- Ultimately the case was

IBoard of Education Minutes, Englewood School District, Engle-scoo, Nelv Jersey, June 10. 1957, p. 26.

t-2.;

iEt::*tfiri,.j

11

',rr;'ilnated by a ruling in the Appellate Division of the Supericr Court that

:)r leacher involved in the law suit was not neqligent j.n her cuties.l

:. Soard Resiqna:ions - l\'lavor's Acjion

In N{ay of 1958, the Board of Education's proposal for a single

]Jxror nlgh school and auditorium to be built on the D^'ight N{orrow High

School campus at a cost of S1,898,000 was defeated in a referendum

rrt e. 2

It is interesting to note that the following month, General James

Suatton, Otto E. Scherer, and William J. Fitzpatrick, three merabers of

*:c 3oard of Education, resigned from.office.3 It is a common betief that

rle rhree members of the Board of Education resigned as a direct result of

'Le defeat, by a referendum, of a proposal to construct a new junior high

rcnool arid auditorium. All three members had worked diligently on the

propcsal for a long period of time to see their efforts thwarted at the polls.

Mayor Albert Moskin then appointed a committee of three eminent

lecal construction experts to see if the existing buildinq plans could be

:.:iught within the present debt limit. By November, 1958, the Board of

fducation accepted the recommendations of Upson, Boehm, and Coebler.

?he recommendations adopted the basic Board of Education proposals as

lEnqlewood Press Tournal, Englewood, N. ]., Decemb€r 3, f959.

ziuid. , May 29, 1958.

3lbid., fune 19, August 7, August 28, 1958.

{-::;:cj lr ine referendurn, but !viih certain

!.,i c:idi' eaononi!'s iraring rhe project from

J:.iiil .u00 ivhich rras rvithin the community

42

elinrn3tions in the sE-,lcture

the 54.900,000 caiegory to

debt limit.l

'. I.ffi_!e_Ce-ihe greatest single event serving as a challenge to the staiic

;t:,..ol coniitions in Englewood came as a resuli of the "New Rochelle

,Jcse.' Thrs case involved charges of de facto segregation in the New

ishelle, New York, Public Schools. It was referred to as Tavlor vs.

i{.rrd oi ECucation o , l9I F. Supp. l8l (S.D.

.\.Y. I961) , and is often called the "Littie Rock' of the Nonh, as it was t}te

l:rsr htqhly publicized case concerning charges of de lgqlq-segfegation in

. r.onhern public school. The court handed down a decision against the

lir:w Rocheile School Board and ruled that the Board of Education Eust

'rtqht the wrong it had previously done." The decision was handed down

crJanuary 24, 196l.

f. Oricrn of the Stearns RePort

In April of I961, the Board of Education commissioned tr- Harry L.

Siearns, the Superintendent of Schools, to initiate an immediate study of

cilcllnent predictions and all factors that affected enrollment. Past sur-

vc)s and studies had been proved to be unreliable and had resulted in

{5

r-.ar), r3lse e ffollrnent predicrions and othcr

la:er becarne known to the comrnunity as the

inaccuracies.I Ti:e study

"Stearns Report.'

!. l:|,.. S..r€-o3tion Cheices

Cn June 12. 1961, rvithin five months of the NCULBo_g!_e:lg._8-q.S_9,

the flist open confrontation took place betvreen the Board of Ec:,cation and

liegro organizations, the N.A.A.C.P; and the "Interested Parents of the

iourth Ward." A petition was presented to the Board of Education concern-

ing the responsibility of the Board to further desegregate the Englewood

Pubiic Schools and to desegregate the Lincoln School in particula!. The

N.A.A.C.P. charged that the Board of Education was operating a segre-

gated school system as the enrollment of 532 Negro students and nine white

students constituted de facto segregation.2 (Ironically, almost thirty years

before, a group of white parents of the Fourth Ward had petitiond the

Board of Education to have their children moved to the then predominantly

white Liberty School.)

10. Urban Leaque Supports Board

On June 29, 196i, the Englewood Urban League adopted a resolu-

rion approving the integration of the Liricoln School. The League declared

that there was no official discrimination in the Englewood School System,

IEnqlewood Press Tournal, Englewood, N. J., April f3, f961.

2lutd., ]une 15, i961.

.rls

t.-t'{:'

44

r-:'--..:: i)r(: Lrnco.ln SchooI \4'as a seEreEated school resultrng from the

rcSl:.':.i:il pattern of lrving. The Urban League urged the Board to pro-

:-::e. !clicy of ethnic iniegratron and to appoint an advisory committee

ci:::.::::ed crtizens to study ways of promoting racial integration of

ir::oli: SchooI.I

in September of 1961, the Board of Education stated its policy of

op!.sr:1.1 segregation and discrimination in ali its forms, but for the

fus::r::e, and at the request of the N-A.A.C.P., agreed to consider the

:iarie! o! "racial imbalance" as part of the superintendent's depth study.

ilso, &e Board of Education announced its intention to complete on

lebrua:y 1, I962, a survey of school popuiation, the deconcentration of

tr-egroes at the Lincoln school and to seek solutions to other pending prob-

lerns such as what to do with the former junior high school'2

The N.A,A.C.P- in November, 1961, recommended to the Board of

lducatron the name of Dr. Dan Dodson, Professor of Education, New York

University, as an additional consultant for the depth study that was under-

raken by Dr. Stearns. The Board declded to retain Dr' Dodson along with

D. Robert Wood, political scientist from M'I'T' and Dr' Robert Gutman'

llnqlewoocl Press lourndl, Englewood, N. ]., June 29, I96l'

Zlb:a., September 28, 1961.

45

sccloloq;ist from Rutgers University. I

On January 25, 1962, the Bergen County Branch of the N.A.A.C.P.

.rnd thc Congrcss fcr Racial Equality issued a joint statement asking the

3oard of School !stimate to postpone its public hearing on the school

ruCgct until on or after february 15, instead of meeting on February l,

as orrgrnally scheduled. They asserted that Dr. Stearns had been con-

ducting a study on the problem of desegregation in the Englewood

schools that was scheduled for completion by February and that the

recommendations expected to result from this study would have an

rmportant bearing on budget considerations. They indicated that any

artempt to rush through a budget at this time, without due considera-

rron of the Stearns Report, would delay any hopes of change in the

racial complex of the city schools until another year.2

Passive action developed into impassioned action on February

l, 1962, when Negro Attorney Paul Zuber (the attorney who had won the

New Rochelle desegregation case for the N.A.A.C.P.) attempted to regis-

rer nine children of the Lincoln and Liberty Elementary Schools at the

Donald Quarles Elementary School. They were denied registration.

He then proceeded with the parents to the office of the Superintendent

ln order to exhaust all administrative remedies prior to approaching the

. IBoard of Education Minutes, Englewood School District, Engle-wood, New Jersey, November 13, 1961, P- 26.

2Enolewood Press Tournal, Englewood, N. J., january 18, 1962.

lt

t

46

s;:rci off,Cucation conccrning the matter. The Board of Education ratified

:.i'r dction taken by its employees. It reaffirmed its position taken

5ci)tcrrber 5, ]961, to adhere to the established neighborhood boundary

,l

:t. Thc FiIst "Sit-In" Case

Members of the N,A.A.C.P. and other demonstrators staged a

'lii-rn demonstration in City Hall as a result of the action taken at the

!o$d of Education meeting at which Attorney Paul Zuber was told by the

Scdrd that the children could not transfer from Lincoln School to the

luarles School as they had attempted to do eariier in the day. Over 100

cenonstrators staged the sit-in, and at B:30 the next morning, eleven

rti-ir demonstrators, seven of whom were white, were arrested on charges

oldisorderly conduct. It was believed to be the ffst arrest north of the

tlason-Dixon Line for sit-in demonstrators. Four spectators were also

enested when they refused to leave the same afternoon at the arraignment

oi tIe eleven.2

Paul Zuber, on February 5, 1962, initiated suit in United States

District Court against the Englewood Board of Education, its Superintendent

ol Schools, and the State Commissioner of Education. The suit was insti-

ruted on behalf of Alan Sheppard and others and sought to enjoin the

lBeroen Eveninq Record, lebruary 2, L962, p. L.

2New York Tihes, Pebruary 2, Lg62.

47

iefendants from operating segregated schools in Englewood. I

The next day Governor Richard J. Hughes of New Jersey discussed

the Englewood Schools situation at a press conference. He defended the

ncighborhood school concept but supported integration. He asked the

State Commissioner of Education, Dr. Frederick M. Raubinger, to look

tnto the Englewood situation. He maintained that if housing discrimina-

tron were ended, the problem would be solved.2

The Board of Education Attorney, Abram A. Lebson, later filed mo-

trons for dlsmissal in Federal Court of the Englewood School segregation

suit brought against the Board of Education and School Superintendent.

State Superintendent, Frederick M. Raubinger, also a defendant in the

suit, filed a motion to dismiss the suit on the same general grounds that

the plaintiff had not exhausted administrative channels as required by law-

County Judge Benjamin P. Galanti on February 16, 1962, cleared

ali eleven sit-in demonstrators who had been charged with disorderiy con-

duct in the Englewood School controversy. The charges were &opped be-

cause the State had faj.led to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the guilt of

the cleven sit-in demonstrators.

13. Threat of Bovcott

Bergen County Chapters of C.O.R.E. and the N.A.A.C.P., sup-

lBerqen Eveninq Reqord, February 6, 1962.

2New York Times, February 6, 1962.

4B

i\rrrcd by the irglclvood United Action Conrnittee, canred out a planned

liitqro boycott oI stores ollerated by white merchants in Englewood on

icDruary B, i952. The dcmonstration followeC in the wake of an attempt

by Negro parenis to iransfer nrne pupils from the Lincoln and Liberty

Schools to the precjominantly white Quarles School located in the First

ward. i

i;. Rclease of Stearns Report

The Board of ECucation released, on March 12, L962, the long-

arvaited school depth study report to the public at its regular monthly

:leetrng held in Academic HaIl. The report, composed of I57 pages, was

conrpleted after eleven months of study by Dr. Stearns, and three pro-

fessional consultants. The report, "Enqlewood. Its Peoole and lts Schools'"

better known as "The Stearns Report," reviewed the social, historical, and

economic characteristics of the city, and proposed six alternatives for

eltminating "racial imbalance."2 Th" significant findings noted that

"racial imbalance" did exist in the elementary schools and outlined six

dllernate proposals for consideration by the community

On March 15, 1962, the Board of Education, through its president,

William Kiss, made it clear to the public that the "Stearns Report" did not

nccessarily rellect the thinking of the members of the Board. It was made

lNew York Times, February 8, 1962.

?Jbn,, March 12, 1962.

i1

t:II

[,I!.t.t:ii