FEDERAL AID TO EDUCATION FRIDAY, MAY 9, 1947 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE No. 1 Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met at 10 a. m., Hon. Edward O. McCowen (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Mr. McCOWEN. The committee will come to order. The first witness will be Congressman Brooks. STATEMENT OF HON. OVERTON BROOKS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF LOUISIANA Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Chairman, I don't want to take the committee's time, but I do thank the committee for the courtesy of permitting me to be present. I have a short prepared statement in support of Federal aid to education, provided it does not carry with it Federal control. One of the most acute problems confronting postwar America is the need of money for public education. I dare say not a community exists in all of this great land which has not felt the pinch of inadequate finances for its schools. Many communities have already acted to relieve this distressing situation temporarily. Many States have acted as a political unit in voting additional money to increase the salaries of the school teachers and otherwise to help the public schools. In spite of this action, the problem still remains with us and is one of our most critical internal problems. I appear before you this morning, Mr. Chairman, for the purpose of asking this committee to take some action to aid the several States in their school problems. My State of Louisiana has recently granted the school teachers a raise in pay but the need for help in my State still remains most serious, as it is in other States. I am in favor of general relief for the schools and for the school teachers. I do not present any dogmatic formula by which this can be done. I think this committee can work out a bill and a formula. I have only one word of caution, and that is that no attempt be made by the United States in legislation to control or dominate the school systems. Such a policy placed in legislation by Congress would be most unwise, unfair, and unacceptable to the people of this country. The one thing which has made the country great has been the fact that our school systems have been independent of any Central Government and because of this fact we have been able to experiment in methods, systems, and theories of education. Such a policy has placed the country far in the lead from an educational viewpoint of any Nation in the entire world. 61040-47-vol. 1-18. It would be most unfortunate, Mr. Chairman, if, in reporting out a bill, an attempt was made by this committee to outline a social or a racial problem. If the committee wants to kill this or any other measure, a stipulation on account of race or color will accomplish this. I, therefore, implore this committee in the handling of the matter that no conditions or control be stipulated over our local school systems. I think we can leave these matters entirely to the several States. Since the time when the Liberty Bell at Philadelphia first sent out its joyous cry to a free and independent people, our land has gained in population, wealth, and influence under a free and untrammeled school system. Let us, therefore, give Federal aid to education, but, in doing so, gentlemen of this committee, let us not attempt to control, dictate, or even influence the type of character of our school systems or the method of handling State school problems. Let me thank you, Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of this committee, for aid to education, and let me especially thank you for the kind and attentive consideration which you have given my statement. Mr. McCOWEN. If you care to discuss this question further for a very few moments, you have the opportunity. Mr. BROOKS. Well, my statement pretty well covers it. I think the school systems of the country are in distressing circumstances, financially. The war found them poverty-stricken indeed, and, of course, the teachers' salaries have been far below what they should be; they are very much subnormal. I taught school in the early years of my life and know something about the problems of the school teachers. A good many States have already acted, but the problem is still with us, and it is still acute and needs assistance. In my statement I do not present any dogmatic approach to the problem. Where we can give Federal aid to the State school systems without Federal interference, I would be inclined to favor any such program. I think that is all I have to say. Mr. McCOWEN. You, of course, fully agree that there is a very great crisis in education. Mr. BROOKS. Yes, sir. Mr. McCowEN. And that the teachers are very much underpaid, there is a very great scarcity of teachers due to the fact that many of them have gone to better-paying positions, and that the number entering training schools is greatly reduced? Mr. BROOKS. Yes, sir. Mr. McCowEN. What would you say about Federal aid being a matter of national concern? Mr. BROOKS. I think certainly it is a matter of national concern. A democracy implies an enlightened electorate, and, therefore, we are concerned in education. It is a matter of national concern. The question in my mind is what is the best way to approach the problem without bringing in any degree of Federal control. I think it would be most unfortunate to have that. We have several programs of Federal aid already-agricultural aid, vocational; we have the schoollunch program. We have, of course, the programs stemming out of the extension departments. All of these have been very helpful, and none of them have brought on any degree of Federal control. On the other hand, I think the crisis is much more severe than it has even been, and the type of aid ought to be much greater, if it is given, than Congress has contemplated in the past. Mr. McCOWEN. And you think there would not be much Federal control, if the statute is written so as to prohibit it, and covers that phase? Mr. BROOKS. Yes. Mr. McCOWEN. Congressman, we thank you for your statement. Mr. BROOKS. Thank you very much. I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you. Mr. McCowEN. I have a statement from the American Association of University Women, which will be inserted in the record at this point, without objection. (The statement referred to is as follows:) Hon. EDWARD O. McCOWEN, AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR MR. MCCOWEN: The American Asociation of University Women has long been interested in Federal aid to public education. We, therefore, should like our statement indicating the preesnt position of the association inserted in the record of hearings on H. R. 2953. This statement was made in relation to S. 472 but since H. R. 2953, introduced after our committee had made a study of S. 472, has a provision, 6 (B), identical with 6 (B) of S. 472, the comments made by our committee members concerning 6 (B) of S. 472 may likewise be considered as comments on 6 (B) of H. R. 2953. In addition to calling attention to the fundamental issue presented by 6 (B), it may be pointed out that the principle adopted by our association emphasizes the need for equalizing educational opportunity. Therefore we have been willing to support bills which did not provide aid to the richer States as does H. R. 2953. In our association, members from such States as California and New York have been more than willing to support bills which would not bring addtional revenues to their already well financed educational systems. Sincerely yours, (Mrs.) HARRIET AHLERS HOUDLETTE, Associate in Education. (Statement originally sent to Senator George D. Aiken, chairman of the Subcommittee on Education, Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, April 30, 1947, and now included with letter to Congressman McCowan for the record of hearings on H. R. 2953 :) STATEMENT FOR THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN ON FEDERAL AID TO PUBLIC EDUCATION The American Association of University Women has gone on record for more than 20 years in favor of Federal aid to public education. During that time our growing membership has constantly studied the need for such aid and the advisability of supporting Federal grants to the States. In biennial conventions, which have final authority in the association, representatives of branches have consistently reaffirmed the belief of their members that such grants to States for public education are necessary in order to establish a desirable minimum of educational opportunities from State to State. Our representatives have participated in hearings in support of specific bills before committees of the Senate and the House and have concurred in the testimony of experts, such as Dr. Norton, who have brought in the results of studies which show conclusively that States are not equally able to finance a program of education which will prepare children adequately for the responsibilities of democratic citizenship. From their own communities our members have been able to match the sad stories of school teachers poorly paid, of schools which could not be kept running because of insufficient local and State funds, and fellow members from rich States have joined them in their appeal for aid. Our testimony at this time does not need to repeat the facts and the figures. They are on the record which has already been given to the committee by scholars and experts in the fields of school aministration and school finance as well as by schoolroom teachers many of whom are numbered among the underprivileged citizens of our country. Our testimony may be considered as a poll of opinion from a sector of the population which has had far more than the average educational opportunity; over 91,000 women, all of whom have had a college education and who are organized in 983 branches in the 48 States for the purpose of doing practical educational work. We come to you now from a convention just held in Dallas, Tex., where representatives to that body of final decision for the association again reaffirmed by an almost unanimous vote the principle of "Federal aid, under conditions safeguarding State control, to equalize and extend or improve public education for all the people, including provision for the developmental needs of children, youth, and adults." A survey of opinion in the two committees, the national education committee and the national legislative committee, to which committees is delegated the authority for choosing a specific bill to satisfy this principle, reveals that S. 472 would be unanimously approved if section 6 (B) were deleted. Without the deletion six members of the committee approve the bill and seven find 6 (B) a hindrance to approval, with opinions varying from a reluctant consent because of fearing the bill will not pass without this section, to a strong statement that 6 (B) absolutely violates AAUW's principles of support for public education only. To show the range of opinion, we are submitting the following excerpts from the written returns of committee members: The chairman of the national education committee, a professor of education on the faculty of one of Ohio's most prominent universities, writes in part as follows: "Our principle respects the safeguarding of State control. As I see it, certain States do constitutionally now allow specified services to private schools to be State-supervised. If States' rights are to be respected and the Federal-control bogey to be avoided this must be recognized. The bill S. 472 does this but also safeguards increased allowances to private schools." The chairman of the national legislative committee, who is president of a woman's college in Virginia, says: "I would not be willing to approve the bill in its present form because section 6 (B) might cause serious difficulty. It is almost tatamount to saying that private institutions can be placed by definition under the tax-support program in education in a given State." The AAUW State education chairman for Iowa, a member of the Național Education Committee, writes that she would take a chance on the bill as it is if efforts to get 6 (B) eliminated are not successful, but adds: "We have so far fought off State support for non-public schools here in Iowa, but education in the States that have succumbed to it may be in such dire straits that compromise would be justified." A prominent educator from Indiana, a member of the National Education Committee, after approving S. 472 with 6 (B) deleted, adds that it is so important to the development of a democratic United States of America to have Government and religion separated that AAUW should never sponsor anything that could be used to erase that separation. Wisconsin's AAUW State legislative chairman, a member of the National Legislative Committee, writes that she does not feel that AAUW can support legislation that will allow Federal-aid funds to be used to subsizide private schools in principle. In Wisconsin, she says, the issue of transportation for private schools from State funds was defeated. A second member of the National Legislative Committee from Virginia, representing the AAUW social studies program, comments as follows: "In my opinion, section 6 (B) of S. 472 violates the fundamental principle of public support for public schools only. I should, therefore, recommend that AAUW should ask for the bill to be amended by omission of this section. "It seems to me very clear that the trend toward substitition of publicly aided private education for public education is extremely strong. Each concession lays the foundation for a further step-witness the school lunch bill which is now cited as a precedent for the direct expenditure of Federal funds to local private schools when the State does not permit such expenditure. The language of section 6 (B) is as guarded as could well be, once the concession is made. It is, nevertheless a concession. "The principle which we have supported with respect to Federal aid to States calls for local responsibility within a framework of Federal standards, set as a condition of the granting of Federal funds. Neither insistence on grants to public institutions only nor the language of section 6 (B) violates AAUW principles with respect to Federal aid in general. The issue should not be decided on that ground but on the ground of public policy with respect to public education." To sum up, it would seem that S. 472 with 6 (B) included raises a question even more fundamental than that of States' rights-the right of the Federal Government to declare a policy in respect to public support of public education. We submit, therefore, a difference of opinion, not on Federal aid to public education, not on States' rights, but on whether the Federal Government shall assume the responsibility for affirming the principle of public support for public education only in order to uphold through the Federal Government the basic policy of separation of church and state to which this democracy is pledged. Finally then it can be written into the record with assurance that a large majority of the more than 91,000 members of the American Association of University Women want Federal aid to public education passed in this session of Congress. They are relying upon their Representatives in Congress to approve legislation which will without delay give aid to public tax-supported schools in order to enable all States to offer a desirable minimum of educational opportunity to all their children. Mr. McCOWEN. We will next hear from Congressman Hedrick of West Virginia. STATEMENT OF HON. E. H. HEDRICK, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA Mr. HEDRICK. Mr. Chairman, as a Representative from the Sixth District of West Virginia I should like to advise you of my continued support of Federal aid to education. It was my privilege, during the Seventy-ninth Congress, to be a member of the Bipartisan House Committee for the Support of Federal Aid for Public Schools, and I am glad to reiterate my support of such assistance. Education is the basic and fundamental principle of a democracy, and without it this form of government cannot survive. If the United States is to continue its world leadership, children throughout our Nation must have an equal chance to secure an education. Children from poor States must have the same opportunity to obtain an education as those from rich States. They are all Americans and are supposed to have the same privileges in this great land of ours, regardless of unfavorable circumstances, surroundings, and obstacles. We know that education is the undergirder of the American way of life, and to keep our country great, we must have Federal aid to education. Since our Federal Government must call upon our young people to shoulder arms for the defense of our country and the democratic ideals we cherish, it is only fair that our Government contribute to their education, thus enabling them to better fulfill their responsibilities. Because this problem is of national importance, there must be equality of education with standardization of requirements for teachers, uniformity in school terms, as well as better school construction and equipment. Teachers' salaries must be increased to enable them to continue in their profession, at the same time providing for themselves and their families a decent living. We have learned that the ranks of qualified teachers have been sadly depleted due to the inadequate compensation provided in return for the years that teachers must spend in specialized study and training. |