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meeting's minutes to all ite members. But every effort + should be made to keep in close personal contact with all the members, by visits or phone call. Be on the lookout for more organizations to participate in the Joint Committee. You should draw leadership to share in the planning and carrying out of the work from as many or- ganizations as possible. As new members join the group, plan some job that they can perform. Encourage them to assume responsibility, and to use their own methods and ideas. SUGGESTED LINES OF ACTION Some of the following suggestions can be used by the infor- mal beginning group as well as by the Joint Committee, Get the Facts | A good first step for your committee is to get the facts on schools in your community. Visit classrooms, talk with teachers, students and parents about sanitation, heating and fire protection. Find out how large the classes are and whether school buses are overcrowded. Present these facts to your city or county officials and to members of your board of education. Give comparative figures between white and Negro schools. Explain how both white and Negro children suffer because of segregation. Point out the costliness of a dual system in terms of quality of education as well as size of school budget and ask the school board to consider the psychological disadvantages of segregation to all children. Understand the Board of Education Who are its members? What are the factions? Who are the most sympathetic members and to what degreeP What is the relationship between the board and the superintendent? Find and use the means available for contact with the board in order to keep informed and to let them know that citizens are interested, Attend board meetings. Find out what the rules are about citizens speaking at board meetings and cou sider how you may effectively use the pr vilege. Make r-- peated personal visits and contacts wit! board member 3. Make oral presentations and write letter’ to the board. —8— A SP a ee a en enna Work for A Better Board of Education If your board members are elected, organize a slate of can- didates whom you feel can do the best job. If the board is appointed, work with the appointing agent and bring public pressure to bear. You need people of integrity who are ine terested in school problems, It is very important to have Negro representation if you are to plan intelligently for the integration of races. Active citizen support at the polls is essential if-you are to have good school board officials. WHAT TO SAY TO SCHOOL BOARD Make some or all of the following suggestions to your school board. Be flexible and ready to change your emphasis as the situation develops. Submit to the board, for its adoption, a statement of basic policies which should govern desegregation plans. The state- ment should specify that both pupil assignment and all per- sonnel management should be carried out without regard to race. (Highlander workshop statement available). Gather information on the mechanics of successful desegre- gation in other areas and share your findings with the board members. Present facts on teacher loads, number of shifts, travel time and distances to show that eome children are being discrim inated against. Arrange workshops or seminars for public school teachers where they may work together in seeing the role of teachers in an integrated school system and the responsibility of the teacher in affecting attitudes. Work this out with school officials and secure their cooperation. Assistance can be secured from human relations agencies and from colleges and universities. In some communities lay groups, or citizens’ advisory com- mittees, are being appointed by the board of education. We recommend that such co:nmittees be interracial and that they include no one who is a ‘yes-man”, or whose job or financial security might be placec in jeopardy as a result of the com- mittee’s actions. All n -mbers should be committed to ac- comolishing desegreguti a in ax prompt and ord«rly a mar ner as possible, Cidavens’ advivury comr < ce -neetings -9—