Hamilton School. The statistics look formidable if not impossible. Over 500 children are bussed out daily to Mitchell and Wheatly Schools (Wheatly is entirely Hamilton children) Including the enrollment at Hamilton Branch 3 — 117 — Children — there is a total of 1,587 public school pupils. This does not include the upper grade children who elect to go to Enright Middle or those who get permissive transfers to other public schools. What is worse, even more children are expected if the Redevelopment goes through.
Add this to the fact that although half of the Skinker DeBaliviere community is evenly integrated, Hamilton School is not integrated nor is there much chance of any significant integration(parents willing) with the school dispersed the way it is. At a recent meeting, white parents pointed out these facts and stated that their case was unusual. They were living in an integrated neighborhood, but were, because of the busing at Hamilton, denied a public school or any possibility of achieving significant integration. Cleveland Young, principal of Hamilton, said he believes that since the school is all black, he believed the problem would resolve around social issues.
Many parents have children in 3 different schools and the effort involved in keeping track of them often results in despair. Despite the outstanding efforts of a good teaching staff who must deal with a 50% turnover of pupils, parents and indeed the community has, understandably, a general feeling of hopelessness about the future of the school. Meanwhile back in the slum-making syndrome, real estate agents capitalize on the school problems to steer prospective buyers away from the community.
The St. Louis Board of Education, which left out Hamilton’s needs in the last bond issue, evidently also shares this feeling of hopelessness. A Board member recently expressed the opinion that Hamilton, because of the size of its overpopulation problem, would require a new large school and the reluctant voters would surely reject it. In other words, despite expressions of sympathy to the contrary, Hamilton is not likely to be included in another bond issue.
There is a good chance that this community will be left out in the cold. And, unless we want to roll over and play dead, it is up to us to find a solution to these problems.
If any one thing has come out of the series of open meetings of the Education Committee of the Skinker DeBaliviere Community Council it is this message THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF THE HAMILTON SCHOOL’ What is needed is organized PEOPLE POWER, especially the Hamilton parents, to decide on acceptable goals and priorities and make these needs known to the Board of Education if only to make sure we are on the next bond issue. (see related story for other alternatives. )
If you care about Hamilton School and its children and, especially if you are a Hamilton parent, the meeting Wednesday, Jan. 19, is a MUST’. It is an open community-wide meeting for everyone whether their children go to Hamilton or not. To find out what you personally can do to find a solution to Hamilton’s bussing, and to open up lines of communication and involvement between the school and the community, come to this meeting. Nothing less than the future of our community is at stake.
Originally published in The Paper, December 1971.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1971_12.pdf, printed page 5.
