The consolidation of two Choctaw Indian schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Oklahoma was announced today by Acting Commissioner W. Barton Greenwood. Wheelock Academy, established in Millerton in 1832, will be closed and its students will use dormitory facilities at Jones Academy and attend public schools in nearby Hartshorne.
The move will reduce operating costs per pupil to about half of the present figure and will provide better educational opportunities for the children.
Enrollment at the two academies had been greatly reduced in the past three years as more and more Indian children attended schools in their own districts. There were 80 boys enrolled in Jones Academy last year and 70 girls at Wheelock - far less than the capacities of the schools. Classrooms at Jones Academy have not been used since June 1952, when students boarding there started attending the Hartshorne public schools.
The consolidation was discussed with the Choctaw people and endorsed by their representatives. The Oklahoma State Department of Education also was consulted.
Jones Academy was selected for the consolidation because of superior facilities and their more economical operation. In addition, only minor remodeling will be necessary at Jones to make separate dormitory facilities available for boys and girls.
Indian people in Oklahoma, Bureau officials pointed out, have always favored public school attendance. The first school system at public expense in Oklahoma was established by the Five Civilized Tribes. The State public school system has welcomed Indian attendance, and Indian children, with the exception of those requiring boarding care for welfare reasons, go to local public schools.
