Show THE SCHOOL LAWS tile trie n new 0 w s school c h ool b bill ill lil which has passed the house and is now under considers tion by the council appears to us to contain some crudities and alto aito altogether ether is not machof an improvement upon the law as it now stands upon our statute books the abolition of the office of territorial superintendent asin our opinion not hot a wise measure as much good can be accomplished by a competent officer in taking the oversight of educational affairs in the territory and compiling statistics and other information of T general benefit to the educational cause the provisions in regard to the organization of school districts and of trustees seem a little mixed and calculated to confuse the second section provides that on or before the first firstA monday londay in july annually the trustees shall meet and orga organize nize by the election from their number of a chairman and secretary the fifth section that district shall be deemed duly organized when any of two of the trustees elected at the first meeting shall have filed their oath of afflec office 11 the fourth sections sec tiona provides that trustee shallie elected on the first monday anway annually and oll oil on or before the first monday in july thereafter the said trustee shall qualify by taking taking and subscribing an oath of office ach ich which shall be filed with the county clerk the seventh section provides that within twenty days after election the trustees shall dile file e their oath of office with the county clerk and shall meet and organize I 1 as a board of trustees as provided in this chapter these several provisions appear to be conflicting and if there is as there may be a uy key to their harmonious solution it is not patent to the common eye something not so likely to confuse would be preferable in a legislative act the twenty fourth section provides for the usual sum in aid of the N normal or department of the deseret university ve ver r s sity 1 t which is all right as far as it go goes e s dut put but it appropriates further sums of three thousand dollars annually each to the normal department in ogden city I 1 and the I 1 normal department D apart in beaver city what normal department of ogden city and what of beaver city wo we are not aware of the existence of any such institution in either elther place the appropriation by law of funds to institutions that have no legal existence seems to us a little out of the ordinary method of legislative business we would not object to that however if it was an improvement upon the general mode and pro dro tiding it was consistent we will not here discuss the necessity or policy of such a disposition of revenue but ut merely ask would it not be better to create and establish these normal departments part ments before attempting to vote public money towards their support the tenth section provides for the assessment of a tax not exceeding two per cent of the assessed value of the taxable property property in the district by a majority instead instead of a two this is probably a good change but ae we doubt the wisdom of another provision n in the same section making the county assessor a and nd collector the collector of school taxes the money will go into the county treasury to be drawn by warrants signed by the chairman and secretary ot the board of trustees as provided in the second a and nd eleventh sections this will we believe cripple the trustees where school buildings are being erected and where the taxes tax es are arc needed for immediate use the same delays that occur in the payment of county and territorial taxes will attend the payment of special school taxes and the trustees will be hampered for need of the funds where no buildings are in process of erection and a small tax Is assessed for current expenses the trustees will be put to great inconvenience and subject to delays for a few dollars to buy fuel or lighting material or for a any incidental expenses in our opinion the business of our school districts would be greatly facilitated lita ted if the old tax of one fourth lof of one per cent was restored to be col lecter without any school meeting or vote and to be used for general school purposes As the law stands now not a cent can be obtained by the trustees for in incidentals cl de a tais without t the lie lle calling of a meeting and the assessment of a tax which is often very difficult of accomplishment ment and as the regular school tax assessed under the territorial revenue law can only be expended for the payment of teachers the trustees are pa frequently antly left without any funds for current school expenses we think that if the school law is to be remodel edit would be better either to make the general territorial tax large enough to pay all the ex of our district schools or else to abolish the present three mills tax and leave the whole matter open to the people in their respective districts giving them power by local option to choose whether they will have schools schools in their own districts entirely supported by taxation or whether tuition fees shall prevail or a mixed policy be pursued we further suggest that th the people who send their children maren to a 3 district school ought to have a voice in the election of the school trustees these are not territorial or county officers they are not officials of the same character as those chosen at the regular elections they are selected by the people in town meetings as they would be called in the states 4 M nien dren n and women who are Interest odin eoln family and nd in property are registered voters or not luber lUher vl they arc are f full uil fledged citizens or not should of night hight ri ht have something to say in the selection of the persons who are arc to manage their local school affairs give ulve the people who are interested power to choose the trustees of their respective districts and the taxpayers power to assess upon themselves taxes to any amount sufficient to conduct their own schools in every respect whether for the building and furnishing f of school houses the purchase ot 7 books maps ch charts ailts elc etc euc the payment of teachers tea cheis chels the incidental ex expenses ensch necessary to the proper conduct of the the tho schools or anything an chi m else useful let taxes be coalee collected NI and made de collectable lec luc table tabie by law in the district dl strIct by district collectors and used by the trustees they giving f full fuli and detailed accounts pr properly audited to the taxpayers of all their doings and there thele will be nothing to hinder the establishment and continuance a nce nee of flourishing schools alj ail over the territory the school law now presented does not seem to us to meet the present public requirements |