| Show I 1 THE CITY SCHOOLS two communications appeared in the columns of the recently la in which as a citizen I 1 was waa much interested the firt first WR wee published in the issue of the dinst over the nom do de plume of anon and aad the second on the signed bernard PS both writers deal with the school tax question and both are apparently of the opinion that an excessive if oot dot illegal levy has hai been made for the present year anon frankly states batea he desires to do a little pertinent growling 12 and then proceeds to deal with the general tax levies for 1895 he correctly tates states that hat the levy for school pu purposes reposes is six mills mille quote quotas a part but a patt part only of the territorial statute on that subject hat the tax for the support and maintenance of such schools shall not exceed in any one year four mills on the dollar and then asks aake therefore is ia not the six mills tax a direct violation of the law what lenae is ie there in the legislature limiting the tax to four mills it if the school board can at pleasure increase it to six to the first query I 1 answer emphatically in the negative the tour four mills la is used for the specific purpose set met forth in the law lav support and maintenance P 1 but the board has other important and hevy he vy obligations to di in addition to supporting and maintaining the schools aoh oela and the law pointe out the way in which it can and must be dooe done it in incumbent that a separate annual levy shall ahall be made to pay interest on bonds was wag provide for a sinking iund fund with which to ultimately redeem the finues now outstanding the law jaw on the question Is ie found in section chapter inix page session laws 1894 a id reads as follow fol lowe the board of education shall ahall on or before the first day of march of each year prepare a statement and estimate of the amount necessary tor for the support and maintenance of the schools under its charge for the school year commencing on the first day of july next thereafter also the amount necessary to pay the interest accruing during such year or not included in any prior estimate on bonds issued by said board and the amount of sinking fund necessary to be collected during such year for the payment and redemption of said bonds provided that the tax tor the support and maintenance of such schools shall not exceed in any one year four mills on the dollar upon all taxable property of said city in response to the second question as sense there la Is in me legle lature limiting the tax to four mills it 11 the board can at pleasure increase it to six iz it may be stated the board has not or cannot at its pleasure do anything of the kind anon was evidently not aware ol of the fact that thai there are in reality two distinct levies as indicated above and even the matter of levying la in not left with the board all it can do under the law Is to perform the plain simple duty of certifying to the abe assessor the amount necessary for maintenance and repairs and the payment of interest and making sinking fund credit that official must be guided by the law in the matter of making these levies the boards certification to him was absolutely alsol within legal bunds bbunds being carefully prepared by its attorneys williams vat van cott Sutherland But berland with due regard for any contingency that might arise As an to the complaint about salt lake property owners being required to pay I a total school tax of eleven mills it 11 should be borne in mind that a very large proportion of it under a territorial law that is very unjust goes to schools outside the city no explanation on this point perhaps will make the matter clearer than the following excerpt from prisident doolas annual report the territorial and county school taxes paid by the city for 18 1894 94 were to wit territorial tax 8 mills 85 county oo 00 anty tx tax 2 1 milla 21 I 1 total il 0 58 the board received from the territory 75 the board received from the county 50 total 26 loss to salt lake city 25 2 which is equivalent to about 45 per cent of the territorial school and county school taxes or to express it differently the board of education of this city re about 95 55 per cent of the territorial school and county school levies I 1 heartily endorse bernards bernardo views wherein he states that the board should govern its ita expenditures by its ito legal income mod and if that be insufficient to accommodate actual needs it is not the boards fault and it cannot be justly censured I 1 am also of the opinion that my comment on abono anono A nono sll communication muni cation are sufficiently plain tor for both gentlemen to see that the board has not exceeded its jurisdiction it has haa a big question with which to deal to successfully keep the school system in operation requires the employment of teachers whose salaries have been reduced until they are lower than those of any similar western city thirty A janitors I 1 anitore and a considerable number of other per pern sois otle the census returns show a school population of more then than one of the cites inhabitants these must be provided with free text books appa apparatus ratu fuel and shelter for ton ten months in the year and the most rigid economy has ban been necessary in every department to accommodate them and even now the securing of sufficient suitable school roo room outside of the regular buildings is a 11 problem that Is giving the board much trouble ONE OF ITS MEMBERS |
