Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-01-13

has strangely misunderstood The su.gest,n,.
the friends Of Common School system in Y.
ginia. They object 10 tax levied by rhe 81
or BY the counties, 10 supply fund for r
School System, 10 be discussed by aoent.,
Immediately under their control. or direcIly i,.
esied 10 The CHI dren 10 be educated. TIE i;
objection 10 the present sys:em is that those r;
cenr"i the disbursement Of the school inni IT,.
no direci interest in is disbursement, al iL@'s
for whose benefit il is expended, have M ro,,,
over IS expenditure. II is admitted that no.,
sent sy>icin teneicialy aids in he ednrq.:,1 !,
/ paurer children; hui 1t furnishes no t,c;l,t;,. ,
those who are able and willing 10 pay Po, H.
want 81 some system similar 10 those in >ucc,ss
iulopefduon IN other States theIe a!e .housard. Il,
Children whose parents could, ana wouli nav
tuition Zee ct ten collars rcr annum wbor -.
cannot obtain education al that price. They fo,.,
desire that those COUNTIES or school distress
not wish The system, should be taxed Tor them. 49,
that whenever cnunty or school dislrici. IVA ~.
JoriY oil lis qualified yolcrS GeSiic 10 e.tstl.,.a
common (not lree) school, that they may As..
The authority of law 10 elect as school G, minis
sioneTs Their own neishbors- men, who, having
children toeducaie have persona interest in he
school, and in whose Judgment and iusn,;. n
they can confde-who shall employ lie teachers
Tor moderate tuition fee, no, exceeding five
dollars-desisnae such as from their own ~ Il.
ledge are loo poor 10 pay tuition Zee, and IL.
nit them gratis--hat majority Of iheSe .,,,Is
shall have the power IL levy Tax upon heir 1;>
uic in aid Of the fee 10 paw the teacher thus clio.
scn-that the tax should be levied by, and u9,r
those Tor whose benefit it is 10 be cx7eldct. 1i
that they, through their legally appointed cc,r.
missiuners, should control the expenditure !,
might be objected that The majority Al he voer> a,
lie County shoald vote for Ibis tax bul il certain.
I,,o 10, her iho ~ A
NAV he permit Ell, 10 10 II, 10 pay he teacher
their choice 10 educate therown children
"Common SeEse" objects 10 he amou!i 1: BE
lax on The State, viz: S:3l1CC0. Certain, IL
cannot object il it is scli-!mposed ~ each ai>,;c
actin. independently, and with iuIl kEow 'e'e 5,
It's own wants and abilities. He states The A.m.
Der OF children in the Stale ii ar a2e e recete
education at 2l5,000, 2s,0C0 Of whom are ncW
educated hy the annual income oil he l.icisy
Fund il would mol educate a less ruG.lcf ultr
the Common School system 10 he apror;.it.
among the districts in aid Of the tuition lee ami
voluntary lax. There are still Isl, GOO chil.tta
10 be educated and The charge tor elementary b..
stIucioD wond now average over ten Goi.a!> IT.
annum (The writer knows very many roo
men who would gladly pay iha. fee 10 have u.
chiitcn al school) This would amount
SI,S70,00G; showing, according 10 hi, own sie'..-
UcS, q GEAR SAVING VI III id'ui 81
Common School System.
would dcpreca;e any tax ie;ied Is Tie /.
sislalure FOR The purpose Of educate n, rs likcy
10 cause he rejection Of The system, and MOI ei.
citle il adopted. Matters en- be best marasc
hy those Immediately iEtercsled-and | ,hinh
is preferable 10 give The ,axir. power dire
10 he districts. II they viii not AK ,bcm>tEe,
for such an Object they certainly will lot ieln.,'
their representatives 10 tax them AIlihat isa,i
cd OF ihr Legislature is Ia oltier he counties
be laid of into di>iricis--ro prescribe tie more
action in The election of district school comm,>
sioners. and their powers and dnties-lhe mant't
OF rvying and collecting The tax, and 10 give y
binding force OF la 10 The will OF the ms lorliy
the voters in The district, whenever they choose
exercise il. | The districts were LAID OF, moi 4.
ceeding six miles square, as in The Ncf'h'!a
States. this would mol he 100 large, and wou4
permit srarscly populated districts TO have ora
school. AMI those mole densely populated 10 have
Two or more.
| will eudtavor 10 lest the scheme by LIS 2
plicaiion 10 particular counties, and will >el'.t
The county of Amelia rs being ole in which l.e
greatest difficulty OF earring the system iEto e
iect would be supposed 10 exist from The fact 4!
its having the largest proportion Of slave poFo-
lalon Of any in The State, viz: seven slave 70
three whites. The area IL lis territory Is tl'o
hundred square miles; divided into diStilc =
six miles square, il gives eight and small ~
ton By the census of 1910 il bad $50 childieh
between lie ages OF seven and sixteen, inclustr,
viz "A 10 a district Assume that one-ioullh
these were no, sent 10 school from various caust,
that one fifth ot the remainder were paurc,-
who paid no tuition fee; - paid tuition tees
81 each-l:,j; The proportion al HE anhGai IL
come Of HI" Li!eIafy Fund coming 10 each ~
lriei would be S3j 33. An increase OF - fw
cent. upon The State lax OF the county ior i>si,
which increase on the tax Of that year wout.
not make Tie aggregate Of the School and Sac
tax exceed The Stale tax of lS43 would yie.G lo2
dollars 10 a dislrict-making altogether coo ~,
lars 10 each district: liberal wages for i,act.
er OF primary school II all the c!ttn
were sent to school tie average cost al M
lion would be e dollars ard 80 cents per heat,
including IS paupers who woud ray no tu1tu
fee My estimates are based upon The Telotls Il
The Isl and 2i Auditors Tor 1911, not having a.
cess 10 Sc Of 1915. Estimating tie rctuecn
of taxation in the session Of Is43-44 at 20 pr
cent. and again in le4t-i5 al IL per cent, aioCi
The actual reduction, the aggregate OF the school
and Stale tax al the county Of Amelia, under ne
proposed common school system, ard al TIC Iaic
q! Stats taxation in 1915 would have only been
Al per cent, upcn the State Ia ration alone ci l-i3
The county OF MUnonSalia with iefiioIy Il
live miles square. BY the census o. 1870 1t
contained 500 children between The ages OF
seven and sixteen, Enthusiastically seven tu i
DISTRICT deduct a fpunh, as moi sent 10 stbool,
wonld leave fiy-eight; deduct firth for pau
pers would give forty seven paying tuition fees
S235-the proportion of the annual appropria-
lion oil The Literary fund 10 each district is SIT
S2Sl. An increase of the State taxation Of 1911
OF IA! per cent, would give 10 each district SI9
making up the teachers salary $500. The az
gresa,e of The school and State taxes at u,
rate OF Stale taxation in ls45 would he hni :
per cent upon the Stale taxation alone in ID.
The allowance for absences and paupeis n.u.
be sufficiently liberal; if too great, The taya'itu
would be proporlionably lessencd. The ayora.c
cost OF tuition, from The above estimates, n
Amelia, would te sc 81, and in Monongalis
less than four dollars. The usual NUM- Z
o. school days in The year, Sabbahs, Satrrrays
vacations and holidays excluded, canno: IL
estimated at moie than 900. Tie average 80
TO The Commonwealth for pauTer children, ,: ne
Cd A udor's Report for 1914, is 4 GEMS Per dem
equal 10 IS SO per aDnum Of 800 davS ~.
sirucion. The average instruction beng nov
bu, 81 DAYS in The year under The common sohcui
! system hey would lie instructed go DAYS ~ ~
mum, al an annual cost oi from dollar 70
| dollars SO cents
/ One OF The effects of the system would prc.a.
bly, be, that wealthy men, findiug ihemsciyc, iaS-
ed tor The schools in their district, would solG;
and obtain the Office II school commis>ion"''
and would take care iha, srch teachers weiC e.
pioycd as they would desire 10 instruct her ~
children, thus Iesscnns he cost o, tuition 70 tier
selves and dispensing blessings 10 Others.
No doubt, The operation Of lhe system a. IT.
would be slow, and i, would be found dcieciir'-
I but is there not danger, in attempting 10 make
perfect Of making il TOO complex ExH"ri.ffs
will discover lis detects and point The Iemeaic,
All we ask is, Legislative aid to carry il o.
/ II any county or district do not choose 70 accl
il, lei them adhere 10 The present system. X
Gov. OWsly reports the entire debt Of Ken,uclY
TO be s;,409 $50, il having hcen reduced sl0Ga
during the last year Considering the avaiatle
means Of the Stale in Bark stock, 10 The amouni
OF 81 270,500, the actual debt may be put 81
a. Osc On Tho rhoIc Eentuclv seems 10