The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1864-01-16
To The Genera! Assembly OF Ma
r,IanG.

inadequacy Of existing provisions for the
proper support and future efficiency of the
public school system of Cecil county.
When your memoriallSts came into exist
ence as Board, under the act of 1873.
chapter BOB they found some cighty-seyen
schc os in operation, the greater art of
them wholly independent of any supervision
and under the charge of teachers in most
cases self-selected, many of whom looked to
| the poor school fund of the county tthcn adj
ministered by the Orphans Court,) as. the
| chief or most reliable part of their support.
| The demands upon that fund which il was
| impossible the Judges OF the Orphans Court,
| in the midst of their other duties, could IN
vestigate with that scrutiny the subject re-
CURED, had so largely increased and the
number Of persons claiming the benefit Of it
| so numerous, that the principal of that fund,
| which in former years had accumulated to
| over twenty thousand dollars was at that
time reduced to eight thousand nine hundred
and forty dollars, which amount came into
| the hands Of this Board.
Your memoraiists, in entering upon the
| duties of their commission in 1853, found 80
great demand for suitable houses, (the lar
| ger and more important towns being without
them that they determine! to appropriate
| this principal sum $500 to the erection of
school houses, where they were most needed
and to the repairs Of others so far forth as it
| would supply the demand; and with that
/ view distributed it among the several dis
, trictS of the county upon an equitable basis.
! But after expanding the whole Of this fund
| with such aid as could be obtained from vol
untary contributions in different localities,
they still find the demand for other buildings
| and further repairs constantly pressing upon
them. The consequence is, that the Ordina-
~ resources OF the Board have bccn and still
arethus heavily drawn upon, while they are in
adequate to the support of the schools, even
for the period or term of three quarters or
nine months of the year, as the following
statement will show:
The receipts of the Board arc almost cX-
clusivcly confined to the tax for school pur-
poses at the limited rate of twelve cents in
the hundred dollars and the fund annually
received from the State. Their other re-
source. are so inconsidcrnb!e in amount and
50 entirely contingent and variable that any
| estimate based upon them would be wholly
| valucleSs. The entire amount derived from
| them during the five years Of our existence
| as Board, does not exceed the sum OF four
| hundred dollars.
| The amount derived from taxes, may be
estimated in round numbers at nine thoua-
and six hundred dollars, S9,Goo.) The
! States donation may reach 81 400 three
| thousand Jour hundred: making an aggrc-
gate of t$;l3, 600 thirteen thousand dollars.
Judging from the past and with special ref:
erencc to the last two years, we cannot csti-
mate the quarterly demand upon the trcaSu-
ny for the salaries Of teachers and school in
cidcntaIs, after deducting all tuition fees re-
ceived. at less than ($4 1000 four thousand
| dollars which Tor three quarters makes
l2,o0o) twelve thousand dollars. he cost
OF books and stationery, we put at i,so")
eighteen hundred dollars IL low estimate,
thus making an aggregate expense OF Sl",-
500 thirteen thousand eight hundred dollars.
This 1t Will be seen, leaves a deiic't, OF
eight hundred dollars: while al the OTHER
expenses of the Board viz: building and re-
pairing OF houses, Secretary and lre%SErerS
salary--per dlem OF members OF the Board,
genera Inc'dentais and special demands OF
every kind remain wholly unpr"vlhrd for.
| The economical administration OF tn" sys'
TEN is shown in ngle item. The whole
expense for the services OF the Board during
the past year beng but %5Ii.2i, or less thah
| S3' 10 each member, which III view at me
duties imposed upon them must be regarded
as anything but rcmunerative.
The advancement which many OF the pu-
pills have made IN their studies while it Is a
matter OF prde and gratiica'lon to the bnar"'
brings with 1t corresponding responsibility
to supply them with the means of further
progress; hence the necessity for class books
OF more advanced studies and OF more eX-
penSlEc character The estimate on Sl,Soo
| for hooks and stationary is, therefore, very