The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1866-01-27
State Education.

We have received from Rev. L. Van Bokkelen,
State Superintendent Of Education, his first re-
port. 1t is very interesting document, and be-
side bis report proper, il contains the reports Of
the Presidents of the Boards of Commissioners
Of each county
The superintendent says that the school tax of
10 cents per 500 is not sufficient to support the
schools more than six months in the year, unaid-
ed by the local tax. II the local tax is not re-
newed, the working power Of the schools under
the new system, in many counties, will be no
stronger than under the old local law, which, in
addition TO the county tax, permitted tuition fees
TO be collected from the pupils The revenue
from this source was large In Baltimore coun-
ty $4,000 waspaid by the pupils, being equal
to an additional tax 90 cents. In Cecil the
same per centum; in Washington county cts.,
and in Hartford county cents per hundred dol
lars. These rates, added 10 the local tax, gave
Cecil what was equivalent to 26 cents, Hartford
10 cents, Baltimore lsf cents, and Washington
III cents. When the local tax is Withdrawn, the
rate bill having been repealed, the schools will
receive smaller revenue than under the local
laws The whole amount of money apportioned
to The counties is $500, 1853 IA, which, divided
among the 300 schools now in operation, gives
an average Of $3.50 SO for each school, or less
than $500 for the teachers salary, after deduct
ing the necessary amount for incidental expenses.
In this connection he recommends modification
of the law, and I'm increase of the direct State
school tax to twenty cents on the hundred dol
lass, and new assessment OF the property of the
State, by which means ample funds will he given
for the support of schools nine months in the
favor of district taxation ordered by the voters.
The objection to increased direct taxation, divi-
ded according to population without reference to
color, he thinks ought to be I" honestly removed,
by providing for the education of colored chill
dren as the constitution designs" In the educa-
ton of colored children, the superintendent is
enthusiastic He thinks that the constitutional
provision, by which the school money is divided
according to population without reference to col
or, imposes upon us legal obligation TO educate
all children black as well as white, in separate
schools. Under the constitution all the money
received from the fifteen cents State tax is divided
by the total number of persons between five and
twenty years. white and black Thus, one dol
lar and sixty-eight cents per year was apportion-
ed to each person, and that sum multiplied by
the total population between five and twenty
years, gave the amount received by each county.
Charles county, for instance, has G, 46G persons
between FIVE and twenty. She, therefore, receives
$lO,ss3 Al. But by the act Of legislature she is
released from the responsibility of educating A.
3s4 of these persons, they being black, and uses
the entire school money for the education Of o.
0S2 thus receiving So for each. On the other
hand, Allegheny county receives SIS, 264 "a for
population of 1851, nearly all of whom have
to be educated, there being only AGA colored chill
dreH in the county, thus receiving only 81 "a for
each pupil. This, the superintendent holds, is
an unjust discrimination in favor of certain coun-
ytiesN 1t alone would furnish sufficient reason for
requiring separate schools TO be opened for col
ored children even were there no arguments up
on economic and moral grounds