Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-03-09
STOREY COUNTY SCHOOL BILL,

III kuV -
the Senate, and probably went into the
Governors hands in season to become
a law. We are pleased with the action
of the Legislature on this Bill. 1t is q
good Bill. It raises the School Depart.
ment in Storey county to the dignity o.
an organized body, with delegated
power and duties prescribed by law
1t will no longer be a humble mendi,
cant upon the outskirts Of the county
organization, which has no RESPONSE
bility for the character or condition o.
ourPublic Schools, and orwhose manag-
ing, the County Commissioners are not
elected with a view to their fitness for,
or interest in, school matters. These
dignitaries are sometimes fruitful in
hospital and other peculiar contracts,
and may be become so interested in
| County securities that their valuable
time could not well be spared to look
after such vulgar interests as provided
for the pay of school Marms, and the
building of and furnishing Of school
houses. It is to be expected that these
officers will have 9 desire to make the
school taxes as light as possible, a de-
partmen. in which they have no respon-
sibility, that they can raise more money
for county purposes to carry on opera
tious for which they are held respon-
sible. In this matter of schools, their
action has invariably correspondent with
the theory above named. In the spring
of 1866 the County Superintendent and
Board of Education urged upon the
Board of County Commissioners to in
crease the school tax without any in
Auence. The law gave that body a
sliding-scale between fifteen and thirty
| cents, and the tax must be fifteen cents
and nothing more. Now, there is
about six millions of taxable property
in Storey county at fifteen cents on
one hundred dollars it yields the emo
nous SUN of nine thousand doLiars, not
in gold, but currency. A tax Of thirty
cents would yield about eighteen thous-
and dollars to the School Fund. .
We find by reference to the published
report of the State School Superinten-
dent, that the total expenses of the Sto-
rey County School Department for the
year ending August 81, 1866, were $780,
s37 IS in gold coin, which in currency at
its market value to-day, (73 cents
amounts to S2s, 544 Sc. The salary Of
teachers alone, to say nothing about
building, repairing, fuel, water, jani-
tors, advertising, insurance, books, sta
tionery and other incidental expenses,
which in no year heretofore have been
less than ten thousand dollars in gold,
amounts to Sis, 900 in currency. These
figures show the absolute necessity Of
taking the School matters entirely out
of the hands Of the County Commits
~sioners. -h'
The bill just passed by the Legisla-
ture, while it confers on the Board Of
Education certain powers, binds that
body very closely. It provides that it
may borrow money on bonds to pay
back indebtedness and to keep up the
Schools to December LIST Of the present
year, butt also provides that the expenses
Of the Board of Education shall, in no
one year, exceed the revenues of the
School fund, including bonds falling
due and the interest thereon, and that
the entire amount Of indebtedness shall
be paid of in four years.
Now, we ask in all seriousness If a
fifteen, twenty or twenty-five cent School
tax will be enough to carry on the School
for the next year, when the salaries Of
teachers alone will more than equal the
product of the taI? In addition to the
present corps of teachers, there is a
pressing demand for at least two more
teachers, as we remarked the other day.
Our Schools are in a most flourish
ingcondition they are the pride and
hope of Storey County. 1t is u
Public Schools that have kept so
many families among us-that have
doubled within the past twenty
months, while our population has
been several times decimated. 1t il to
our Public Schools that we must look
to give us a permanent population COM
posed of steady, iudustrious, home-lov-
ing, moral, Church going families. We
assert, without fear Of successful con-
t~radiction, that the expense for main
tanning our Public Schools, will not be
equal to the enhanced value Of the prop
erty in the county that they produce.
We know Of many of our best families
who would not remain with US but for
the excellent facilities we offer them by
our admirable system Of free Schools.
There is in the Treasury to the credit
of the School Fund, about $4,000 in
currency when the current expenses for
February shall be paid. This win pro-
badly keep the Schools open till the LIST
or 18th Of May. Then the Schools must
close, till the taxes shall come in, which
will be in November or December, UNI
less this bill shall become q law and the
Board Of Education is hereby authorized
to borrow moneys enable them to keep
the Schools open. Should the Schools
be closed during the Spring and Sum-
mer, it will cost tho county thirty or
forty thousand dollars to get the Schools
in a good condition as they now are.
Private Schools will spring up and con-
stitute q force that from self-interest
will work hard to depreciate the Public
Schools, and they will cease to be popu-
lar and to command the respect of our