The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1869-10-15

In consequence of the sickness and death
of our late Secretary and Treasurer, the
Board of School Commissioners for Hartford
county, have been unable to make their an
nual report, until this time. They now
present, as required by law, q sta tement of
its operations, to the 18th day of July,
1S69-the close of the late scholastic year.
The present School Law makes it the
imperative duty of the Board to keep the
Public Schools open ten months in the.
year. This Board took charge of the Pub
lie Schools, April IA, '6S, and kept them
open from that date, to july is, go, making
five terms instead of four-which was done
at the urgent request of the citizens from
various portions of the county, and which
work was accomplished, with the same
amount OF fluids as was formerly used for
three terms, with the exception of the adj
ditional fund of thirty-three hundred dol
lars, derived from direct taxation upon the
county.
There were in the county rs Public
Schools-and the teachers were paid on an
average 1888 per term, making an aggre-
gate OF $5,G1S.99, and for five terms, the
sum OF $2S,094.96. The Board are of the
opinion that these salaries are not sufficient
for the services of first class teachers-as the
inducements in other counties, are great
er, owing to the large salaries offered, yet
they have been obliged to pay the teachers
OF Hartford county, who will favorably com
pare, and IN many cases excel, those of other
counties, sum of money scarcely sufficient
to meet their ordinary expenses. If we are:
to have Public Schools, the teachers should
be thoroughly qualified, and to attain this
necessary qualification, considerable ex-
pense is entailed-and consequently the
teachers have the right to expect, and it is
simply just that the county should paw q
salary, equivalent to services rendered. To
enable the Board to do this, it will become
necessary for an increase of School Tax at
the next Levy.
Many of the School Houses of the County
are in very dilapidated condition
scarcely tenable, and totally unfit for the
purpose for which they are used-many
sections OF the county have no School
Houses-and the Board have been unable
to make the necessary repairs or build new
houses, where they are absolutely needed,
Tor the want of the necessary funds. These
houses must be repaired and the new ones
must be built-which will also necessarily
require an increase of funds for the coming
year.
1t will be seen that the amount of money
received for use of Books is small, COM
pared with the number of Scholars in at
tendance, which results from the power of
the Trustees to exempt scholars from the
payment of the one dollar tax per term.
This tax of one dollar is complained of
by many as being unequal, but the rent of
School Houses, fuel and all other inciden-
tai expenses, must'be met in some way, and
this seems to us fair and just as any other,
as the Board have paid all the incidental
expenses including Books, out of this tax.
The Board feel it to be their duty to
make these statements, to show what diff
culties they labour under, to satisfy the de-
mands and comply with the wishes of those
interested in the Public Schools