The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1869-07-17
The School Board was IN session

The School Board was IN session on
Tuesday, and an account of their proceed
ings will be found in this issue. The great
difficulty of the Board seems to be the want
of funds to conduct the schools, and fulfill
the requirements of the law, on account of
the limited allowance of funds provided for
school purposes by the County Commission
erS. They complain, that in order to keep
the schools open ten months in the year,
under the present levy it will require the
Board to carry debt of some $4,000, the
interest of which will be at least per cent,
which will have to be paid out of future
levies. The County Commissioners have
taken the responsibility upon themselves,
and refused to levy the amount named by
the School Board, as sufficient to cover all
the expenses of the schools. Each party
relies upon the justification of lis acts 10y
the public. and the only arbiter that is likely
to settle the conflicting authority is public
opinion. But i'll order that public opinion
may be brought to bear upon the questions
involved, the people must have a clear
statement as to the requisite expenses and
the disbursements of the public monies by
the School Board. Looking to this end, the
school law provides that the School Com
missioncrs of each county shall publish
such statement annually in the county pa
pers; and that a report shall also be made
by each county School Board to the Princi-
pal of the State Normal school, neither of
which provisions have been complied with
by the School Commissioners of this county.
The County Commissioners having taken
cognzance Of this lax proceeding on the
part of the School Board, and having these
palpable examples of a violation of the
school law placed before their eyes by the
latter body, seem to have copied the bad
example, and used their own discretion i'll
levying tax for the support of the schools.
In the mean time the School Board is
considering the propriety of making an cf
fort by writ of Mandamus to compel the
County Commissioners to levy the amount
of tax called for by the former Board: but
until the public have a 1ull statement as
required by law, of the disbursement ofthe
Public School fund, the County Commits
sioners rely upon public opinion to bear
them out i'll their opposition to the demands
of the School Board.
As if to increase this school middle, pc
titions are coming up at every meeting of
the School Board, asking for the erection
of new school houses at points, which ut
present, have no access to the Public
Schools If the School Board expect to
have tEeir hands strengthened in the arClu-
GUS work before them, they must take
measures to inform the public ofthe pressing
and most formidable difficulties that are in
the way of providing the necessary f,cili
ties for public education; and until they
do this, the Board may reasonably expect
to meet with but 4 hating and luke warm
support from a large portion of the public
which is inclined to be skeptical in all mat
ters of taxation, until thoroughly convinced
of its undoubted necessity. All such
ioubters naturally take sides with the
| County Commissioners. SO MesSrs. Gen
tlcmen of the School Board, relying on the
uprightness of your acts, why don't You
carry your cause before the tribunal of
| public opinion