Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-08-24
THE SCHOOL FUND.

prompted the present General Assembly to
knock into pieces the school system estab-
lished 10y their predecessors, and leavei in its
place the present botch under which the
many thousand of children who have not
the opportunity of attending subscription
schools will, to the lasting disgrace of our
State, grow up in Ignorance.
We propose to-day, however, to advert
simply to an act of fragrant dishoncstyan
wrong perpetrated upon the faithful teach
ers who labored in the free schools of 1860
and lSB9-7O.
During the existence of the recent school
law, two appointments of school money
were made and paid out to teachers. The
first for the year 1866: the second, for 1867.
The latter being the first apportionment
made of taxes collected under the law levy
ing the increased tax for school purposes.
These pportionments, il is to be rcmcm-
bered, embraced no portion Of the old
school fund part of which was rescued by
the Federal troops from Isham &. Harris
and his peripatetic State government: not
even the interest thereon, but was simply
the amount of school taxes taken up for
those years, and it was understood that
while the apportionmentw was made at once
in view of the necessity of paying the
teachers, yet that fuller incoming of de-
linquent taxes would probably show even
a greater amount due from school taxes for
those years, .n eide.
From these appointments the teachers
of 1862 were paid. In some cases it suf
feed to pay them in full: in others, to
leave a small balance to the credit of the
school district, and in nearly every case it
sufficed to pay at least the greater part Of
the teachers salary, leaving comparative
ly small amount to be discharged from
future appointments.
School directors calculated With good
reason that the school tax for each of the
succeeding years, 1855 and 1869, would
yield about a. much as the year 1867, and
on this basis, made their calculation, in
employing teacher, for the session Of
Io6J-1O,
1t was, in fact, reasonable 10 expect that
if there was any difference, the amount
would increase each year,as the rate of
school taxation remained the same, while
the value of the taxable property increased
in t,li, county and douhtIe,s also through
ont the state.
sometime since an a1,portiormeut wa.
made of what purported to be the whole re-
naming amount due the counties for thc
years lS66-7-S and 80, thus embracing not
only the whole amount of the taxes for the
-, 15,l, ,.ro t.... .,.I'.4..-, -
e'''7 ''''' ''''' 49, ~ it''' - p''i'ii'e
may nave reil'olh'" unsettled ior tAe TWO
previous year.. y comparison of figures
show. that the amount thus apDortionpd i.
,,o,,,,,L,, >.,,,,.;,y..,,,L, L... tLl,, ~,
L'"''f'"','" 'ec'''t" ""r I'c'" o"s Jo' NE
gear 1867 atone, under the recent law.
We select Knox and some adjoining
.our+io. md ,ri,.. +r, ro-,,,.,.+;,., fo,,,,.,,
>
taxing iof me app ..t'"hmehJ OF 1917 the
oflicia! figures Of lie report Of the State
SuUerintenfeIIr. and for the recent amor
+io,,,,o,,+ ,,f,....l .i,r.r, al
'0i'' '''N '''i''''' 'S"'c7 ieVcHliS pun
IiNhed.
From the taxes for the year 1861 alone,
the county Of Knox received. undcr tho
It.. H.. ....+.., --,.-, = n,
Vi -
| OF me YEAR l''' ana I'.' at least rs much
should have been realized; but we see that
for 10th those yrar. beside tho rarooindar
A. e., 80. -
- I'm '''' an! i'''' NH'N Ic'c'N -
| o"'''V d. OF 93,'V+ ~, '''' imam Tor the SIN
gle year So.