The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1872-02-02
SUPPLEMENTAL STATEMENT
OF THE
Board Of School COMMISSIONERS
or Hopfnr,1 Gnuuty
OF THE
OF Hartford County.

The Board desire to make statement of
facts connected with the Public Schools,
since their organization in April 1868.
The Board organized April 14th, 1868,
and continued the Schools in operation till
July of same year.
BY the School Law of 1868 the Board
was invested with authority to call on the
County Commissioners for levy of any
amount deemed necessary to keep the
Schools in operation ten months. Being
Ignorant of the amount of money necessary
to keep the ~ schools in the county in OPP
Grafton ten months, and pay the expenses
of the system just introduced, and unwil-
ling to ask for more money than was abso-
lutely needed, asked for levy of only 81
cents.
The Board finding q cents insufficient,
requested the County Commissioners in
1869 for a levy Of cents. This amount
was also insufficient to keep the n schools
in operation 10 months.
The result was on the retiring of the
Board of 1868, it owed the Teachers bal
ance on their salaries for the term ending
November 18th, 1869, of $3,549.G1, and a
debt for Books and Stationery to the
amount of $4,566.6S.
LII huui low IL ItN l)Oulll CtllllC lllO
office, and paid the balance due Teachers,
and $3,007.70 for Books This Board paid
also for the new School House No Z, Bap.
fist, in the 4th District, $7S0.G1. This
Board, relying on the power conferred by
the then existing School Law, requiring the
County Commissioners to levy the amount
asked and needed, had no approximations
as to their ability to carry on the Schools
and liquidate the debt. The Legislature
in April, 1870, repealed the law and limited
the County School tax to 10 cents, unless
the County Commissioners approve and
sanction an additional Tax. Had the
School Board anticipated this change in
the Law, they would not have contracted
to build any school houses, although so
much needed.
A new Board of County Commissioners,
in November, 1869, came into office, to
whom the School Board applied, in June,
1870, for levy of 20 cents, which amount
would have been sufficient to have kept
the schools in operation 10 months, and
paid the debt. The County Commission
ers refused to levy more than the 10 cents.
The only alternative left the Board was to
suspend the schools and carry part of the
debt over to the next year. The School
Board again, Tin 1870 submitted full cs,
innate of the expenses of the SO schools in
the county, and the indebtedness of the
Board, and asked for a levy of fifteen cents,
TO keep the schools open terms and liqu-
date the debt, and also for an additional
levy of cents for the especial purpose of
building school houses. The Commission
ers refused and levied only 10 cents.
The Board built the following School
Houses in 1870: No 1, 1st District Alb
ilgdon, at cost, including the loo and
furniture, 81 ,145; No. 2, Hartford Furnace,
$1,l75. I'd District-Lapidum, No 10,
$1,000; Hartford Seminary, No. 10, pur-
chased of the Trustees at $3.50 Calvary,
3D. District, No. ID, $500 No. Z, Forest
Hill, cost including 5000 for the lot, ST.
1888 No. 10, near Sandy Hook, 81 1885,
%. Bel Air Lot for School House $3.50
Union Chapel school house and Reese's No.
4, $500. 4th District-Schoo House No.
20, built by Mr.. Turner, 1886. Total cost
$9,557.74.
The Board issued their notes and certi-
ficates of Indebtedness in payment of these
Lots and School Houses.
OF this amount 81, 1864 has been paid
balance remains of $5,431 go, which the
Board has authorized the Collectors to re-
ceive in payment of taxes. There have
been no School Houses built in the 5th OF
9th Districts. The Board rent two School
rooms in the Town Hall at Havre de Grace
and the Town School House at $50 each
per annum. The five schools formerly in
Havre de Grace, are united into three, and
graded with five Teachers.
The ten cents on the 500 paid into the
State Treasury for Public Schools is appor-
toned by the Comptroller to the several