Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1872-05-04
The School Question,

Ing Of the school question haying been In a
degree accomplished, It Is proper that tire dis.
cusslon growing out Of the investigation
should be brought to n close.
| ] see In little note Of yours in the last is
sue of your paper an expressed fear that these
articles may result In injury TO our schools.
wish TO say that there is no grounds lor this
fear in my judgment. The only object is in
keeping the public fully posted, SO that moth
ing shall be covered up aud every thing shall
be made plain The public schools Of Ashta-
bula will live and flourish long after you aud
and all The members Of the School Board
shall be sleeping our last sleep, and the boys
of to-day will be occupying our places These
schools are the pride of our people, and they
will be sustained. The present management
may be changed and new policy introduced
If 1t becomes necessary to the existence and
prosperity OF our schools. individuals and in.
dividua! interest must give way when it is
shown that the welfare Of the schools de-
mand ii. individuals composing School
Boards must expect TO have their official acts
criticized, and their management Of the
school interest laid open 10 public gaze, and
1t is folly for them to take exceptions TO it.
The sooner they, submit TO public iuvestiga-
ton and yield to the voice of The public the
better it will be for them. In the opening of
this question of the management of our
schools the past year, knew l was undertake
ing that from which most people would
shrink, yet it must be done by some one and l
believed was strong enough 10 do ii. | am
willing TO leave the results in the hands of my
fellow citizens. If have written anything
calculated TO stop the needless expenditure of
he public money, then / have accomplished
one of the objects L had in view, and if my
writing will have n tendency to impress upon
the mind of the School Board the importance
of renewed effort TO keep their school ex.
penses within the line of their resources, then
l have accomplished another object
Ibelieve the future prosperity of the schools
will depend largely upon a strict observance
of these rules. The schools will ultimately
fail ii they are not adhered to, Tor these rules
are the very lile-blood of the whole school
system. Had the Sch Dol Board paid more al
tention to the discussion that took place
about year ago. and made note of some of
the suggestions then made for the government
OF their finances. l believe their balance
sheet would have shown much more to their
credit at the end OF the last fiscal year. rep
resent large and respectable class of our
people in this investigation, and if the Board
will comprehend the situation the greater will
be the effect upon their minds and the more
attention they will give 10 my suggestions.
The amount stated in my first article as be-
ing the receipts of the School Board during
the past year, from all sources, appears to
have been too high. My informant was evi
IDENTIFY mistaken. l knew when l made the
statement that the Board would have their de-
fence, and could show it 10 be an error if il
was one. l made it without one word of COM
ment at the time, leaving it entirely 10 the fu-
ttre to be Developed There was no one more
pleased TO learn the facts than / was, for it
was a report of the School Board was after;
let that report strike where it would, with Il
large portion of our people, wanted 10 see it.
In looking over the report of the Treasurer
of the School Board find ON hand April 1sl,
1871, $39G7 -.
Reed from all sources during the
year, 1929 O6.
Total. $500 IS.
CONTRA.
Ordinary expenditures, SG0o7 81.
Extra'inary expenditures, 699 80.
Contingencies, $50 80.
Total, s,O3J 0S.
Showing a balance on hand
April LIST, 1879, of $SO1 10.
Allowing the same amount
reed from al. sources,
as in 1871, 1920 CO.
$3.50 16
Same system of necessary
expenditures as the
year past, S6,007 81
We find the school in debt at the end of the
present fiscal year S277 81. or in other words,
their current expenses for the year will exceed
their resources by SLOTS 81.
Now gentlemen of the School Board l
wish to ask you in all sincerity, ii it is no. be-
ginning to look us if you would have to take
IN sail, and reduce your expenses? am in
formed by your report that your scholars
number 450, all told. believe the average
attendance is about 500. understand that /
of this number is in the infant school depart
ment and taught by lady teacher for $3.50
year. The balance, or other z, are taught by
the remaining seven teachers. have not the
space or would show how ont of all proper
tion these salaries are divided among the
teachers. In looking over the report, in this
respect, one is reminded of what Orpheus G.
Kerr would say: It's brains, my boy, it is
brains that gets the money,now days"
find an item in the report l must mention
before close, to-wit: $S07 GS, paid for re-
pairs, etc. in the payment Of which find one
OF the members of the School Board directly
interested. l regard this as being one of the
very worst features of this report Had the
Treasurer given us the dates when the differ
ent sums were paid out in the contingent item
of his account with statement showing for
what this money was paid, his report would
have been more acceptable and appeared
much BETTER
The report has the impress upon 1t of can
dor and believe il to be honest, aud far
more TO the credit of the Treasurer than the
miserable abortion called report Of the book
business.