The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-03-21
Of the Free High Schools.

AUGUSTA, March 49,, 1873.
To the Editor of the Press:
Allow me to offer the following expression
in relation to the Gree High SCHOOL, act, es-
pecially with reference to amounts necessary
to be raised by any town, district, or districts,
to secure certain gratuity from the State.
First,-The object in establishing the Free
High School system on the present basis was
to secure superior education, at the ex-
pense ofproperty, one half to be paid by the
State, one half by the town. The first ques-
ton, THERETO to be determined by the State
will be, how much has any town actually
expended for "instruction in said SCHOOL, for
the current year. This amount will appear
in the return made under oath by the Supe1-
intending School Committee to the State Su-
perintendent of common schools on or be-
fore December first. Suppose this amount to
be $1,000 actually expended for instruction,
meaning by this the salaries of teachers in
Guiding board, nothing more-this amount
then is an obligation of the tcwn, to be met
as follows, one half, $500, by special appro-
priation on the part ofthe town, and one half,
$500, by gratuity from the State.
Second. The actual expenditures having
been determined, before the State proceeds to
defray one half of the expense thus incurred,
the second inquiry will be whether the town
has made provision for paying its half by
special appropriation, besides the ordinary re-
quirements of the per capita tax This will
appear by the same certified statement as
above. This haIfis the sum required to be
raised By the sereral towns. Therefore
town raising $500 will have $1,000 to expend
for high school purposes, or in other words
the town will receive from the State as much
as it raises, mot exceeding $500 on the part
of the State) provided the town has expend-
ed in instruction twice the sum raised for
"Free High School," Illustration. town
OF Gray raises $500 for free high school.
Suppose this sum expended for instruction in
aspiring term of school. Gray will pay for
this. In the fall the town may have another
term of school, costing the same and this
the State will pay for in December. If the
term closes prior to December, the town can
pay the cost of instruction by drafts on its
own treasury, by temporary loans or other
wise, and reimburse itself or cancel loan by
State warrant when received. If Gray stopped
with its spring term of school, it woul re-
ceve into its treasury $3.50 from the State,
which, without another term of school, would
be diverted from the original intention and
the youth of Gray be deprived of the extra
term of school. Every town, therefore,
should expend twice the sum it raises and re-
ceive from the State the same amount as if
raises.
The view that if Gray raises $500 it can re-
ceive but $3.50 from the State, is not in accor-
dance with the intentions of those who orig
mated the "free high school, plan, nor with
the words of the act, "shall be entitled to re-
ceive from the State one-half OF the amount
actually expended" mot raised) "for instruc-
tion'; is unjust to the State, in that the
gratuity of the State Is not expended for edu-
cation; unjust to the citizens OF the town, in
that they are thus taxed for twice the sum
necessary; and finally is unjust to the young
men and women, in that they secure only
half the possible school facilities.
Very respectfully,
your obedient servant,
WARREN JOHNSON.