The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-04-05
The Tea,Iers 0. Our Public Schools.
HOW THEIR SALARIES MIGHT HAVE BEEN
PAID

Our last article on this subject, while
showing the enormous expense Of the estate
Board of Education" as now provided ov
law. suggested possible means OF securing
for the neglected teachers at least one
months pay, out of the balance OF the state
School Fund presumed to be in the State
Treasury on the LIST inst. Whether the de
facto Superintendent apportion this balance
or not. the teachers will have per-
ce;ved TO what extent the School Fund
has been decreased by system 81
supervision" which the usurping president
Of that board naively declares to be ''eco-
uomical as well as efficient" and superior,
for this State, over all other systems II oper-
alton in this country" Coram quo J"d'ce!
Following up, now, our investigation INTO
the resources Of the school boards for the
maintenance of the city public schools, dur
ing the year 1873, we find on pages Ill to
lib of the Annual Report a recapltulatlon
of the disbursements for the schools OF the
State, among which the schools OF the par
ish of Orleans, which has been cOterminOus
with the city of New Orleans, appear as re-
cipicnts of the following sums
For Teachers wages. ,o,Soo -
For rents % .oo -
For school furniture. .............. io'ooo oo
For tue and ncldentals. ..........-.... l3'ooo %
aegrep to for wear 1873. s454, 1853 81
Taking the mean between the number OF
enrolled pupils in the schools, and that OF
the average daily attendance. which mean is
stated to be 1882, the cost per pupil was
about S27 06 for the nine months for which
the teachers labOrs were compensated.
For twelve months, at the same rate, the
cost would have been fully thirty dollars
per pupil, to which, adding the cost of books,
etc, per pupil, averaging four dollars, we
have per capita expenditure OF forty dol
lars under the present economical system
of supervision" @, in lieu of the maximum
of twenty-five dollars, including books and
all other necessaries, and the salary of the
City Superintendent and assistants, with
which the schools were formerly maintained,
under the city authorities, in manner
equally satisfactory to tax payers and to
patrons of the schools. 1t is obvious that
wise economy, such as the impoverished
of the people demanded, would
have reduced the per capita to twenty-five
dollars; and, with such economy, the teach
ers could long since have been paid in full
for the year 1873.
Again there is no evidence that any rea
,onable attempt has been made to collect
the poll tax levied for the support Of schools
on every adult male inhabitant of the State. |
Payment of it has doubtless been enforced
against property-owners having other taxes
10 pay but this is inequitabe, and wholly |
evasive of the spirit of the revenue law.
The public schools are maintained by a
State tax of two mills on property, and by
city tax Of higher rate, also on property; so
that equity, independent of the letter OF the
law, should exempt property-owners, if any
class of citizens, from the payment of the
poll or personal tax. All non-property own
ers, however, should voluntarily pay in this
poll tax, which does not, we believe, exceed
fifteen cents per month, aud cheerfully, we
loubt not, would all parents Of children at
lending the public schools contribute this
stipend for the six or more years for which
it may be done, if they were but notified of
The necessity of such payment for the par
tial compensation of the teachers Of their
children