The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-10-09

In his annual Report, ending September
S0th, 1878, Comptroller Woolford charges
disbursements in table CD" to
"Public School tax" $3Ss, 566.97
In table E " he charges to
disbursement of Free
School Fund.-" 6S,976.73
OCal, T40 I, O4o. ~
The above s457, 543 70 is the amount
Comptroller Woolford's Report shows he
disbursed, or in other words, paid into the
State Board of Education, of two of the
funds known as the estate School Tax"
and Free School Fund.- There is also a
disbursement by the Comptroller which
goes into the hands of the State Board of
Education termed the Academic Fund"
Several of the counties receive annual APP
preparations termed Academic Fund"
These three funds, the School Tax, Free
School Fund and Academic Fund, consti-
tute the State Public School Fund. The
Academic Fund, not given in the above
statement, amounted to 1900 in the
counties which have no appropriation for
Academies. The appropriation for Acade
mics is paid into the hands of the Trus-
tees of the several Academies of the State,
but the "Academic Fund " is paid over to
the State Board of Education to be dis
bursed among the Public Schools of the
State. Several Of the counties have both
an Academic Fund and an appropriation
for Academies. In the Comptroller's Re-
port where this occurs, the two funds are
stated together. There was 49, 200 appro-
priated in 1878 in which the two funds are
not separated; but if we take half of that
amount for the Academic Fund we have
an Academic Fund of SIS, 100 to add to the
first named funds. Let us explain little
further: The fund entitled "School Tax"
is raised by direct State tax on the assess
ment of property of 10 cents on the 500.
The {" Free School Fund ~ is the old fund
known before the day of Public Schools,
as the Poor School Fund, and is raised by
bonus on banks, railroads, and from other
sources, other than directly by tax on
assessed property. Now let us recapitu-
late:
Public School Tax, $685. 500 81
Free School Fund, 6S, 1916 ~
Academic Fund, 10, 10000
Total, $472, 643 70
which Comptroller Woolfords Report
shows that he disbursed during the fiscal
year ending September S0th, 1878, and
which should have gone into the hands Of
the State Board of Education. The Report
of that Board, however, shows the follow
ing item,
"Amount received from the State as School
Tax, Free School Fund, and Academic
| Fund for 1878, 1881, S37.0 4
The question arises, what became of the
difference between $472, CAB. 70 charged un-
der the head of these funds in the Comp
troller's Report of that year, as having
been disbursed from the Treasury, and
! 1881, S37. Oh put down in the Report of the
State Board of Education, as having been
received? Here is discrepancy in the ac-
counts of payor, Mr.. Wooiford, and payee,
the State Board of Education, Of $780,
SOC 66. The Comptroller's Report says
the above sum, or about that amount was
paid into the hands of the State Board of
Education for Public School purposes,
while the Board accounts for over $140, 900
less.
The Report for 1874 shows similar state
of accounts. Will Mr.. John NJ. Miller,
who is advertised as the answering statisti-
clan for the Thursdays mass meeting, ex-
plain these school accounts and account
| for the apparently missing $4,000?