The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1875-10-27
Public schools.

We trust the School Commissioners in
the different Districts in the county win
take immediate steps to organize Public
Schools. The law 10 imperative, and re-
quires that these schools shall be opened
and kept up. The schools ought to have
opened on the first Monday Of Septem-
Der, but, as they were not, it ought to
be done yet. The people pay their tax
es to support free schools, and they ought
to demand Of the Commissioners that
they employ teachers forthwith.
Hawkins county receives for the cur
rent scholastic year in the neighborhood
of two thousand dollars from the State
Treasury. In addition to this, the law
requires the County Court to levy tax
sufficient to keep the school open for i've
months a year. The tax lists are in the
hands Of the Revenue Collector, and the
money will be paid in by the people.
Nine hundred and ffty-three dollars
were apportioned to Hawkins ON the 1ss
Of October by the State Treasury. A
like apportionment win be made the LIST
Of April, and by that time we should
think the county tax win be all collected,
no that the teachers employed now can
be paid OF in fun by or before the LIST
day Of April next.
We again press upon the Commission
ers in every District in the county to go
TO work and organize schools as soon as
possible, and to pledge the teachers in
payment for their services, the money
arising from the county levy for the
present year, and also the amount arising
from the State apportionment, which We
presume win be at least two thousand
dollars for the county. The county tax
es and the State taxes for 1875 must be
applied to the support Of schools for the
present scholastic year. These funds
cannot legally be used for any other pur-
pose. The Commissioners would have
no right to take the taxes Of 1875 and ap.
ply them to the payment Of debts created
in 1879. According to our present school
system, every year must take care Of it
self, and the money must be raised by
taxation sufficient to keep the schools
open five months II the Commission
ers in any of the Districts in the county
have permitted themselves to become In
debted TO teachers for work already done,
they must look to the County Court for
relief. They cannot take the peoples
money, paid in for the purpose of en-
ploying teachers this fall and winter,
and pay il to those who taught school
two or three or one year ago. We do
not know certainly that any of the Dis
tricts in the county are in this condition,
but it has been suggested to US that this
was probably the reason, we had no pub
lie schools. The Districts already owed
teachers for past services, and they were
going to take the taxes for thih year and
pay these debts, and this, we contend,
they have no legal right to do.
The teacher who keeps his school open
for five months this fall and winter, "a
the law directs, can demand that he be
paid for his services out of the money
received for taxes the present year. So
we think there isSno danger of the teach
ers losing their wages, and we hope to
see public schools Immediately opened
in all parts of the county, as we surely
will have if the District Commissioner
do their full duty.
We will, in conclusion, respectfully
suggest that all the School Commission
era of the county meet at the Court
House on the first Monday in November,
and consult as to what is best for them
TO do. They have not had meeting for
a long time. We should be pleased to
see them together once more, and to
hear what they have to say about the
educational interests of the county.
1t Is q reproach to us of Hawkins that
we are falling behind Washington,
Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Harlan
Kentucky, and everybody else
in our school enterprise, and we ought
to make up. Let us do IL.