The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1875-07-24
EDUCATIONAL MATTERS.
Circular from the County School Di-
rectOrs.
To the citizens Of Dallas County /:


held in the city of Dallas on Thursday,
July LIST, 1875, resolution was mani
mously adopted, the object of which
was to inform the people of the county
as to the action of said board, during
the time it had held Office, and to ex-
plain the causes of the suiliciency OF
the common school system in this
county.
The present board organized in jan
uary, 1874, by the election of Il presi-
dent and secretary, and proceeded IN
accordance with the law to divide the
county into suitable sized school dis
trcts. Time was required to enable
the directors to inform themselves OF
the wishes of the people of the differ
ent localities, but the districts were
made, and the boundaries duly FUR
nished to the Honorable County Court,
through the Presiding Justice, by the
LIST day of May, 1874; aud in ample
time to guide the Justices in making
their assessments.
The thirty-secOnd section of the
school law requires all Assessing Oil
GERS to make their assessments by
School Districts. 1t reads rs follows:
I" If the Public School fund appor-
toned to any particular district, shall
not be sufficient to employ suitable
teachers for the Public Schools organ
lied i'm said district, for four modths in
each year tho County Board of Drec-
tors shall levy and collect an advalO-
rem tax upon all the taxable property
in said district, as shown by the ASSESS
ment rolls made out by the Justices of
the Peace or other assessing officer,
sufficient to supply the deficiency
And, in order that this may be done,
the Justices of the Peace in making
their regular assessment, of taXas,
shall assess the property of the inhabi-
tants of each School District separ-
artely."
Public schools were taught in almost
every district in the county, during
the spring and summer of 1874, and
the teachers were paid out of the
fund appropriated by the Legisla-
ture, so far as that fund would pay
them, leaving in nearly every in
stance deficiency, to be provided
for by taxing the district. In some
districts the deficiency was compare
lively large, in Others 1t was small and
in few, no tax at all was required.
This tax was levied by the Board of
Directors in June 1874, just so soon rs
the amounts needed could be ascer-
tanned and copy of the levy was fur
lished to the Presiding Justice for his
information, he being the proper chan
mel of communication with the other
Justices. 1t seems however, that not
withstanding the mandate of the law,
and the repeated notices given by
numbers of the School Board to men,
bers of the County Court that the law
required of them and assessment by
districts, they thought proper in their
wisdom, to make their assessments by
Precincts, thus redering it impossible
for the Sheriff to collect and set apart
to each district, the amount levied in
such districts.
From June 1874 until June 1875, the
Board has endeavored by orders, reso-
lutiOns, etc., to induce the Mag
istrates to make out such
assessment rolls rs would enable the
tax to be collected. About March,
1875, the Presiding Justice, in answer
to an application of the board, notified
it that the rolls for the precinct had
been made out and placed in the hands
of the Sheriff, and that he understood
the other magistrates had done the
same.
The deficiency levy for the scholas-
tic year of 1874 and 1875 was made in
February last, and copy thereof
furnished to the County Clerk, and the
board understands that the assessment
has been made according to law, and
the tax properly carried.
But 1t is of the assessment of 1874
(so-called), to which we wish to call
your attention particularly. Until
June !, 1875, the board was informed
and believed that the rolls had been
properly made out, but upon examina-
ton made July l, 1875, it was found
that the rolls in every precinct were
either incorrect or incomplete. In pre-
cinct No. l the names of taxpayers are
confused, and not arranged in their
proper districts, besides the school
house tax, and the deficiency tax, are
run out together, making it impossible
for the Sheriff to properly collect and
account for those separate funds. In
precinct No. the school house tax is
not carried out In a single district; the
same may be said of precinct No. 3,
and also that taxes have been assessed
for deficiency purposes in districts In
which there was no deficiency tax lew
led.
In precinct No. a so little regard has
been paid to district lines that one
might imagine 1t to have been done in
many districts by guess-work alone,
while the Assessor has taken the lib.
erty to add from ten to twenty per
cent upon the amounts levied by the
Board of Directors. In fact, so many
and so various are the mistakes that
we have concluded TO withhold the
dresent rolls from the Sheriff, and en-
deavor again to have the rolls properly
made out.
WeleaVe the citizens fthe county TO
judge where the blame attaches in this |
delay and confusion in the collection |
Of the school taxes, and trust that the
present County Court, composed chief
ly of new mem ers, will aid and assist |
the school board in carrying out the
provisions Of the law, and not throw
obstacles In its way, as their predeces-
sors have done.
The different newspapers of the city
and county are respectfully requested
to. publish these statements.
lSignedl W. L. CABELL,
Director Precinct No. l.
JAS. II. sWINDELISs
hAti Precinct No. 2.
ELAN SHARPE,
q, =, \; rrecihct No' o.