The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1876-04-21
The School Debt.

ness of the School Board by issuing county
bonds. Accordingly, the School Commits
soners have made formal application to the
County Commissioners to proceed at once to
issue and sell these bonds The school debt
amounts to nearly $4,000, but the law pro
vides for the funding of not more than $685.
600 of it. The matter is one of such grave
Importance that the Commissioners have Ia
ken time to consider it well in all its bear
ings, before they undertake to assume on be-
half of the county, debt of such magnitude.
They have therefore summoned before them
the present and late School Boards, with
their Secretaries, who are requested to bring
with them their vouchers and contracts for
all the items going to make up the debt.
This action of the County Commissioners
will meet with unqualified approval. AS
custodians of the county funds they should
thoroughly understand and rgidly examine
every item of the debt they are called upon
to assume, so that the tax payers upon
whom the burden of payment will fall, may
feel assured that every dollar of is justly
due by the school board. The School Com
missioners themselves should and doubtless
will insist upon the most searching cXami.
nation into every branch of their admininis.
tration; and the County Commissioners will
be remiss in their duty to the tax payers and
to the school board if they do not make the
proposed examination most thorough one.
The school debt, it is true, was incurred
without any authority of law, andfn the face
of the fact that the county authorities, as
such, were not legally bound for its payment;
but we do not believe either the County Com
missioners or the tax payers wish to cvade
the payment of it, They insist however,
that an examination of the items should be
made, before the county assumes the debt.
While it is conceded on all hands that
all of the debt that has been Justly incur
red should be paid, the manner in which
this should be done is yet an open ques-
ton. BY adopting the mode proposed by
the Legislature the burden of debt would be
suddenly lifted from the School Board and
laid upon the county There might be no
objection to this, provided there were any
means to restrain the school board from get
ting into debt again, with the hope of OK
Treating themselves by fresh issue ofcoun-
ty bonds. The precedent is an unsafe one to
set 1t is argued that the law under which
the county bonds are TO be issued, provides
that the SchoolC commissioner shall not in the
future incur any debt beyond the amount of
money appropriated from time TO time for
school purposes. There is nothing binding
in this, however; for the School Commission
ers are acting under State law, while this
is local law, and besides the law can not
prevent school boards or individuals from
getting into debt, while credit can be had.
The issue of county bonds is Objectionable
on other grounds. 1t opens the door for
great deal of fraud. During the war bonds
were issued TO relieve the county from one
of the numerous drafts for troops for the
Federal army Enough money was levied
time and time again to pay these bonds, but
the bonds not being presented the money
thus appropriated was used upon the public
roads and for other legitimate county pur-
poses. 1t is fact that the last one of these
bounty bonds was only paid within amonth or
two past. No one charges and no one suspects
that one cent of this money was improperly
used, but such transaction surely gives an
opportunity to designing men, if any such
should happen to get into office.
1t is urged by many persons that the best
way 10 pay this debt would be TO levy the
whole amount at once. This would nccessi-
tate the closing of the schools entirely for
one year, and the levying of at least 20 cents
additional on the 500. 1t costs about 12
cents on the 800 to pay the expenses of the
teachers, provide fuel, keep the school houses
in repair, &C., so that TO pay the debt in one
year and keep the schools open at the same
time would require an outlay of at least $751;
900, or II tax f32 cents for the schools. The
raising of so large sum in one year would
I've a grievous burden upon tax payers, and
it is therefore out of The question. AS to
stopping the schools for one year and paying
the debt, it would be decidedly the most
economical method, because vast amount
of interest would thereby be saved The
disarrangement of the school system, the
scattering of teachers, &c, would he a serious
matter, however, and one which could not
be contemplated with pleasure by any friend
of public schools
1t would be vastly better, in our opinion
for the School Board TO pay The debt them
selves, with the assistance of the County
Commissioners The schools can be run the
entire four terms each year, for tax of IL
cents on the one hundred dollars. The books
used can he paid for by the book fees. By
consolidating the weaker schools and by
rigid economy, from Sc 900 TO $4,000 year,
at least, can be saved. To this amount saw
ed by the School Commissioners the County
Commissioners could add by taxation such
an amount rs they might think advisable -
Thus by both boards working together--the
School Board retaining from building school
houses for while and saving all they can
and the County Commissioners appropriat.
ing q sufficient amount from time 10 time, TO
aid in paying the most pressing claims, the
whole debt can grad ually be liquidated-
The utmost caution is necessary, on the part
of the County Commissioners, in proceeding
in this matter The efficiency of our pub.
lie schools has not kept pace with the in
creasing yearly expenditures, and we fear
that il the debt is funded at once by issuing
bonds, before they are paid the rate of
taxation for public schools will be as high
or higher than it is now.
The Cumberland Times says it is gene
rally believed strong effort is in process to