Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1876-06-22

0HsTRrnUTfog OF THE STATE SCHOOL
!Fn.-Comptroller Woolford has ad-
dressed letter to the Presidents Of GER
tain School Boards in the State in refer
ence b the distribution Of the School
tax and in refutation Of the charge that
balance of this fund is kept On hand
in the Treasury from year to year and
is not distributed according to law
The letter goes into fullest details and
leaves nothing to be desired in the way
of satisfactory explanation. We make
the following extracts frem the let
ter:
The revenue from the public school
tax is distributed four times year, and
in the four distributions all the receipts
are distributed and nothing by way Of
balance or otherwise Is carried over UNI
less some portion OF the revenue from
the levy of the current year comes into
the Treasury before the fifteenth Of June
in that year. If this happens whatever
amount is so collected being applicable
only to the next school year is retained
for distribution in that school year on
the first day of October. The first dis
tribution for instance, of the receipts
from the school tax levy of 1875 was
made in October 1875, another was
made in January 1876, the third was
made in March same year, and the last
distribution of revenue from school tax
Co. f2sS v-.n 10 ~ 4,,ra
monthly when the school year 1875
ends.
The fiscal year Of the Treasury ends
September 3Dth, and between the IF
tenth of June which is the end of the
school year and that day, there has
generally been a sufficient amount of
the school tax levied for the current
year collected, to equal one fourth of
the whole levy, consequently one-fourth
of the whole amount of the levy is
distributed on the first day of Octo-
Der. The same is generally the case
at each OF the other days of distribution
appointed by the law, until the June or
last distribution, when not only the bal
ance of the amount received on the
levy of that school year, but also all re-
ceived on account of the levies of pre-
vious years, is also distributed.
The receipts during the fiscal year
ending September 3Oth, 1878, were
very large, owing to the fact that this
department had been unusually success
full in making collections and especially
of taxes in arrears for former years.
The whole receipts from school tax
during the fiscal year 1875 aggregated
the amount of S6J4, 1898; sum large
ly in excess Of the whole amount of the
school tax levy for the said year 1878.
OF these receipts the sum of SIS, 333.74
being receipts from levy for years prior
to 1874, was distributed in June 1875.
The whole recei pts during the year
from the levy for the year 1874. had
also been distributed on this and the
previous days Of distribution for the
school year theg ending, leaving moth
ing in the Treasury Of school tax but
the receipts on account of the school
levy of 1873 which were only appli-
cable to the school year 1878, which
year commences sixteenth of June,
1878. The same is true of the di>tri-
button already made in the school year
1878 and to be made in june 1876
which will be the last distribution of
the present school year and this Idistyi-
button will be unusually large f3r the
reasons heretofore assigned.
There have been Of necessity large
Attachments tor insolvencies, erroneous
assessments, Sc, allowed on the levy
of each year. since the school tax was
originated, but As the collections for
no single year have been entire Y COM
pletcd and. attachments continue to be
allowed every year, it is impossible at
this time to say how much these abate-
ments amount TO for any year. This
can only be done when the whole col
lections for any given year are con-
cluded and all the attachments incident
thereto allowed.
The amount of school tax distributed
during the fiscal year 1878 was $50
117.26 being S2,S13.19 in excess ofthe
whole levy for the year 1878, which
lew amounted to S5l3, 3J4.U7.
The distribution during the fiscal
year 1876 will exhibit a much larger
excess than that of 1915.
Before closing this communication, |
will advert to the fact that some per-
sons connected with the School Boards,
have imagined that the Law of 1874,
increasing the School tax to twelve
cents, instead of ten as formerly, would
make the distribution to the white
schools larger than it had been under
former acts. This is not the case, but
On the contrary, the distribution to
white schools has been lessened by the
change. The additional two cents were
added to the School levy in 1874 to
provide the means fog paving the spe-
cific appropriation to colored schools,
which was also increased that year to
the sum Of one hundred thousand dol
lars. This appropriation being unqual-
fled and specific, was required by the
law to be paid, whether the increased
levy raised that amount or not: where
as. the additional levy of two cents
on the assessable property of the State,
would only raise SS5, 55a.67. which,
(if all collected.) would still abate the
amount allowed to white schools, BY
,.the sum Of 'Sl4.4ie.33. II is well
known 10 'you- however, a. to every
one else, that there are necessarily
large attachments every year allowed
by the County Commissioners and APP
peal Tax Court for insolvenries and err
roneous assessments, which make IL
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