Daily Republican., 1880-02-06
City Council and Board or Educn.
lAOD.

passag' Of an ordinance reduced tn
appropriation for the Board Of Educa
tion to s42, 900, which is some $23,0G
less than was first appropriated, th
latter amount being in the Treasury Q
the Bard at the commencement of tn,
fiscal year, and which the City Connci
claimed should have been deducted a
the time the appropriations were made
or returned to the city. This will re-
duce the amount to bs raised by tax
for city purpose the same amount,
From the unanimity OF tas vote by
which the ordinance was passed, every
member present without distinction OF
party voting for it, it must be Inferred
that there was No doubt at least upon
the part Of the members Of that body
whore the money belonged. The
great difficulty on the part Of the peo.
pie in this controversy was to under
stand how the Board of Education had
accumulated such large surplus bal
ance, and there were many who attri-
buted it to the close and rigid economy
of the Board. A little thought on the
matter would convince. any reasonable
mind that this was impossible. The
estimates of the Board of Education were
always carefully made. 1t was known
from long experience how much money
was wanted to pay teachers, pay for
books, fuel and incidentals, and though
sometimes there was some little clash
ing between the asksrs aud the givers
the first usually carried their point be-
cause it was well known the amount
asked for was none to large too carry on
our public schools efficiently, at least
there could not any large balance ac-
crus to the Board Of Education.
Then how did the Board get this
large surplusi We are informed by
those who. profess to be we'll booked in
tho matter that tha Board Of Education
getting embarrassed in 1871, the City
Couuail loaned it $4,000. And then
when the fiscal year Of 80 commenced
ia January, it is said that the
Board had $l9, 900 in its Treasury. 1t
will be remembered that a somewhat
rad cal aud long needed change was
made in the Charter of the Board at
the last session of the Legislature, the
change regulating and equalizing the
payment Of appropriations to the Board
Before this change was made the Board
was given the amount collected special
ly as school taxes and 10 more, and it
often happened, owing to number of
errors that had to be allowed, that the
amount collected and paid over was
sometimes thousands Of dollars short
of the appropriations askel for and
allowed. This system resulted in fore
ing the Board into the creation Of a
bonded debt, which was wiped out by
by the late Legislature, authorizing the
City Council to issue bonds and to have
the amount of indebtedness Of the
Board funded as part Of the city debt.
This wiped out all the indebtedness Of
the Board. Ths nsxt important thing
to be attained in changing the char
ter of the.. Board was to provide agains.
the necsssit, OF q recurrence of such
a state of affairs, and by a proper agree
ment and understanding between the
Board ami City Council it was agreed
that in lisu of ths taxes collected
specially for the Board Of Edu-
cation, the amount required and
agreed upon by the Board should be
paid in full from the current expense
account Of tRe City Council, and it was
also agreed that the amount should b.
paid in twelve equal monthly pay
m ants. This was to relieve the Board I
of Education from all anxiety in the
ca g, and all it had to do was to ask for
what it wanted in reason, and it was to I
be paid to it every month. This We
think was very wise regulation, tax I
ing great deal Of responsibility away I
from the Board, and allowing the mem {
bers Of that boiy to turn their whole q
attention to legislation for the good of
th public schools, without being both 1
ere1 about finances. Bat there seemed I
TO Q another hitch before this plan s
wockel smoothly. The fiscal year L
of the City Council commences on the t
Hrs of January, and as il well known q
h city taxes are not paid until the v
irst Of Ju'y, and We believe tho fiscal q
ysar Of the Board Of Education was a
slso made 10 commence on the first of t
January. The aDpr' priations, however, 7
had b. en- made, ,om, $G6 J)O having |
been allowed the Board # Educa I
ion. When the 9w Vas paR"d sent 1
,hr,e months OF the year had pass a
el a ound, aud in Carrying the J.
lav nto effect, it seems that the t
first payment made to the Board Il
undsr the am ,ndsd chart included O
The mon hly payments Of the three first 8
months Of the year, which was about v