The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-01-13

annual report 10 Congress. Inrougn
the courtesy of the gentleman, we were
furnished copy, which is given below :
To Congress:
In accordance with the requirements
of law 1 submit the first annual report
of the schools of Utah Territory:
The first enactment of the Legislature
of Utah on the subject of a pablo
school system was approved February
18th. 1876. 1t provided for the organ
ization of school districts by the County
Courts in the several counties of the
Territory, for the election of three trus-
tees in each district, prescribed their
duties and defined their powers. They
were auth 0rlZ ed, amongst other things,
to assess and collect an annual tax of
nefourth OF per cent. on all taxable
property within their districts for
school purposes. When more than
that amount was required ito pur
chase, build, repair or furnish school
houses or for other school purposes" it
was fixed by two-thiris majority vote
of the qualified voters resident in the
district, present at meeting called for
that purpose.
This act also provided for the election
of Territorial Superintendent of Dis
trict Schools. ard for County
Sup erintendent of Schools in each
county of the Territory. 1t was further
provided that all schools organized IN
der the direction of the trustees in the
respective school districts of the Terri
tory should be known in law by the
name and title OF District Schools.
THE EARLIEST ENACTMENT
OF the Territory providing any certain
or general support for schools by taxa
ton was contained in the revenue law,
February 22i, 1878, which
provided that there should be "col-
lected annually, beginning with the
year 1878, an dd UGl0renl tax on all the
taxs BILE property IN the Territory of
Utah three mills on the
dollar for the benefit of district
schools"
And two years later, by the act ap-
proved February goth, 1880, it was en-
acted that the moneys accruiug for the
benefit of district schools. under the
provisions of the act of 1878, should be
disbursed on orders drawn by the Ter
ritorial Superintendent of District
Schools in favor of the Territorial sub
treasurer of each county. according to
school population, and should be paid
to the trustees by the Territorial sub
treasurers on the orders of the county
and said moneys
should be used in paying school teach
ers during the year following the one
in which II was assessed and collie ctsd.
Tina act of 1880 was the first to pro.
vide for taking an annual census of the
children resident in the several school
districts between and Is years, which
was made the school age.
Since the ect of 1880 there has been
no material change in the legislation of
the Territory upon the subject of
schools, and none whatever with refer
ence TO the further support thereof by
taxation.
THE SCHOOL LAW OF THE TERRITORY,
as it exis S at present, and which is the
same. substantially, as the act OF
February Goth, 1880, is herewith SUBJ
mitted in connection with the BIZ
ennial report Of the Commissioner
of Schools for the years 1867, TO
the Twenty eighth Session OF the
Assembly of the Territory,
which began January 9 1888 In the
practical operations of this law, it is
found that the 3 mill tax provided by
the act Of 1878, and annually collected
and distributed to the several counties
and districts of the Territory, in pro-
portion to the school population there
of, as sho q by the last preceding an
nGal census, is scarce enough to pay
one-half Of the compensation of the
teachers hitherto employed; so that it
has been necessary, and the almost
uniform usage. up to the present time,
to collect each term a tuition fee for
each of the pupils in attendance at the
school, which was fixed in the respec-
tive districts by the trustees, and grad
uated in amount according to the Is
timated balance required in addition to
the public fund for the payment Of the
teachers.
Within the last two years, efforts
have bseu made in very few districts
and successfully il a still smaller
number, perhaps not exceeding eight
or ten in the Territory levy a local
district tax suff1cieut to supplement the
Territorial fund applicable to the pay
ment of teachers, and thus maintain a
free school.
There is no provision in the school
law requiring school to be kept for any
specified time during the year, or pro-
viding any penalty, IN the way of with
holding any portion Of the school fund
to which a district may be entitled, in
consequence of failure to provide a
school; but the whole subject of pro-
viding schoolhouse5 and furnishing
and maintaining schools is entirely
WITHIN THE PLEASURE
Of each district. The partial sup
port provided by the Territorial
law has a tendency to encourage the
of schools, and yet the in
adequacy of this fund, necessitating as
it does the collection also of tuition
fee, operates to keen many childrea of
the poorer classes of the population at
home, when they would otherwise be
attending school. While thus the Ter
ritory has accepted. to limited extent,
the theory of taxation for the benefit of
4 general system of schools, it has
tailed to carry out the theory to its legi.
innate results, by providing adequate
means to support system of free
schools.
At the twenty-tighth session of the |
,cryi 10 trtro hold in tho ~ ~ ofx IL