The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-12-18

change has been made in the method of
the public money, or in the con-
ditions ON which district can receive il.
The only change in this respect relates
to the time when the public money is to
be divided and distributed by the select
men. T. (.
''By Section 23Gof the Act. of 1888, no
public money shall be distributed to q
school district unless such district has
supported a school "a weeks during the
school year. That is the law to-day.
No attempt was made TO change or mod
ify it; but, as have said, the school
year under the present law ends on the
last day of March instead of the last day
of June, as under the law of 1888. The
school year is not determined by the cal
endar, but is creature of legislation,
and may consist of nine or fifteen
months.
st is not quite clear when the public
money is to'be divided. BY Section of
the new law it would seem that it must
be divided 'on the Friday next preceding
the last Tuesday of March, But by Sec
ton Is of the same law the duties of the
town and district school officers, having
relation to the beginning and close of the
school year and the maintenance of
schools and the statistics thereof shall
be performed three months earlier than
now required by law. By Section 233 of
the Act of 1888, the public money was
divided between the third and sixth
days of July think that Section Is of
the new law should govern as to the time
of dividing the public money, and that
is between the third and sixth days of
next April. But the result is, that no
school district will be entitled to any
public money, next spring, unless it has
supported legal school for "a weeks be-
tween the first day of last July and the
first day of next April.
again, it is certain that no district in
town in which there is graded school
and there are 46 of these-is entitled
to any part of the money derived from
the five per cent. State school tax, unless
such district has supported school fol
"A weeks between the first of last July
and first of next April, because Section
9 of the Act imposing the State tax eX
pressly states that in towns having Q
graded school district such funds shall
be divided as now provided by law fol
the division of school moneys And
AGAIN, it is extremely doubtful whether
any district in the State will be entitled
W any Vi JnG NDltlJt bttA
it has supported a school for "a weeks
during the same time-between the frs
day of last July and the first day of mex
April. Section 8 of the Act provides
THE Treasurer of the State shall annual
ly, on or before the 10th day of July
divide the money i'll the treasury of thu
State, received on such tax, among thu
towns, cities and unOrganized towns o.
cores, in proportion to the number o
legal schools sustained the precedin.
school year. The term legal schools
means schools of "a weeks, and the tern
the preceding school year means til,
time between the first day of last Jul.
and the first day of next April.
"This tax law, as | understand it, wa
drawn to harmOnize with the Act of 1888
and was introduced into the House sew
eral weeks before the present school Law
was passed. Some changes were mad
as to the division of the money, but nom
to make the statute correspond with tn
!. present school year. In the existing cir
cumstances it is the duty of all TIL
school officers and all the friends of TIN
schools to exert themselves to the utmos
in procuring and maintaining schools il
all the districts of the State from thi
time on to the first of next April.
at will be most deplorable if thos
laws, imposing ~ per cent. town ia.
and per cent. State tax, enacted TO
. the sole purpose of egualizing the take
and aiding the small districts, shall re
suit in injury to the small districts, b,
compelling them to contribute to tn
support of the schools in the richer dis
tricts."