Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-02-18
CHANCE FOR 4 DECKER.
THE SCHOOL BOARD ASKS FOR A TAX
LEVY OF THIRTY-FIvE CENTS,
And is Met by the City Trustees With a
Polite Request to Give Up
the Perry Property.

| Tor school purposes.
Director Tufts, of the Finance Com
mittee, opened the subject by informing
the Board that it would require at least
$S6,0O0 on the closest figuring. to run the
school department this year. They had
now on hand $33, $50, and thirty fve-cent
tax on the S14,00O,0O0 of assessable prop
erty in the city would not more than sup
ply the remainder needed.
The estimated expenditures of the school
department for the year, Mr.. Tufts said,
were as follows: For salaries, $4,000; fuel,
$500; improvement at the Sacramento
Grammar School, including street grading,
construction of cement sidewalks, etc,
$1,000; sidewalk and grading at the Fiji
tenth and n streets school, $500; station
cry, 81 500; repairs to school buildings,
So 600; furniture and supplies, $500. Mr..
Tufts explained that these estimates, which
were as low as the Board of Education had
dared to make them, would leave a margin
of only 81 800 (at thirty-fve-cent tax for
other and unforeseen expenses for the year.
He said it would be difficult for the depart
ment to get along with thirty-five.c cent
levy, but the Board realized the fact that it
could not ask Tor more,
Matters looked pretty smooth for the
School Directors up to this point, but here
the Trustees began to ''get in their work"
1t has been known for year past that the
City Trustees had looked with longing eyes
upon the Perry Seminary property on l
street, between Tenth and Eleventh, owned
by the School Department, but which has
been of little practical use to the latter,
being simply used for the night school, the
building not being adapted for general use
All the members of the Board of Education,
except Director Davis, have been in favor of
selling the property and using the proceeds
wherever the same would do the most
good ID other directions. Every time dur
ing the past year the Board found itself in
close corner, financially speaking some
member would renew the proposition to
sell the Perry Seminary property, and just
as promptly would Director Davis proceed
to put in his little veto, for-under the law
the Board of Education cannot dispose
OF its real property except by the unani-
nous vote of its members.
Director Davis argument has been all
along that some day the property would be
much more valuable than at present, and
that it was not much expense 10 the Board
to hold on to it.
All these facts have been known to the
members of the City Board of Trustees,
and they held little private
meeting on Sunday to talk over
the matter of the tax levy lit is
supposedly, and possibly to caucus on the
Perry Seminary proposition. Hence,
when School Director Tufts had finished
his little speech yesterday, the Trustees
were prepared for the attack. They knew,
of course, that the School Department
needed tax levy of IS cents on the 800,
but they also knew that they (the Trustees)
wanted that Seminary building, and that
they wanted it bad"
In reponse to Director Tufts, Mayor
Gregory remarked that the Trustees desired
to do what was right for the school and
other departments of the city government
but there was one matter in that connection
they desired to first discuss. The School
Department owned the Perry Seminary
property. 1t was of no practical benefit to
that department, but would be to the city.
If the Board of Education would transfer it
to the city it might become the nucleus for
new City Hall. Would it not be bet
ter" he asked, "for the Board of Education
to turn it over to the city, which would
then enable the Trustees to levy a more
liberal tax than they might otherwise be
able to for school purposes?"
Here was dilemma for the School Di-
rectors. They looked at one another in
quiringly, and then all the others looked
at Director Davis, the member who had
been so determinedly opposed to parting
with the property at all.
Director Tufts was the first to recover
his breath, and he met the Mayors in
cisive attack boldly. He said that when
it did so largely with funds derived from
the State and county. Fully 60 per cent.
of its income came from outside the city,
and he did not believe the Board possessed
the legal right to make a gift of property
thus purchased to the city.
Trustee Wolf-"Has not the city given
the school department two blocks of land
for school purposes"
Director Tufts-"No, sir; it has only
given US the use of lots, for the city has no
right to sell them. They were decided to
the city for school purposes only
Mayor Gregory-"That is a mistake.
with those blocks; that is the law of the
case"
Director Tufts said that be- for one. would
be willing to turn the property over to the
city, but he did not believe the Board could
do so legally.
Director Erlewine said that, to make the
thing regular, the Board of Education
might sell the property to the city and the
money be turned into the school fund.
Mayor Gregory said the Trustees felt
that the city was entitled to more credit for
the support of the city schools than the
State or county. If the Board of Educs-
ton would give the Perry Seminary prop
erty to the city, the Trustees could make
the levy asked. Otherwise the latter might
not be able TO see its way clear to do so,
and might not go higher than 80 cents.
The property was doing nobody any good
as it was.
Director Chapman said the Board of Edu-
cation had long talked of disposing of the
property, but as it could only do so by the
unanimous vote of its members and as
they had not been able TO secure unani-
nous vote on the proposition, nothing had
been done.
Mayor Gregory-"If the Board of Educa-
ton would sell the property they could
probably get along with tax of twenty
cents, or thereabonts. The property
ought to be worth from $4,000 to $25 900,
but possibly that might be too high a
figure"
Director Tufts-'If you gentlemen of the
Board of Trustees can prevail upon Direc-
tor Davis to give his consent to SELL the
Board of Education might let the city have
it for little less than that"
While this discussion was in progress
Director Davis had been the center of an
apparently admiring group, all the other
members of the Board of Education hav-
ing gathered about him, persistently
| whispering into his ear. At this point.
however, the senior member from the
Third Ward spoke up and said;
II will be willing for the Board to sell
| the property to the city for $4,000"
Mayor Gregory remarked that all the
schooI-houses are on city property. The
Board of Education has to take some
chances, he said, as to The support it gets
from the State and county, but the city
stands behind it sill the time. Its tax levy
is sure thing.
Director Erlewine said the Trustees
might make the tax levy, say 80 cents, and
give $4,000 for the Perry Seminary prop
erty. The School Department could not
get along with less than tax of 35 cents
on the 800 or its equivalent. This it must
get in some way. He was willing the city
should have the property in question, il
only the Board of Education could get what
it requires.
Trustee Mclaughlin said the School
Board ought to turn the property over to
the city and then get whatever tax levy it
required.
trustee Wolf--'Yes. we're willing to