The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-06-03


money derived from this law is divided
among the towns in proportion to the
number of legal schools, and equally |
among the districts in all towns, except |
those having Graded school or town
system, where it is divided ike tne
public money. =.
1t will be seen that there is to-day II |
per cent. school tax on all the property |
of the State, and that tax of IL cents on
the dollar is divided equally among the
districts in nearly all the towns. Inc
money paid by the State and towns, with
the income of the Huntington fund, the
United States deposit money, rent OF
lands and other sources than the DIS
tricts, amounts annually to more than
$3.50. 600. This is more than half the eX-
penses of the schools. 1t is two-thlrds
of all that is paid the teachers OF the
State.
The difficulty in this system of tax
alton, extending nearly through
century. is, that while it was laudaDle
ATTEMPT to remedy the inequality OF
school taxation, it was gross violation
of the American principle, no taxation
without representation, which means
that the taxpayer shall be represented
not only in the assessment OF the TAX,
but in the expenditure of the tax. But,
as we have seen, there is paid annually
more than S35O.O00 for the schools by
the State and towns, and neither has any
direct representation in the expenditure
of the money. ,
| cannot recall another instance in vii
lage, town, county, State or National al
| fairs where the taxpayer is not represent
ed in both the assessment and eXpen1l-
ture of the tax. To illustrate: Inc
Grand list of Brattleboro is $40, 300, ana
that of the village of Brattleboro is
S35 3O1. Hence the village pays more
than three-fourths of the II per cent.
tax, There are eleven school districts in
this town, In the division of the income
from the Huntington fund and five per
cent. State tax money, this village would
receive only one-eleventh of the first
half. The other half would be divided
on the attendance. In the division OF
the money received from the II per cent.
town tax. this village receives one
eleventh of the first $4,000 or $500.
The Grand list of Rockingham is ST.
800. The Grand list of Bellows Falls is
S27,944. There are II districts i'll that
town. The result is that the village pays
about three-fourths of the II per cent.
tax, and receives back in the division OF
the first half only about one-tWelth. inns
is on the supposition that the village
charters do not affect the general law
The Grand list of Jamaica is SO, 2So.l 10,
and that of the largest district is
e. 400. 20, There are u districts. The
result is that the largest district pays Az
per cent. of the public money and re
ceives back again only about per cent
of the first half. In Wilmington there
are 10 districts, and the Grand list of the
largest is more than half of that OF the
town. Hence one district pays more
|, than so per cent. and receives back only
3 ner cent. of the first half. One district
in Newfane pays SO per cent and receives
hack 10 per cent. in the first division
One district in Townshend pays 40 pei
. cent. and receives back 12t per cent. IL
) first division. One district in ORATOR
paws so per cent. and receives back only
! il per cent. One dlstrictin Nottingham
2 paws more than q per cent. and receives
l back less than per cent One distric
. in Londonderry pays 30 per cent. anc
receives back only per cent. in the frs
= half l might extend this investigation
through this county and the State and II
) would undoubtedly show that 500 dis
; tricts in the State pay much the large
/, part of the II per cent. tax, and that tn
first half is, as a rule, divided equal.
= among 2272 districts. The result is ina
no one is satisfied with this method o
: supporting the schools. The small dis
= tricts are not, because of the inequalit.
. that still fingers to faint the taxation
: and because of the dispropOrtiOn of tn
I educational privileges; the large dis
! tricts are not, because they have little o
nothing to do in shaping the characte
: of the schools that they assist SO Target,
= in supporting.
The philosophy of heather Rome
without the aid of divine revelation, ros
: to the height of discerning that nothing
. is ever expedient that is not just
8 Nothing is strong that is not just, sal
I Charles Sumner. "Justice Statistic
everybody" said Emerson. An
= Shakespeare:
> "RiGht and wrong.
Between whose endless jar justice resides
" If we would eliminate those 'endles
= iars' that have so often during tn
=, century swept through our schools y
=, TEN, leaving little but legal chaos bt
! hind; if we would have strong, permi
nent and progressive system, systei
), that will prove satisfactory to all, a sy
tenn that the constitution approves an
= the public good demands, we must bull
e on Justice, which is God-given and III
u assailable. The town system will II
u suit: (a) In equal taxation in the towns
D (b) in larger schools with longer tern
=, and better teachers; (c) and in equ
~ ~ educational privileges.
y COMBINATION OF SMALL SCHOOLS.
d There are more than 500 school di
'e tricts in this State that ought to
le abolished at once. OF these schools IL
n Supervisor of Orange county reporte
Is that there were 50 in that county
4 1890 There are 592 schools in the Sta
with less than twelve pupils in each, an
m 141 of these have less than six in eac
he know of one district in which there
1t only one child of school age. That di
ID trict draws $36 from the State treasul
Ill and about the same amount from Il
town, thereby injuring every district
ID the State to that extent. l have heal
a of several districts of two or thrt
10 pupils, that by hiring them taught
t other schools, are making money out
re this II per cent tax law, and are putin
lie it in the bank.
Is If anything in education is settled,
he anything is no longer arguable, it is tn
is the essential difference in schools is u
e. difference in teachers, that no scho
n ever did or ever can rise above
ed teacher, and that the principal way
TX might say the only way of improving
- school, is to put better teacher into T.
ee school. Every move that is made shou
to be made with this object distinctly