Birmingham age-herald., 1894-12-28
The Board of Education Approves
 Amendments to the Act
CREATING PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Of Birmingham Authorizing the Board to Charge Fees and
 Have a Treasurer.

tendent Phillips office at the high school building last night to consider bill re- gently introduced in the legislature by Representative O'Brien. President Ull- man of the board and Mayor VanHoose, Capt. F. P. O'Brien, MT. A. o. Lane and MT. A. c. Lowery were present.
 The O. Brien bill wasTead, and is as fol- lowe:
 An act to amend sections and 10 of an act to create the board of education for the city of Birmingham, and to prescribe the duties and powers of the same.
 Sectional. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Alabama, That section of an act to create board of education for the city of Birmingham, and to prescribe the powers and duties of the same, is hereby amended so as to read as follows:
 Sec. 8. That the board of education shall have power to charge resident pupils at tending he several grades of said schools such incidental or other fees as 1t may deem necessary for the proper conduct of said schools, provided that the said board of ed- ucation may, in their discretion, assign such free scholarships in the various grades of said schools as they, in their judgment, may deem proper. Said board shall also have power to charge children of non- resi- dents such tuition fees as it may deem just and proper.
 Sec. 9. Be it further enacted, That's sec tion 10 of said act be amended so as to read as follows:
 Sec. 10. That all moneys de- voted to Iu lie school purposes in the city of Birmingham, whether derived from state, county or city, or obtained by gift or bt quest, or In any other manner what soever, shall be paid over into the hands cation, as herein provided. All moneys intended for school purposes which may be in the hands of the treasurer of the city of Birmingham, together with the poll tax and the amount of the estimate for any scholastic year filed with the mayor and aldermen, as provided in section of this act, shall be by him paid over to the treas urer of the board of education in three equal instalments, on the 1st day oi Sep tembsr, the 1st day of December and the 1st day of March of said year, and the said treasui CT shall execute a bond, the amount of same to be fixed by the board of educa- tion. Such moneys, together with all un- expended balances In the hands of said treasurer of the board of education, shall constitute school fund which shall be dis bursed in the interests or the public schools of the city of Birmingham in such manner as the board of education may direct.
 Sec. 8. Be it further enacted, That all laws in conflict with the provisions of this aci be and the same are hereby repealed.
 Mir. O'Bren said the bill had been intro- duced in the legislature and referred to committee, but on account of some ob]ec- tions he had it withdrawn until alter the holidays. The objections 10 the section creating a treasurer fer the board, he thought, had been overcome. He wanted it understood that he was opposed to charg- ing any fees for the public schools, and had only introduced the bill because the board of education wanted it.
 MT. Lane thought the bill very good one. He said that 'prior to 1888 the public schools had charged a small fee, and he be- lieved it necessary to make small charge now, else the schools would have to close. He wished it were not SD. He offered the following resolution:
 Whereas, In the year 1887 the general as- eembly of Alabama passed an act forbid ding any tuition or incidental fees to be charged the pupils of the public schools of the city of Birmingham, except those of the high school; and,
 Whereas, Said act when passed met the approval oi the board of education, because it WAS then believed that the public schools could be maintained without such tuition or incidental fees; but,
 Whereas, Since that time the board of education has become convinced that to maintain the schools tor the full scholastic term it will be necessary to supplement the public school fund with small tuition and incidental fees from the pupils of the pub lie schools; and,
 Whereas, It is the sense of the board that it is better for the pupils to submit to such small tuition and incidental fees rather than have the schools closed for a portion of the sch plastic year; therefore, be It
 Resolved by the board of education, That it is to the interest of the public schools of Birmingham that said act be repealed, and the mem bers of the general assembly of Alabama, and especially those of Je fferson county, be and they are hereby requested to urge the repeal of said act, to the end that such small tuition and inci- dental fees may be charged in all the pulp lie schools oi the city of Birmingham as may be deemed proper and advisable by the board of education.
 Be it further resolved, That this board approves the bill introduced by Representa- tive O. Brien.
 Be it further resolved, That copy of these resolutions be sent to the senator and each member of the lower house from Jef- ferson county.
 He believed that to be good way to in- crease the revenues and moved the adop- tion of his resolution, which carried with it an indorsement of the O'Brien bill.
 MT. Lowery favored the board having its own treasurer, ,-> but opposed charging a fee. He thought it better to have free schools for five or six months than to run nine and charge tuition fee. He believed wouldn't send their children to school at all if they had to pay for it.
 Mir. O'Brien thought it would work hardship on poor families having several CulluISns II ib Wdb lndttci Ol pdyluk tuition or buying bread they would buy the bread and keep the children at home.
 Mayor VanHoose suggested that cer- tain number of free scholarships might be set aside for those unable to pay for same, the superintendent to have charge of their distribution. He opposed the board having 8 separate treasurer. He thought the city treasurer ought to hold the money. He hadn't considered the matter, however, and was not ready to vote on it. Theoret- ically that was all wrong, he thought. If the city could not be trusted with the school fund it could not be trusted with other specific funds.
 He said 1t does look like all moneys should be put in the city treasury and 6acredly put aside-not merely on the books, but appropriations for schools, the fire department, the police, all should 1 be sacredly put aside. While in a great press the former administration drew on this school fund. The next thing the po- lice commission will want a treasurer.
 Mr. O'Brien suggested that there was no