Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-09-26
Nearly Six Millions for the Schools.

Inc eStlmat6S OF the FINANCE COM
mittee of the Board of Education, SUBJ
mitted on Wednesday, call for the
enormous appropriation of S., GAS, ,G79
for the expenses of our public schools
next year. The sum. is $6S5, ,656 more
than was allowed for the present year
by the Board of Estimate and Appor-
tionment.
The committee declared that they
had pared down expenses TO the lowest
possible limit, and perhaps they may
have done so, according to the scale of
expenses which has been established
by the Board of Education. The cost
of instruction, including everything,
averages $31 head, they say; but we
cannot calculate it at less than $32.
Putting it at the lower sum, what
would be the total appropriation re-
quired if accommodations were pro-
vided for the thousands of children who
are now excluded from the schools for
lack of room? According to the re-
ported census of the Health Depart
ment, these children number some
thing like 10000. Hence if the Board
of Education gave them the instruction
to which they are entitled, the school
expenses would be increased by more
than $1,500,000 annually. As it is.
the budget of the committee was in
creased by the Board to $5,703,579
Great expenditures must also be in
Cured for the erection of new school
houses in many districts. Sites for
eight or ten of these have already been
selected, but they will supply only a
small part of the existing deficiency.
While these buildings are in course of
construction the number of pupils will
be increasing at the rate of eight thou
sand year, so that when they are
ready for use they will hardly more
than supply this new demand, and the
existing deficiency will continue. As
a school trustee, quoted by US the 9TH
er day, told the Tribune, new schools,
and more especially primary schools.
are no sooner opened in the crowded
districts than they are filed with child
rem, and the cry for more continues to
be as loud as ever.
IF fhorofopn tho Sohno1 Ia,
now extended to meet the demand. SO
that no child should be defrauded of
his right to free instruction, the yearly
would amount to about
81, ,250,O00. Increasing at the rate Of
about $3.50, 900 a year. it would not be |
long before it reached ten millions,
certainly if the great cost of the addi-
tional school buildings required we're
added.
This enormous cost of the schools
The people would pay without COM
plaint if it was necessary. and If the
money was used to provide instruction
Tor all the children entitled to attend
them; but the nearly six millions asked
Tor by the Board of Education on We'd
1esday will provide for less than three
quarters OF them, and those excluded
rom the benefits of the expenditure
ire almost wholly little children for
whose primary instruction the school
system was established more especial
y.
It is evident that there is something
Ill wrong about the administration of
he enormous school fund intrusted by
he liberal people to the Board of Ed
,cation The average cost of $31 per
,upil per year is far too high. Il
must be very much less in the case of
he primary pupils who make up the
,reat majority of the whole. The
.verage must be raised largely by the
ost of the education of those in the
uperior grades; and it is because of
hat greater expense that not enough
money remains. in spite of the enor-
nous appropriations, for the sufficient