Birmingham age-herald., 1895-01-02
BOARD OF EDUCATION Meets in Called Session to Dis cuss an Amendment ID THE PUBLIC SCHOOL BILL A Tax Rate Agreed Upon. Thomas School Building
 to Be Rebuilt.
ID THE PUBLIC SCHOOL BILL

The board of education held called meeting aG the high school building last night, with Messrs. s. Ullman, F. P. o'Brien, George Il. Thomas. A. 0. Lane and W. J. Cameron preJent.
 Mir. Uilman stated that the meeting had been called for the purpose of considering an amendment to the bill agreed to at the former meeting, and also to take some ac. tion with regard to the Thomas school building, which was destroyed by firs last Sa uIday morning.
 'sofessor Phillips read the amendment by request, which is as follows:
 Section 8. That said board of education shall have power to build upon the prop erty of the city suitable houses for the use and accommodation of the public schools of said city, whenever funds shall have been provided for the same, or the board may rent such housas, and shall keep such houses in repair and furnished with suita- ble furniture, apparatus and appliances, and to enable said board to do this and maintain an eff cient system of public schools free as nearly as practicable to all the childrea of school age iu said city, there Is hereby laid and levied upon all the taxable property within the corporate limit of said city, or that may be lawfully taxlble therein, an annual tax Of l-10 of per cent, or cents on every S100 worth of such property, which shall be assessed by the tax assessor of Jeff ferson county at the same time and in the same manner and u nder the sams penal ties, and entered the same list with otber state taxes, and when collected shall be paid over every week to the treasurer of said board, to be by him paid out and ex- pended under the orders and direction of said school board. That whenever the tax levied by the state shall exceed the pres- ent rate of b5 cents on every SlO0 worth of taxable property, then the tax hereby levIed shall be diminished to that rate which, added 10 the rate levied by the state, shall not exceed 70 cents on the $100 worth of taxable property, the limit fixed in the constitution.
 The amendment as first read fixed the rate at 2-10 of cent on the S1 or 20 cents on the S100 worth Of taxable property, but there was some objection to that rate. Mir. O. Brieu said as an individual he favored the. proposed increase (20 cents on the S100), but as representative of the people he could not. He said a similar increase of rate had been voted down by the people of cen would have the effect of killing this bilE He would work for the passage of Il bill or an amendment fixing the rate at 10 cents On the S100 worth of taxable property Geueral Thomas entertained the same views as Captain O Brien on this question. Mir. Cameron said the passage of this amendment was tue only ray of hope he saw for the public schools of Birming ham since the defeat of the Birmingham and Hundley amendments last August. Other cities, he said, have much higher tax rates than Birmingham, and he believed Bir- mingham co uld stand 70 cents on the $l00 On motion of Mir. Lane the amendment was changed to read 10 cents on the hun- dred dollars worth of taxable property in- stead of 20 cents. MT. Cameron wanted to go on record as voting for the ? mills. MT. O'Brien was opposed to the mills for
 reasons above stated. MT. Ullman favored the2 mills, but voted for the mill, as he couldn't get the other.
 Ca motion of MT. Lane the amendment was then adopted as a whole.
 MT, Ullman stated that the Thomas school building had been destroyed by fire last Saturday. The insurance on the same was s3000 on the building and $500 on the furniture.
 MT. Lane moved that the same be rebuilt as early as possible, and the motion pre- vailed.
 Superin tendent Phillips stated that the children attending the Thomas school had been distributed among the Lane, Slater aud Cameron schools, aud the same dispo- sitiou had been made of the teachers. His action was approved by the board, after which g motion to adjourn prevailed.