St. Paul daily globe., 1895-12-28
.' $,
pRUpED TWO ITEMS.
THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
MAKES a BIG REDUCTION IN
SCHOOL ESTIMATE
AFTER MUCH DISCUSSION.
CUT FROM $246.OO0 to $15O,OOO BY
ALMOST UNANIMOUS
VOTE.
BUILDING INSPECTORS SALARY
-A4----44---..,ys ssz.s ~
Topped Of According to the Law of
1S95-Only Two Items Con-
sidefed.
AFTER MUCH DISCUSSION.
INSPECTORS SALARY

!
for two hours yesterday afternoon with
items 9 and 10 of the tax estimate,
which provided for $246;000 as the sum
to be raised for the school fund. The
result of the delibera tions of the COM
mittee was a vote to recommend that
| the amount be reduced to $150,0O0,
thereby effecting a saving of $96,000
in the amount to be raised by taxa
ton. This sum does not repl esent,
however, a reduction of the expenses
or the school department to that eX-
tent, as the saving is principally due
to the fact that there is now bal
| ance of $4,000 in the school fund. The
actual cut therefore amounts to only
$4,000.
The committee would not have con-
sumed nearly so much time in dispos-
ing of the school items had City
Comptroller McCardy vouchsafed an
explanation of the financial condition
of the department at the outset in
stead of waiting until 4:30 p. m-two
hours after the session began. The
difficulty encountered by the commit
tee in dealing with the estimate was
due to two causes-first, the fact that
the total school fund is made up of a
state apportionment, of state and coun-
ty tax receipts of the sale of tax levy
certificates, and of such balance as
may be on hand at the end of each
year, and, second, the system of book
keeping in use by the school depart
nent, under which the fiscal year is
made the same as the school year and
extends from Sept | to July 1, in
stead of ending Dec 3d.
According to Comptroller McCardy's
explanation the situation is this: Last
July the school board submitted a
budget for the school year. asking for
a total appropriation of S477,250 for
the year 1886. The common coun-
Gil approved the budget without chang
ing it.
The committee doubted whether it
could at this date recommend any re-
ductions. Mr.. McCardy Thought that
it could, inasmuch as a resolution by
the committee fixing, the amount was
subject to modification by the council
The question then arose as to whether
the estimate Of S246, 900, the amount
to be raised by the city tax, was
enough to bring the total up to $477,25O
President Abbott, of the school board,
said that If the schools receive all of
the S246,0 the total would amount to
only s444, 900.
1t was at this point that Comptroller
McCalrdy saw fit. to enlighten the COM
mittee. vag4 ga:ia,r T39
The question is." said the comp
school fund receiHes, from ,an Sour sources @
during the year 1882. In 1894 it re-
ceived $504,957, and in 1895, s537, 900.
Next year the school fund will receive
the following amounts. from the follow
ing sources: Balance on hand today,
$8G,000 tax receipts, from one mill state
and one mill county tax, 5000, 900; state
apportionment, $4,000; sale of tax levy
certificates to the extent of 80 per cent
of $150,0O0, yielding $780, s000.' The total
of these four amounts, namely, $50, 900,
5000, 900, .$75, 900 and $120.0O0, is S475. .OGO.
which is practically the total sum asked
for in the budget submitted last sum-
mer. ...4.. . So, IVA r..
1T must be noted ttihengh,%s continued
the comptroller, that the s477,O00 asked
for and allowed by the council includes
only the expenses of the school depart
ment for the school year, which ends
July 1, 1885,
President Benlent, of the water board,
then moved that the estimate of S246,-
600 be reduced to $150,000 for the sup
port of the schools for the fiscal year
ending Dec. 81, 1896. The motion pre-
vailed by a vote of 10 to 1, DR.. Abbott,
of the school board, voting in the neg
ative.
Preceding this final action of the COM
mittee there was protracted discus
sion regarding the advisability of rec
ommending an appropriation for new
school buildings. A motion that a new
school building, not to cost more than
$4,000 or $4,000, be erected in the dis
trict tributary to the German school
for the purpose of relieving the crowd
ed condition of that. school, was lost
by vote of 7 to 4. --.t MA ...4a--e-..
The committee devoted considerable
time to the recommendations of the
Parker retrenchment committee, which
pointed out how saving of $4,000 could
be effected DR.. Abbott, in reply to the
question of Aid. Markham as to the
feasibility of the proposed reductions,
disagreed with the retrenchment COM
mittee on many points. He did not
approve of the proposed consolidation
of the three high schools, believing that
great inconvenience and dissatisfaction
would be the result, and as for the
space in the grammer schools now oc-
cupied by the branch high schools, the
grammer schools did not need it. DR..
~
or 1000 might be effected in the man
ual training school AS for any other
saving, it could be brought about only
by holding two sessions daily, forenoon
and afternoon. An optional manual
training school in the afternoon might
prove advisable.
AS for the recommendation that the
proportion of pupils to teachers be in
creased, DR.. Abbott remarked that the
best educators all agreed that the best
work could be accomplished with small
classes. ...
1--WE can increase. the number Of pu-
pills to a room," said DR.. Abbott, but
! only at the expense of the instruction
given. Still, I would much rather effect
a saving in this way than by reducing
the salaries of the teachers which prac-
tice always results in the loss of the
| best teachers"
| The recommendation to do away with
supervisors did not meet with Dr. Alb
/ bott's approval, except as to the super
visor Of music, who, he thought, might
be dispensed with in the interest Of
! economy. Under no circumstances
however, would he care to dispense with
| the supervisor of penmanship. 1t was
| DR.. Abbotts idea that the preferable
plan would be to discharge about twen-
ty principals of the smaller schools and
engage four additional supervisors to
visit these schools. This; would effect
saving of about $4,000. ''r'
At the opening of the session Mayor
Smith suggested that the committee
recommend a reduction of 10 per cent
OIL the entire budget, excepting, OF
course, the estimates for the fixed
charges, such as interest, sinking fund,
etc. The mayor expressed the opinion
that every city department could stand
a cut, and should be made to bear it,
with the exception Of the city comp
troller's department.
AT this stage President Bement moved