The Anaconda standard., 1895-04-18
HOW The PLAY COMESUP
The District Pays 50 Per Cent Of The
Taxes Of The County.
THE SCHOOL MoNHYlr olrs
The School Board Not to Blame for
the Shortage I'm the Treasury
Revenues. of the District $2.-
900 Less Than Last Year.

MIssoULA, April 17.-There seems to be
a general misunderstanding as to, the
finances of the Missoula school district
and there is a disposition IN some quar-
ters to criticize the school board because
there Is a shortage in the treasury this
spring. If the matter is thoroughly un-
derstood it becomes apparent that no
blame attaches TO the school board. as
the affairs of the district have been eco-
nomlcally administered and there is no
reason for the shortage except iu the fact
that the revenues of the distrI6 were
about s, 600 less for the present school
year than for the previous year. The
general school tax levy is made by the
county commissioners and the board Of
education has no voice In the matter
whatever. If this levy is insufficient to
meet the needs of the district, the only
resource is a special tax to be voted by
the electors of the district. aog y.
The commissioners do not, as is some
times supposed, make different levy for
each district in the county, but a general
tax is imposed, the returns from which
are divided among the several districts
according TO the number of children in
each district. The school district of Mis-
soula pays 65 per cent. of the taxes of the
county, but receives only 55 per cent. Of
the school money, under the present sys-
tenn of apportionment. 1t is, therefore.
clearly to the interests of this district to
have the general levy made as low as pos
sible, inasmuch as about IL per cent. OF
what is paid by this district goes to the
support of other districts. 4
On the other hand, q special school tax,
levied by the school board. acting under
the instructions OF the electors OF the
district as given at q special election, all
goes to the support of the local schools,
no other district having any share in it.
There is no good ground for the objections
which are often raised to a special tax. 1t
is really the very best source of revenue
that a district can have, as the people who
pay it receive the full benefit of il. There
is no apparent objection to q special tax
for the maintenance of the city schools
for the year that begins in September. 1t
is a fact that the people Of this district
have never voted down q proposition of
this kind and it is not likely that they will
now, when the reputation of the district
more than ever demands that the stand
ard of the schools be kept as high as pos
sible. If Missoula intends to become the
center of education in the state she must
look well to her public schools. The state
university is not everything. srlAr9f +
The question of abandoning the high
school department was pretty thoroughly
discussed Monday evening at the meeting
of the school board and the sentiment of
the mem bers of the board seemed to be
strong in favor of retaining the present
course of advanced work, although no
final action was taken. Since Monday
evening there have been numerous sex-
pressions of opinion in this mat ter and
the advocates of discontinu ance are very
few. The only good argument that is
urged for such a step, the lack of room, is
of no effect in this case, as the rooms
used by the high school, even If vacated,
would not relieve the pressure upon the
crowded rooms, as they are in the lower
grades and in other parts of the city. cs }