The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-12-31
ON SCHOOL LEGISLATION.
Superintendent CsrIisie's Address to
the Teachers Association.
COST OF MAINTAINING THE SCHOOLS
one Dollar Ter Month Per Pupil.
Present Rate of Taxation IL in-
sufncient-sammer Instisutc.

Austin. Texas, December 2s.--At tn
mid-winter meeting o, the Texas schoo
superintendents and principals in tsts city
today. j. NJ Carlisle. State superintendent
OF public instruction. under the hes1 81
school legislation. spoke in substance as
follows:
Fellow Teachers; regret exceedingly
that recen, Illness ara az AMOUR, Of other
work tina, could not BE- postponed has rem
dered It necessary for me TO come before
you in extsmporaDeous discussion o. the
subject assigned me. rather than with s
prepared papsA
IL is Impossible for me in the short time
allotted TO this discussion TO deal with
the legislation necessary 10 perfect he
school system OF the state. hence can
only undertake 10 touch upon a few OF
the most imperative demands upon the
coming legislature
No school system can srcceed rnless II
has adequate supper. and II Is to TINS
phase OF the school problem TIA, ! wish
TO give FRS, attention. The schools Of this
State are now supported BY an annual
ad valorem state Tax Ot IS cents
or the 500 valuation; a State poll tax Of
81 per capita; one-iourth d the cccupa
ton taxes collected throughout tho State.
interest on the perrnanen; school fund
leases of the public school lands, and the
transfer Of per cent OF the value OF The
permanent fund 10 the &1slable fund an
nualiy. Il omit from this part of the
discussion OF this question the receipts
from the county school funds and from
local school taxes
The total net receipts from these sources
mentioned above amount at present 70
about s., 800 800 annually about 81 G1o.epo
the invested school funds and the leases
Of the public lands, The remaining 5000
600 come from the State school TAX on
property. the State school poll tax. and
one-fcurth of the occupation taxes col-
leefrd ard the Transfer from the perrns-
nsnt fund One million i've hundred ;s7u- I
saoL dollars is approximately The receipts /
Of present time from she state school tax
Of is cents on The Slpp The 1rfssai scho- |
les,ic population q The state Il 10 900
hence the receipts Of me available school ,
fund from all sources. except The State .
Ia, scr schools amounts &c 3 per cguita- /
The annual receipts FROM he pe-ru1u mt 4
school fund o. leases o. the public lands .
amount 70 less iha1 one and ole-thira +
collars pe- capita o. TIE scholastic porgla-
ticr-
I; costs approximately 81 per month Per
pBpil 70 maintain ihe public schools and
upon this bass thu Interest from the IL
the public lands would support the schools
OF ihs State for a term q Dae and oae-
third noathE each year.
The receipts from all other sources. eX-
ceT1t thu State school FAX would support +
the schools for 8 term %; not more than
TWO months each years SO, y the schools
Of tie State are % be supported for a
term of Bx months as required by the
constitution rot caly must the present
rate Of STATE TAX be maintained but II
the scholastic population continues TO In
crepse rs rapidly a. IL has IN the last Few
years ard the property values OF tho State
fail % ncreAse Il is very evident that the
present rate Of taxation VIII not be sufh-
Client 10 maintain the schools for the con-
stituuonal term. But /; may he argued
hy some that the greater portion o. the
scbnol term should be paid for from local
school taxes: this is not the intention OF
the constitution That document clearly
intended that Inc legislature should make
provision FOR a system OF State schools
local tax should be for the further nnin-
uenance' q the schools-for the extension
o. the term beyond six months
That the chief bur len OF the schools
should fall upon tho districts in the way
OF local taxes 10 my mind is An orr,la.,i.4
position and should never be entertained
by the people u this State The state ras
contributed largely OF ts public domain
N the building of railroads These rail-
roads with their terminal facilities con
stituio az this time valuable properties
which contribute largely In the way of
taxes to the support of the State govern {
mont. II the lands which we're donated
10 the building Of these railroads had not
been SO donated tho greater portion os
them would, In all probability, have gore
into the endowment fund Of the hubble
schools and would have been sold and the
proceeds converted into a permanent I
school fund, Tho proceeds OF which would {
have gone to the support of the public y
schools throughout the state, but as those '
lands have gone into railroad pronert es a
the school taxes upon these properties 1 {
should not 20 alone TO educating the chill !
zen who happen TO have residences along Z
the lines OF the respective roads but thew :
should go to the support OF the school /
system throughout the State. The children /
who live 200 miles from the railroads in !
this State have as much right TO their pro I
portionate share Of the school taxes de- !
rived from the railroad properties ar the D
children who live within a stones throw i
OF any one OF these roads. t
But without regard to this view NJ tho G
case every other sound reason ~ In favo-
OF the school taxes upon the property nj l
these and other wealthy Corporations poing U
10 the support OF schools for toe whole Y
state and not 10 the support OF the schools !
situated near the location Of tie property
OF these corporations. And, further school v
taxes for the beneht OF all tho public
schoola Of the State should be ivlcd q
upon the property OF the whole State ,rho =
Justice Of this position is apparent IL NJ,
consider for moment the great dlsparity
OF property values in our greit citiea ana q
In the rural district. school tax NJ ia !
cents on the 500 In some OF our cttics E
would afford the chfcren OF those cities
better educational facllItiea than ,,,a,, q
tax of 81 on the 500 would afford cbildrrn
of some OF the rural districts IN the statc
The great cities do not become wealthy
from their local trade. Their wealth mo- ,
cumulates through their wholesale trad,
and corporation enterprises and IN the az
OF this, property the whole PEG :,
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