The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-17
INDIANA SCHOOL FUNDS
AN Exploded IDEA AS TO THE PART
LIQUOR LICENSES PLAY.
Out of an Annual Revenue of $6,o77,-
go, Only 1851, 757, or Per Cent,
Comes from Saloons.

D. M Geeting, state superintendent of
public instruction is devoting as much
time as he can find during his last term
to the preparation of a comprehensive
treatise upon the school laws Of In
diana and the system of common
schools. The State is frequently quoted as
having one of the best systems in the coun-
try and he is frequently invited to other
States to lecture upon the Indiana system.
Not the least interesting phase of TINS
subject is the method of raising money TO
support the schools. From the very beSln-
ging the people of Indiana have been lid
eral in their support of education ana the
revenues for the work are derived from
number of sources The three higher IN
stitutions of learning that receive state
support might be given very Interesting
chapter in themselves, but they are OF more
recent origin and the common school sys-
tenn was built up before they were started.
The common schools derive their support
from these distinct sources:
Interest on the common school fund.
Interest on the congressional School 1uhu'
The state school tax levy.
The local tuition levy.
The local special school tax.
County liquor licenses.
County dog licenses.
These various sources of revenue bring
in the neighborhood Of $7,000,000 year for
the support Of the common schools. The
common school fund is a permanent fund
amounting now to nearly 49, 900, 900. 1t was
provided for in the Constitution of 1852,
which declared that 1.-The surplus revenue
fund.- being Indiana's share of the surplus
revenue of the general government, dis
tributed in 1886; the bank tax fund be-
ing originally about $4,000 going to the
State under the terms of the old State Bank
charter; ''the saline fund" arising from
the sale of some saline springs donated to
the State by Congress in 1916; 1.-THE sink
ing fund.-" arising out of the States in
vestment in the stock of the State Bank
and amounting to nearly four millions;
moneys derived from the sale of county
semnaries; fines assessed for breaches or
the penal laws and all escheated estates
should be thrown together into the COM
mon school fund" This fund was distrib-
uted among the counties and is loaned by
the county auditors at per cent. upon
land of twice the value of the loan. Inc
auditors account for the interest to the
State and this interest is distributed among
the counties for school purposes accofdIng
to the enumeration of school children Tne
interest amounts annually to about $4oOOOO
The congressional school fund is an
other permanent fund. 1t arises from the
act of Congress in 1916 giving the State,
for school purposes, Section 10 OF each
township in the State. Nearly all this land
has been sold and the proceeds are loaned
and reloaned for the benefit of the schools
Of the township in which the section was 10
Gated Thus each township in the State has
some money from this fund, but most of
the lands were sold for a song and the fund
is small, amounting all told to only about
81 500. 000 The county auditors manage TINS
fund loaning it at 6 per cent. and dis
tributing the interest to the proper town
ships, without paying 1T over to the state
treasury They account to the state super
fntendent however. The total interest on
this fund amO@nts to about $4,000 year.
One township In Vanderburg county never
sold it's section and as result nearly nan
its school expenses are paid Dy the revenue
from this land.
The state school tax levy now amounts
to IL cents upon the hundred dollars of
property and brings in about $160O,0O0
counties according to their school
enumeration. Thus some counties
pay into this fund more than
they take out and others take out more
is fixed by the school trustees and collected
along with other taxes. 1t is for the pur-
pose of paying teachers and varies accord
ing to the needs of the township or school
lected in 1896 81, 635, 5S1. Then, by the act of
1873 a special school tax is levied in the
same way for the construction of buildings
and purchase Of school supplies. This levy
also varies according to the locality. In
, 1896 it produced $2,275,S57. The revenue from
liquor licenses about which much IS said
whenever legislation regulating the tfaff1c
is under discussion really amounts to
sources In 1896 the revenue from this
source amounted to 1851, 1884, out of total
school revenue of $6,5lI2CO. The revenue
from dog taxes usually amounts to bit
over $15,000 so all the dogs in the State
could be exterminated without doing ir
reparable injury to the school revenues.