The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-12-06

 | condemn and denounce the course of the board of education in this attitude toward the court of common council | and do not hesitate to characterize 1t not merely as an act of discourtesy, | but as an actual affront and open de- fiance of the court of common council, | the only municipal body directly repre- l sentative of the citizens and taxpayers | of the city and commissioned to protect and safeguard and promote their inter- ests in every department of the munic- ipality, even in the specially privileged department of education.
 Your committee is accordingly of the ! opinion that the exception made by the city charter in reference to the finances of the school district is radically wrong and that steps should be taken imme- diately to place 1t on the same footing and subject to the same system of su- l pervision as are the other city depart ments. They therefore respectfully recommend the passage of the following order:
 Ordered, That the corporation coun- sel be and is hereby instructed to apply to the legislature for such amendment of the city charter as may be necessary to place the financial arrangements Of the department of education upon the same footing and subject to the same procedure, system and supervision as are all other departments of the city, so that in future no bills, contracted for l by said department shall be paid ex- cept after being audited by the control 1 Ter, approved by the board of finance and by orders drawn by the city clerk and ndcountersignedb by the controller; and that the system of specific appropria- tions be extended to said department and that transfers of appropriations be regulated and made subject to the same provisions as in the other departments,
 After the report and recommended order had been read Alderman Lambert moved that 1t be tabled for printing 1n the journal. Alderman Shepard said , that he thought that the committee was entitled to the thanks of every cit izen in New Haven for the excellent re- port and the excellent recommenda- ton. Alderman Staub then made the following remarks concerning the mat ter:
 l MT. President and Gentlemen
 ''As a member of this committee, and a taxpayer, | deem it my duty to call your attention to the rights and powers granted the board of education by the new city charter and respectfully ask you to compare them, with those of any other department, under the city government. All departments are com pelled to furnish monthly reports, with specified items of their expenditures, but all reference in the monthly re- ports from the board of education are simply to the effect that it has appro- priated so much and expended so much, and mentioning the balance available on hand.
 Now, gentlemen, do you not think it right and proper that we, who repre- sent the taxpayers of the city of New Haven, should receive from the board of education more definite information in whichway and the manner the money has been expended monthly, same as in the other departments? l, for myself, do not approve of making flesh of one and fish of the other, but all should be treated alike, and why these privileges and liberties should be extended to the board of education, which no other de- partment under the city government shares in, is beyond my comprehension, and I recommend that the charter should be immediately amended so that the board of education may be made subject to the same rules and regula- tions as are all other departments un- der the city government.
 Now, gentlemen, did it never seem strange to you, Git did to mel, that you never have been requested by the board of education to transfer from one item to another in case a shortage should occur, the same as in other depart ments? l will endeavor to explain this by referring you to the city charter, page A, section 109, in which it reads: Said board shall have the entire charge and direction of all public schools of said district, and of the ex- penditure of all moneys appropriated for the support of the same. You will observe from this that the board of education has the full power to expend all the money appropriated, for any purpose whatever, providing it does not exceed the yearly appropriation, which, in my humble opinion, is entirely wrong. Suppose there is money left over from some item; it is very easy to find some way to make use of it in or der to use up the total appropriation.
 Now you must remember this is not permitted in any other department un- der the city government.
 T will now call your attention to page 45 section Il, of the charter, which reads
 The treasurer of the city shall re- ceive the amount of school money to which the district is entitled from the school moneys of the state, from the town of New Haven, from the state ap- propriation for school purposes, from gifts, and from the tax laid within the district, for school purposes, which money shall be subject to the order of the board of education under such rules and regulations as the board of finance may from time to time estab- lish.'
 You will see from the above that in regard to all moneys for school pur- poses, collected and paid over to the board of education by the treasurer that you, the representatives of the taxpayers, have no power whatsoever not even, as demonstrated in this re.