The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-19
MONEY FOR THE SCHOOLS.
GRAND JURY AND BOARD OF EDU-
CATION TO CONFER TODAY.

The Statement of the Expenditures
of the Board Requested by Fore
man Mills Has Been Furnished and
the Grand Jury Is Now Ready to
Hear From the BOard-CoI. Mercer
VIII state the Needs of the Board
and Urge That the Appropriation
for 1900 BE Fixed at $4,000. the
Same as for the Present Year.
The grand jury will meet at 40 O'Clock
hiss afternoon to consider the question OF
the school appropriation for 1900. The
County Commissioners have allowed SO 600
for educational purposes in their budget,
but the members of the Board of Educa-
ton are unanimously agreed thai the APP
preparation should be the same as for the
present year. $500.
Col George a. Mercer president of the
school board. was notified yesterday by
Mr.. George J. Mills. foreman of the grand
jury. that the latter body would meet this
afternoon. and would be glad 10 have the
Board Of Education appear before it. Col
Mercer had the members of the board noti-
fed 10 meet him al the court house at 4:i5
o'clock.
Col. Mercer in speaking Of the matter,
said that he Is very much in hopes that
newspaper men would be allowed 10 be
present during the conference between the
grand jury and the Board of Education.
This is a very important matter" he
said and one in which the public is
vitaly interested l think the public is
entitled to know what is said al this meet
ing and the arguments which are adVanc-
ed in support Of the position of the board.
The newspaper men and the members OF
the board as we'll would of course retire
when the grand jury takes the matter I'M
der consideration. and the deliberations Of
that body could be conducted with all its
usual secrecy"
The statement of the expenditures of
the Board of Education requested by Mr..
Mills has been furnished by Col. Mercer,
and considered by the finance committee
of the grand jury. The committee Will
report It's deductions at the meeting of
the grand jury this afternoon
The chief argument against allowing the
Board of Education the amount asked for
is that il might render necessary an in
crease in the county tax rate. Col. Mer-
Ger may be able to show that this win not
necessarily follow The countys budget
last year as approved DS the grand jury,
including a school appropriation of $685.
900, was for S233 900. The budget as made
up for the ensuing year, exclusive of the
school appropriation, calls for Sl4S,S00, as
against $l4S 100 last year, an increase of
only 500 Including the same school APP
preparation as last year the total of the
budget viii be only 1923 800 which would
hardly call for an increased tax rate. Ii
IS only fair to say. however that the last
~ fa la4yiad n an saa
need of only $4,000 and the County Com.
missioners viii doubtless hold that they
viii be unable to pare Off much from
this years budget as they did from last.
1T seems very strange 20 me said Col
Mercer, IN speaking of the matter that
any one should argue that our school ap-
preparation should be kept down
uladon is necessarily increasing with
each year and If we are 10
provide for these children in the schools.
as i is our duty to do and as the law con
templates We should do, we must necessa-
rily expect a gradually increasing expendi-
ture. quite number of children were
unable TO obtain admission 10 the schools
this year, and unless additional accommo-
dations are provided this number will be
greatly increased during the ensuing year.
II IS unjust to maintain school system at
the public expense and TO discriminate by
admitting some children and excludipg
others. l have been called upon bv a
number of parents whose children were un-
able to obtain admission to the schools
ana II has been quite painful to me to ex-
plain TO them that our accommodations
We're so limited that there was little prob
ability OF their children being admitted
this year"
Col Mercer will make a statement of The
school needs for the ensuing year in behalf
o. the board to the grand jury. after which
ne ana other members of the board win no
reAdy 10 answer any inquiries which the
Jorymen may make as TO the conduct ana
expenditures of the schools The outcon,a
OF the conference between the grand iurv
ana the Board of Education will be await
ed with very general interest.