The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1901-02-08

lating to their family affairs, is SO
great that it is we'll known that the
census is, in many cases, incorrect,
Notwithstanding the fact that the ut
most care has been taken to secure re-
liable information
Unfortunately, in many cases, the
census is dishonesty taken. Children
are reported as living in vacant lots.
in some cases the names of both
parents and children are included,
names are recorded and ages given as
below eighteen whom the actual ages
are from 30 to 40, and families with
two and three children are reported
as having six and seven. Enumera-
tors have openly admitted that their
reports were incorrect and that they
had added names, because they, the
enumerators, were poor and needed
the money. An apportionment to q
district on the basis of census which
gives it larger amount of school
moneys than would be apportioned to
L
ported is unfair to all the other dis
tricts in the county, for it takes from
each district making an honest return,
moneys to which it is justly entitled.
I take it for granted that there
would be no opposition to changing
the basis of apportionment if it could
be shown that the proposed method
would give to each district the same
amount as it now receives. l think
that the apportionment on the basis
of attendance meets this condition as
fully as any that can be devised, and
we will in addition secure basis
which is reliable, inexpensive, not
subject to violent fluctuations, and
which will give to each district the
exact amount which it is entitled to
receive for work actually performed.
The distribution of school moneys on
the number of children between and
Is years of age, is based on the theory
that all the children between said
ages will attend the public schools.
AS matter of fact the percentage of
children enrolled varies from 45 per
cent. to over rs per cent. of the CEN
sus. 1t requires no argument to prove
that in two districts of equal popu-
lation, the one educating 45 per cent.
OF its children is receiving far more
for the work actually done than the
one which is educating 70 per cent.
Now if the apportionment to these
districts was on the basis of actual
days attendance the moneys received
by each would be in exact proportion
to the work performed.
Before proceeding further it may be
we'll to describe exactly what the pro-
posed system is and in what respects
it differs from the method now in use
LIST How is the total amount of
school tax determined? The method
now in use is to multiply the total
school census of the State by five,
which gives the number of dollars to
be raised. There is a mistaken no.
ton which l find is quite prevalent,
that each district receives So. 90 for
each child between the ages of and
IS. This is not the case, the five dol
lars is used solely for the purpose of
determining the amount of tax. AS
soon as that is done it disappears en-
tirely and does not again enter into
the calculation. After the amount of
tax is fixed, said amount is divided
by the total ratables of the State
which gives the rate of tax, which
must be uniform throughout the State /;
the ratables of each county are then
multiplied by the rate found as above,
which gives the amount of tax to be
paid to the State. The law further
provides that each county shall receive
back 80 per cent. of the tax il raises
and such portion of the 10 per cent,
OF the total amount of tax as shall be
apportioDed to it by the State Board
of Education. AS matter of fact,
last year II of the counties received
the full amount of tax raised from
one county was taken the sum of
$6, 500 and from another $500. The
81, 300 thus obtained being divided
between two counties, one receiving
SO, 800 and the other So, 800.
The proposed plan makes but one
change, viz. instead of multiplying
the census by five to determine the to-
tai amount of tax, the amount is
found by multiplying the total rat
ables of the State by 234 mills, which
is a slightly larger amount of tax than
the present method. In all other
respects the apportionment, so far as
it relates to the distribution among
the several countless remains the
same. Had the new school law been
passed, as reported by the Commits
sion, each county would have received
last year larger amount of the State
school tax than was actually appor-
toned to it.
The advantage to be secured by the
change is that each year. as the ratables
of the State increase, the amount of
State school tax will increase in the
same proportion, while at present.