Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-01-17
AppoRTIoNMENr OF SCHOOL MONEYS
a Proposed Change in the Method.

!
A Proposed Change in the Method.
At the meeting of the State School Board
Association at Trenton two weeks ago,
various subjects were discussed by eminent
educators, but perhaps the most important
paper read was that by Mr.. J. Bogart Belts
assistant superintendent of Public Instruc-
ton, in which he advocated the abolish
ment Of the school census as the basis of
the apportionment of the school moneys
and the substitution of the number of
pupils in actual attendance at school.
Mr.. Belts has been associated with the
department for over twenty years, and has
devoted much time to the consideration of
the subject OF the apportionment of the
school money and is an advocate of the
scheme to change the plan in the State.
He said:-
"The expenditure of $40, 900 annually for
the purpose of determining what amount
of State school money shall be appor-
toned to each school district is, to my
mind, a waste Of money. 1t is based on
the school census. Unfortunately in many
cases the census is dishonesty taken.
Children are reported as living in vacant
lots and other places so as to pad the
census. The distribution of school moneys
on the number of children between and
18 years of age is based on the theory that
all these children are attending school,
when only As or rs per cent. do so.
ut requires no argument to prove that
in two districts of equal population that
the one educating as per cent. of its chill
dren and the other rs per cent. which is
entitled to the money. Now, if the APP
portionment is on the basis of attendance,
the money would be on the basis of the
actual work performed.
"The proposed plan makes but one
change, and that is instead of multiplying
the census by five, to determine the total
amount of tax to be levied, the amount is
found by multiplying the total ratables of
the State by two and three-quarters, which
gives slightly larger amount of tax than
the present method. In all other respects
the apportionment, so far as it relates to
the distributing of it among the counties
amounts to the same.
Another advantage to be secured is that
each year as the ratables of the State in
crease, the amount of State school tax will
increase in the same proportion, while at
present, with the liability of decrease in
the census, the number of children to be
educated may increase and the States
moneys provided for that purpose may de-
crease, thus compelling the district to in
crease the amount of tax raised locally to
meet all requirements.
1.-The present method is that 5000 is ap-
portioned to each teacher employed the
full time, $40 for each short term, $500
for supervising principal, if there be one,
and after deducting the amount apportioned
to the teachers, to apportion the balance on
the number Of children between the ages of
and 18 in the district
Under the proposed plan, the appor-
tionment is on the same basis for the teach
ers, but the balance could be apportioned
on the total days attendance of the pupils
enrolled. This would increase the attend
ance, for many school officers would see
that the school was well attended to get
full quota of money, and to some extent
they would be breaking up truancy.
To show that the changes will not be
many, / have figured out the result in a
number of counties. l have taken the ap-
portlonment for the present year, deducted
the sum expended in each district for taking
school census and subtracted or added, as
the case may be, the sum paid or received
on transfer orders. The remainder repre-
sents the actual amount available in each
district for the school expenses for the cur
rent year. | have also made apportion-
ment on the basis Of attendance, showing
what each district would gain or lose.
In eleven counties which | have tabu-
lated, there are 1913 districts. OF this num-
Der 107 would be benefited by the change
and ffty-one would lose. OF the fifty-one
which would lose, one would lose less than
$50 and eight would lose between $50 and
500. An Insignificant loss when compared
with the advantages.
This would leave twenty-eight districts |
which would suffer loss that would cause
temporary embarrassment. l find, how
ever, that in every case where there is a |
loss, the amount of local tax raised for
school purposes is comparatively insig-
nifcant, amounting to tax of about one
half mill on the dollar, while in the districts |
in which there would be gain the local
tax averages about five mills ON the dollar.
l also find that the districts which would
suffer loss, as a rule, receive from the
State more than they pay, while the dis
tricts which would gain, pay more school
tax than they receive.
There are several basis Of apportion-
ment. In some States it is the number of
teachers employed In others the percent
age Of local tax raised In some the num-
Der of days school is maintained, in some
the school census. l am of the opinion
that the apportionment of part of the tax
moneys on the basis of the number of teach
ers employed and of the balance on the
basis of actual days attendance is the best,
and the one which would least disturb
existing conditions in this Staten
How the change would affect the town
ships in this county is shown by the follow
ing table prepared by County Supeninten-
dent VIM. H. Eldridge.