The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-02-13
PUBLIC SCHOOL FUND.
superintendent Kendall ndOrses Glenn Bill
Now Pending 10 the House.
he GIVES HIS REASONS FOX 50 DOING
Present system of Apportionment
would he Superseded by one
Which Would lie Fair.

Ing sell explanatory letter NON Snocrin
i'lmcllt hendall was given cut this morn.
ins
hen. J. c. Houts, House of Representa-
i Dor sn. In your cttcr OF the 7th in.
s'"ut you asa my opinion on tnU following
pe'n.s AZ itgdn,s hodse oiil No. iO1, known
as tnN Nlehn bili relating to tho taking
OF lhe scholastic census:
thst; WHAT would be the advantage
over 1lie present law, IL any, to tho chi.
ul'n Oh texas 10 cnaot the SAID prOposod
measure into lawy
seeond' Would the adoption OF said
ny ufv IN any way work an injury to any
seI"ol community or district in his
Third Would said amendment lessen
Wv appropriation 70 any school district or
Sen'l39nltS from the amount nov received
Predatory to direct answers to your unes.
tons permit me to make Some statements
''fStihthe tue apportiunmcnI heretofore
Nude OF the public school fund The hu.
utges herewith given are taken from the
lubitsneh statement for the school year
ending August 81 $500 rbe tahulnteI
forms for the year ending August ri. iDo0
Nr' nov IN the hands OF the State print.
ers and | hope they viii be made public
IN a Jew DAYS, However, either OF the
two scholastic years viii Illustrate The
nothls which wish to bring before Won
Ioini census enumeration OF
p e, eh ,dren for lS9S.9a ..u,, 7os,l25
,n lenmegt for That year. ss,1s0,5e2 80
;nnpfcfiionment per cnpitn.,. 4 30
TOTAL enrolment Of children
within the scholastic nue I'm
the state as shown hy The
iciurRs from all the conn
uca and cities for the year
ending August 81. tSeo .. b52 sos
Number Of children for whom
me state made appronria.
ton but Whose names never
enn"ared on the school roll
ps during the year .;,,,,,.. 1852
school as compared with
;, census enumeration ;.,..,. rs per cent
II the state appurtlonnent
could have been husrd ON
actual enrolment the per
capita would have been per
CLllu '...... .,,.....,-,.,... g. -
II the 100000 apportioned nv the Sntp
for the l61G22 who never attended school
had been uniformly distributed through
Z out the state among those who attended
school, no hardship would have resulted
70 any section. However, by comparing
Inherent counties, the record shows that
n large proportion OF the counties IN the
State did enroll In school an average Of
seventy -clght children out of the 100 cnum.
Grated in those counties, while on the
other hand, certain counties show an
enumeration q less than thirty of the
NO names reported on the school census.
This. or course results In gain Ia the
counties whose enrolment WAS less than
an average, ana loss to the counties
whose enrolment was above the average.
The Glenn bin simply aims to correct these
Inequalities. The Stnto, as a matter Of
instice, should so distribute her public
free school funds that each child who Is
80 disposed shall ns far as possible, enjoy
the advantages given ia all other children
Of the state. The constitution requires q
six months term for all public schools.
THIS limit can not be reached from the
present state npportoumcnt In couuties
where large proportion OF the enumerated
children actually attend schucl and whore
no local tax IL levied Ia supplement the
STATE funds On the other hand. in see
tons wnere three or -four times ~ many
children are reported on the census as
ever enter school, funds sufficient are Sc
cGred to run the schools eight or nine
months in each year. besides furnish ing
n surplus for house rent, furniture incl
dental and the like, all OF which comef
from tho state appropriation. Tho present
law requires "A term Of not less than eight
months of school to be secured before
any part Of the state funds can De used
for any other purposes thnn the payment
Of teachers and taking the scholastic cen
sus. AS n result a larger number Of conn
ties using the State funds alone neNe
rtrch even a siX months tFm OF school
even though using their funds exclusively
for the payment OF teachers
Again. In many sparScly settled cOun
tie. the county school lnnd H. equal TO o.
larger than the state appropriation. 20
example, one western county has only ~
State Scholastics with yearly COUNTY
available school fund of $3.50. In tht
case the Statc paid the aforesaid count
Sll25 while the county fund yielded 5.
per capita, thus giving each child legltl
nately $3.50 for school purposes. BY thu
means small schools can be sustained u
fpareoly settled counties for n reasonhbl'
iengih Of time The simple county FUN
OF Sl25p In a thickly settled county. IN" Q
Snn children, would only afford about j.
cSnl, ner chiil while the state appor
tin,nncnt would be comparatively large.
~ means of illustrating the for coins
statcmcnt ! herewith give several counties
tnten from the cnsteru western horth
western northern central southern ant
southwestern portions OF the State: