The Savannah morning news., 1901-05-12
GRAND JURY To SAY
THE AMOUNT OF THE APPRoPRI.
ALTON FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION.
is WITHIN ITS DECISION.
MUST DECIDE BETWEEN COMMITS
sIoNERs AND SCHOOL BOARD.

Board of Education Says 1t VIII Re-
quire sos, 200 to Rum Schools for
the Year and County Commission
ers Have Appropriated $SS,OOO.
Grand Jury Is Court of Last Re-
sort Difference Among Grand
Jurymen ON the Subject - Some
Think to Give Full Amount Now
Would BE Cheapest I'm the End.
Means Increased Taxation, Say
Commissioners.
The grand jury must decide in the next
few days whether the Board of Education
shall have the amount of its estimate for
the conduct of the schools during the year
or some lesser amount
The Board of Education asks for SOS, 200;
the budget prepared by the County Com
missioners appropriates $4,000 for pur-
poses of public education; the discrepancy
between the estimate of expenditures and
the appropriation is $4,000 and it is this
the grand jury, in its final revision of the
budget, is asked to make up.
The present term of the Superior Court
will be adjourned on May %, now less
than two weeks away. Between now and
the day of adjournment, when the general
presentments will be made, meeting OF
the grand jury will be held and the budget
will be made up. The subject was barely
discussed at the last meeting of the grand
iury and the views of the members were
then but imperfectly developed. 1t is
known, however, that there is some OIL
ference of opinion among them on the
subject of the appropriation for education.
The Committee on Education of the
grand jury consists of Messrs. Tomlinson
F. johnson, Frank G. Bell George w.
Lamar and ]. j. Gaudry. This commit
tee has already paid a visit to the super
intendent of public education and possibly
will have another conference with him
or some other representative of the Board
of Education before the meeting at which
the budget will be prepared. The Board
of Education meets tomorrow evening,
and possibly at that meeting some action
will be taken in reference 20 the question
the grand jury is to decide and some ad-
ditional arguments addressed 10 that body
for its consideration.
Supt. Ashmore says that the estimate
for carrying on the schools TINS year Is
really less than the appropriation for last
year. OF the entire estimate $4,000 is 10
be paid to the trustees of Chatham Acad-
the county's contribution for the rebuild
ing of that edifice, and there is a deficit
of between 1900 and $1,000 from last year.
The appropriation for 1900 was $4,000.
Those grand jurymen who favor giving
the Board of Education the entire amount
asked for say that TO do this will be the
cheapest for the county in the end of any
of the several courses it is possible to
follow.
- haf
is no water in it's estimate, but that, on
the contrary, every item of expenditure
has been figured down to the lowest pos
sible limit. Every cent asked for, the
board contends, is actually needed to car
ry on the work of the schools and give
opportunities for securing an education
TO the constantly and rapidly growing
school population of Savannah.
Therefore, the grand jurymen favorable
to giving the Board of Education what it
wants say, the board will get the money
it needs anyhow If it doesn't get it di
rect from the county, it will borrow it
from the banks. The result will be that
the county will, in the end, appropriate
enough to make good the loan and in the
meantime be paying interest. If the
Board of Education has to have this
much money. think the grand jurors who
adopt this course of reasoning, it is best
to give 1t now.
On the other hand the County Commits
sioners have announced that to give the
Board of Education the amount of its
estimate will mean increased taxation,
and the commissioners say this as if they
meant it. This statement has given cause
for reflection to certain other members of
the grand jury, who think taxation in
Savannah and Chatham county high
enough in all conscience as it is and don't
want the rate to be raised
These are the problems the grand jury
will have to solve. While a number of
its members hold strong views on the
subject they are averse to discussing
them at length and it is difficult at this
time to prophesy what the result will be.
Next week, probably. the meeting will be
held and the question will be decided