The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-06-22

| SCHOOL FUND FOR TEACHERS.
The refusal of Treasurer Park to pay
the school teachers out of the public
property fund unless it were decided by
the Supreme Court that he had a legal
right to do so is likely to result in great
benefit to them. Instead therefore. of feel
ing bitterly towards him. 1t may turn out
that they viii have reason for commend
ing the course he pursued.
1t is his idea that the school teachers
should have a fund of their own, fund
that could not be used for any other pur-
pose. At present, the teachers have to
take what is left after other obligations
of the state are paid. Consequently. it
often happens. as is the case this year,
that there is not enough to pay what is
due them. If there were a fund for them
they would get their salaries promptly.
They would not have to sell their vouch-
ers at heavy discount in order to get
sufficient money to meet immediate and
pressing demands.
There is another thing to which Treas
urer Park called attention in the talk
published in the Morning News yester-
day. 1t is that school boards in some of
the counties have a practice of holding
back part of the school money received
and use it for repairing and building
schools and buying school furniture. In
some counties there are large amounts of
school money in bank while school teach
ers' salaries are unpaid.
1t is evident that there is no justifica-
ton for such condition of affairs. There
is something radically wrong in the law
governing the distribution of the school
money. Just where the wrong is we are
not prepared to say, but the agitation of
the school money question will have the
effect of bringing a thorough overhauling
of the law bearing on the distribution of
the school money and will result in much
needed public school reforms. There APP
pears to be ground for thinking that the
school teachers, in some of the counties,
have much more reason for complaining
of school boards than of Treasurer Park.
We have always contended, and still
contend, that before the public schools
will be appreciated at their true value in
a large part of the state there will have
to be legislation prohibiting the payment
of school money to any county that does
not raise a certain amount by local tax
alton for the schools. Now it seems that
in some counties, how many we have no
means of knowing, not a dollar is contrib
uted by local taxation for salaries of
school teachers. for school houses or
school furniture. 1t is not to be wonder
ed at therefore that in such counties edu-
cation is at low ebb and school teachers
are not appreciated.
Besides. it is unjust to this county, and
to other counties which pay large sums
into the state treasury for school pur-
poses to be compelled to assist counties
in educational matters that make no eff
fort to assist themselves. Make every
county do something by local taxation to
aid the schools, and there will be less
complaint of the lack of funds to pay
teachers and far greater interest in edu-
cation in those counties which now do
not contribute by local taxation dollar
towards supporting the schools. There is
needed in the Legislature man of suffi-
cient ability, influence and strength of
character to give the whole school ques-
ton a thorough overhaulng and put the
public school system on a broad and firm
basis so that the burden of supporting
on the people of every part of the state.