The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-04-23


sum shall be appropriated for the pur-
| poses named in this subdivision from the
| citys revenues derived from sources oth-
er than the direct taxation of property,
| the Common Council shall proceed on the
assumption that the amount to accrue TO
said school district from the state ap-
| portionment, so-called, will be the same
| during the next succeeding year as II
| has been during the then current year
! The state apportionment fell $23, $50 un-
! der the estimate so made.
Still another source from which contrf-
| buttons were to be made during the year
| 1901 to this $672, 500 fund, was that of the
! miscellaneous receipts of the city. These
/ We're estimated, in the budget for 1901, at
| $415. 600, SAB, $50 of which was to be cred
/ tied to the school fund. AS matter Of
! fact, the miscellaneous receipts of the
| city during the year 1901 amounted to
| but 1896, S4313 deficit of $4,000, and by a
failure on the part Of the City Treasurer
| and the City Comptroller to follow the
exact terms of the apportionment ordi-
nance, instead of $143, $50 the school fund
was credited with but $12S91
! With these various and fruitful sources
| of deficiency as yet unknown to them,
| the Board of School Inspectors proceeded
nevertheless to an expenditure not only
| of their full quota of $672, 500 which was
| provided for them in the budget of 1901,
| but to the expenditure of a somewhat
| larger sum which had been promised
/ them by the Common Council in the
| summer of the year previous, and it may
| be said in passing that as long as the
| Board Of School Inspectors perseveres in
! their course of regulating their expendi-
! lures by the amount which the Common
| Council may have assumed to promise to
| give them in July of the year previous
| and without regard to the amount which
| is actually appropriated to their purposes
| in December and upon which the tax
levy for the succeeding year is based,
| there VIII continue to be an ever increas-
! ing deficit in the school fund.
| The practical effect of continuing to
/ operate the public school system during
| the year 1901 with the deficiencies which
have noted in the sources from which
| the fund was to be derived and with the
| excess in expenditures to which the
| board have become committed was to
| require the diversion of approximately
! $l6,5OO from the building fund of $1G7 800
! to general maintenance purposes. This,
! it must be frankly said, was violation
| of the charter provisions. It was the
! duty of the financial officers of the city
| to maintain this building fund inviolate
! for the purchase of new sites and the
erection OF buildings thereon, but for
| them to have followed the course of the
! law in its strict letter requirement. Woulo
| have resulted in closing the public
| schools.
Without having regard, however for
| the condition of financial affairs in the
| school department, which was assuming
| these proportions as rapidly as it could,
| the school building commission, cOmpOS-
| ed Of yourself and Mayor Smith. pro-
| ceeded to let contracts against this S107,-
/ OD.JJ
with the result that but little over $20, coo
of it was available and there was carried
! over into the year 1902, inclusive OF
architects commissions and pending
! building site purchases. deficit of 800, 54S,
| as indicated by the Comptroller's letter
| to Mr.. SaVard of the Board of School In-
| spectors, under date of March Sth, last.
The budget for the year 1902 adopted
in December of 1901, provided in it's ninth
! item fer q total expenditure for school
| purposes of 1892, 10O of which sum $132, 800
| was % be credited to the school accom-
mediation account upon the books of the
! City This school accommodation account
! is to be devoted solely ana only to the
! purchase of new school sites and the
erection of buildings thereon, under the
| direction Of your committee, but, a.
! stated in the letter of the Comptroller to
| which [ have just referred, $685. of it
| Will be required to meet the balances due
| or contracts properly chargeable to this
account and carried ever from last year.
| This leaves you but $41,752 which can be
| expended during the year 1902 for new
! sites and school buildings, TO which may
however, be added the school accommo-
! dalton accounts proportion of the delin-
| Quency of 81, 474 from the taxes levied i'll
| prior years. when it becomes available.
have therefore respectfully and very
regretfully to report to you that 'the
! conditions of the funds derived from the
! school tax levied and collected as pro-
| Vided by law are not such as would
warrant the Common Council in directing
/ =
| the letting of contracts referred to earlier
! in this letter, the papers with reference to
which are herewith returned, awaiting
| your further instructions.
| In fact, I find upon Investigation that
| the Common Council has never directed
your committee to proceed with the pur-
| chase of any additional sites or the cree
ton of any buildings other than those
already in the course of construction,
upon any Of the school sites now. owned
by the city. This is an absolutely neces-
sary preliminary to the acquisition by
You and the Mayor of any authority
whatever in the premises, and I would
accordingly advise that you reject all Of
these bids, and that the Board of School
Inspectors recommend to the Common
Council that one of the new buildings re-
ferred to in their report of JuEe last
which they regard as the most important
and most necessary for erection during
the course of the succeeding sumner. and
that you obtain authority from the Com
mon Council, similar to that set out in
Assembly File 5651 approved. February
Z, 1901. for yourself and the Mayor to
which will he available fer new buill-
1nss during this year, for the purpose of
that new building.
I make this recomm endation because Of
the suggestion made by you in our resent
conversations, that you might be able to
eXpend> portion of the building fund in
1eplaelng the yentilating systems in the
different school buildings of the citv and
nave to advise you in advance of any
! Such attempted action, that this money
is not available for repairs of that sort
You VIII understand of course. that
Whatever L may have said in this letter
has not been seid with any purpose in
mind Of rejecting upon any Of the ac-
lions of any of the officers Of the citv i,
the premises. The very commendabIe
desire or the part of all those who are
connected, even in the Femotest degree.
| IN the operation of the public schools,
that those schools may be maintaina1
! In hon
Ncrable conditions has-Ied all Of rs T
am constrained to think, to overlook
! some of the very plain provisions of fhe
! charter- with reference to their financial
management. The situation is such. how
ever lhat II we content ourselves how
! eEeF much 1t may be against our will
with the construction of but one school
pu1dlng during the current year. therA
VIII De no necessity in the future for anv
oIllcer Oh the city to overlook any of fhe
GIlarter requirements in order ia enable
a oIIe schooIs TO continue in full Operation
In reporting upon the investioa+io,,.,
when have made I have necesser,iI0
gone into details but as have s71eo a. ny
ca ABOVE, the facts which it became nee.
essStfY 70 report are not referrod ~ =.
any spirit of criticism. " III
Very respectfully.
FRANKLIN H. GRTccs
FlrSt Assistant Corporation Attorna,,
Ordered filed. 1A'eoiiiey.
From c. B. Bowlby, chairman Ct pa,,,
coliseum association; - I d vi
St Paul, April IA. 1909