Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-02-01
RICHMOND SCHOOLS
Ordered Closed by Selectmen
for Lack of Funds.
School Board Differs in Opinion and
Orders Them Continued.
Teachers Notified That If They Con-
tinue, It's Without Pay.

| is considerably stirred up over an or
der issued by the board of selSctmen
to close the public schools, tonight. be
cause Of lack Of funds TO pay teachers.
The term of II weeks is about half
completed and the mei.lbers of the
school board are indignant at the ac-
ton Of the selectmen. They insist that
| the condition of the schools is exactly
| the same as in previous years and that
| it would be nothing unusual TO pay
! teachers and cover the result on deficit
| by an appropriation at the next annual
| town meeting.
| At special meeting of the school
board il was voted TO finish out the
winter term Notwithstanding the order.
The sclectmen. however, are firm, and
| say that every teacher will be notified
| next Monday morning that If they
continue in school they will do so at
the risk of losing their pay.
What the outcome of the trouble will
| be cannot be forctold but public in
terest has been aroused and interesting
developments are expected.
A special dispatch TO the Lewiston
Journal from TicnmOnd says:
| Trouble has arisen between the school
board and the selectmen of the town OF
| Richmond within Il short time. The
| difference all rcvolves around the one
point of whether the financial school
| year closes Feb. l, with the other NUM-
| ciVai, business, or whether it closes
April ]. IF it closes Feb. l, the school
board has sufficient funds to meet it's
lexpenses. On the other hand, if it
closes April l, the school board will
have utilized the amount Of money APP
propriated at the last town meeting for
the support and maintenance of public
schools. and if the schools are contin-
ued after this week. it will have a de-
Ificiency of several hundred dollars
which ii will be necessary at the March
town meeting to make good.
I The selectmen say they understand
| that the financial school, year closes
/ April !. and have supposed that it
Il closed on that date for many years.
j The school board says it understands
Il that the financial school year COM
mences Feb. l. and ends Jan. 81 and
4 furthermore. have believed that it has
always been so. since the town voted to
change the date of the end of it's nu-
nicipal year from Feb. 20 to Feb. l.
The selectmen considering their UNI
derstanding of the ending of the finan-
lcial school year to be correct, sent a
notification of the condition of the
school appronria ton to the school
board, of which the following is a copy:
Richmond. Me-. Jan. %, 1902
Members of the School Board:
/
on February 1, 1902, the amount avail
liable for the support of schools will be
Is615.52, and the bills which will be due
on that date will exhaust the appropri-
lations. AS you have no authority to
incur any further expense for the
schools beyond the available resources
for that purpose, you will please gov
ern yourself accordingly This board
will approve or pay no bills after the
funds are exhausted.
| Noble Maxwell and Fl. r Smith,
| Selectmen.
| The selectmen say they will not pay
bills after the appropriations are ex-
lhausted because they nave no right to
do so. Looking at the matter from the
iselectmen's point of view, the school
board have incurred Il deficiency, that
has been increasing for two or three
Years. The town voted to raise Sl1 500
for the purpose of purchasing the
lschoolhouses and other school property
that the districts own at the March town
meeting of 1894. The same year they
voted to raise S2500 for the maintenance
land support of the public schools. The
next two years, '95 ana sc. the town
Ivoted To raise $4,000 for the same pur-
pose and it has raised 5000 each sue
|ceeding year.
a member OF the board of selectmen
said to a Journal reporter. today. "The
ltown of Richmond voted to raise S26CD
i Tor the support and maintenance of it's
i public schools at the march meeting In
1896. This was to pay bills for the en-
suing year The school committee COM
lmenced to pay out of this appropria-
ton on April /, that year and on Feb
H., 1897. there remained unexpended or
the school appropria ton. 1852. with
which to complete the school year. This
Twas sufficient amount to pay all bills
and leave balance in the treasury
This amount had Increased to S1707.3e
iduring the next year. a fact accounted
for by the appropriation not being cx-
lhausted the year previously.
Feb J. 1898. this amount had de-
creased to s12s5.10. which can ne ac-
counted for partially by the school fund
and mill tax from the State having de-
creased considerably during the inter
mediate time. The amount has been
decreasing steadily each year. since in
the following proportions: 1899. Sl022.05:
1900. s102S.11; 1901. ss1i.S6. The town
voted to instruct the school board at the
March meeting last year to expend only
$500 of the amount raised
The chairman of the seectmen, Noble
Maxwell. says: The selectmen do not
blame the school board for the def
cheney. only to the extent that they
shorten the terms of school in proper
ton to the decrease of the amount of
the mill tax and school fund received
from the State. or in case they did noti
want to do that they should have
brought the matter before the citizens
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