The Van Buren press., 1903-06-13
SOUTHERN
EDUCATION
RAISING THE SCHOOL FINN
Inemciency of County and Io..,
Taxation and Need Of state Aid
for Public schools.

In some southern states mos. =.
the school fund is raised bv 4 st,..
tax ard is distributed to the con,
ties in proportion to their scholass.
population; in others the fund !,
raised almost entirely by county tav,
alton, a minimum limit being "a
quired by law. This last method !,
used in North Carolina, Tennesses
and some other states. As il an
proaches local taxation it involves
right principle; but its inehcency
and the need of a good large fund
raised by state taxation and appor.
toned to the several counties Of ths
state on a basis of school populatio,
and regardless of wealth is shown BY
the following statement in regard 10
certain counties in Tennessee
OF the 90 counties of Tennessee, q
possess less than $500 Of taxable proD.
erty of all kind per capita of school
population. In these counties one
mill tax would produce less than 60
cents per capita of school population
The range is from Sll9 in Hancock
Sl4S in Union, Sl6O in Unicoi, $40 in
Oyerton. and $1s6 in Sewer and Pick.
EFT, in which counties a one-miu Tax
would raise $O.1l9, SOFAS, SO.1GO. S0l;J
and SO.1s6 respectively, to $50 IN
Maury, SSH in Knox, $99j in Shelby
$1,1O7 in Hamilton, and $l,2O7 in Da.
wilson, in which counties a One-mil
tax would raise $OSj0, SO.Njl, S099j
Sl1O7 and $l.207 respectively From
this it is readily seen that ten-mil
tax in Hancock county would raise q
smaller amount per capita of school
population than would be raised by a
one-mill tax in Davidson. In many
counties in Tennessee a tax levy TO
the full limit now permitted by Law
would not raise sufficient funds to rul
the schools properly for four months
In others a seven months school term
can be had with a little more than
the required levy of Il. mills and 81
on polls. But the rich counties ar
more able to pay a high tax levy than
the poor counties are to pay a lower
levy. Railroads, telegraph companies
and similar corporations pay taxes On
about S6O,O0O,OOO of the SiOOO9OO0O Of
taxable property in the state, and
nearly all these pay taxes in the richer
counties. \ smaller per cent Of the
property in the poor counties is non
taxable personal property than in the
rich counties.
Another reason why the poore
counties need help is found in the
fact that in these counties there are
larger families of children than in the
richer counties. In Claiborne county
4O.G per cent of the population are Of
school age; in Carter, 3S,3; in Sewer
4O.Q; in Hancock, 4O,s; in Union, 4O6,
in Hawkins, 39.7; in Hadwood, A.; 10
Fayctte. 43.j; while in Davidson only
36.2 per cent, of the population are Of
school age; in shelby only 3lA; 10
knox, 33,7; in Hamilton, 33.j; in Mal'
ry, 32l
A levy Of a one.mill tax on all The
property of the state would raise 0
sum sufficient, II distributed to The
counties on the basis of school popg'
lation, to give about - cents TO each
child of school age. OF course the rea'
tive aid this would give TO the schools
in the several counties would depend
on the proportion the fund thus re-
ceiyed would bear TO the present fund
In some counties it would be abou
onc.third the present fund, In otheN
not more than onc-tcuth.
But should the richer counties R
asked to help educate the children o
poorer counties? Does the educaio'
of the children OF these poorer coan
ties concern the welfare of the 't1'
as whole? The answer TO both qu"
ious must bc the same,