The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1903-01-17

sse delly attendance Of ssSeoo pupils be.
tween oud Il years " age.
The sum totgl u revenue for the support
Of the schools for the year under cousid,
eratien state superintendent aud proceeds
n county permanent fluids aud Of local
toNos--was Saaol ole an increase over
the previous year Of S5as6St II SHOULD
also be noted that during the wear
$5l, 120 IS was paid into tue schools as
tuition fees for pupils 10 independent dis
tricts not entitled 70 free tuition, against
SIS GoS 80 dHrins the year ending August
81 1900; also, tnp during the two years
preceding August %, 1891 buildings were
erected IN independent school districts ~
the cost Of SS25.a3e raised through local
taxation ana uot embraced in the fore.
going amounts "a is believed that there
will be greater activity IN this direction
than heretofore because of the authority
given the state hoard Of education, hy the
act 90 April 26 1904, 10 purchase for the
permanent fund the bonds Of Independents
school districts rho increase 10 Echolss
tic population and In the available fund
as apportloned annually by the State board
Of education, may be shol@A by comparl
ron between the years 1898 ls9a and 1902
1909 In the former period the scholastic
population was 10s,t25 and the amount
distributed was SS,1s6be2. on q basis Of
$3.50 per CAPITA; In the latter period there
Is population ~ 75q,SSS and an amor
tiopment Of 81. 7g6 100, or per capita Of
s., which Is larger than for any previous
year except FOR 1892 lSa3, Which resulted i'm
deficiency Of St115Gt05.
Deficiencies In greater or less amounts.
thereafter annually occurred until 1926.
IT u.h
the amounts apportmed by the state
board Of education always being less thBn
the revenues anticipated For each of the
l9oo19o1 and 1eOtloo2, tine per caAta
apportionment was "a 1S which was also
greater than for any year previous except
for the yesr ls92-1sa3 The average m,
nual increase In the scholastic population
since September /, 1900, has been io,9s5 as
against like increase IN the revenue dc
rived from and through the state Of
S26l CAS-
! MUST INCREASE REVENUE.
! II must be evident from the dats given
that II the public free schools are 10 he
improved to great Efficiency aud SO maiu.
tanned. the way must he found to largely
increase the present amount Of annual rev
enue. The growth In taxable values, as
shown by the rolls under the present meth.
cd Of assessment aud collection, will not
be sufficient 10 meet the demands of a cou'
stautly and largely increasing popu alton.
No reasonable person viii for o moment
contend that au average annual salary oi
that II viii secure the continued service
~, such men aud women as should teach
the children Of Texas; nor VIII II be In
sisted that the school houses, With al
fs,.,. rlf.1ta Eha t1hl hn n
every respect suitable for the purpose IN
tended. What Is needed most rs TO th'
public free schools is able and well trained
men and women to conduct moi on.y thu
city and town schools, but those In TIA,
country also. who will devote their live
to teaching for the love OF their profession
The permanent services of such men auC
women can only be secured by salaries com
monsuratc 10 the importance of their worl
and adequate to their proper support. ~
profession or ayucation is more honorable
In Itself or more useful to society thai
, that OF the teacher, and unless he be o
the highest professional and pc sonal char
acter the system VIII undoubtedly PROV
a failure. But bow should the additions
revenue be raised;
1t is believed that only two. methods ar
practicable under present constitutions
limitations one, to increase the a,
valorem rate hy ceuts on the 500. and
also, to draw upon funds arising from
sources permissible by the constitution; Tin
other, to supplement the present revenue
! by local taxation.
Both methods however, eau be utilized
" the Legislature be Inclined 10 morf
liberal policy as 10 the schools. ~ h
pcrhaps. however, not going too for to SAY
! that tho necessary requirement Of the frc'
school system for such additional revenue
rs will enable II TO successfully meet tn,
heavy Bud steadily increasing demands
upon IT,. VIII probably eNceeu the constitn
? tional limits
> superintendent of public instruction II 4,
stated that "the niethod Of local support
Is the practical method throughout thl
? country; and In the United states st larg,
only per cent 81 money expended on
the public common schools is derived from
I permanent funds, aud only rs per cent
IRON State taxation leaving 50 per cent
* lie entire revenue for public free
school purposes during the wears 1899 1906
N Texas 25.l per cent vas derived from
permanent funds, 4g9 per cont from state
taXes, go per cent from lnca taxes and
q 50 per cent from other sources.
Attention II invited 10 the very stftk,
! mg difference between the scholastic popt
{ nton az reported By the census takers and
the enrolment for me year leOol0o1. Thu
discrepancy, though 80 very lorse was nor
Unprecedented The reports for every prior
year disclose almost without exception, q
much greater variance ln favor of the cen
sus But taking the year named for ca
ample, II appears that during that period
tnere were l5I48l children within the
scholastic age, for whose tuition S147Tp
WIS allowed by the STATE board Of educa'
ton, but who did not attend the public
free schools for d stngle day. Two years
ago the attention Of tbe legislature wai
especially called 20 this unseemly aud glsr
ing misappropration of the money Intend
ed Tor educational purposes, but no action
was bad n prevent It's recurrence, Ihf
state board 81 education by whom the
available school fund Is distributed, has
at no time been at all at fault because u
il required By law 10 spporuon aecordins
10 the census returns, aud not upon Tbs
, enrolment II the annual reports of tbs
superiptepdepts ~ public instruction mas
be relied upon, it can not be questioned
that many millions Of the public none,
: have been wasted, either upon 1otitioui
, children, or upon children who we're po
.,r eftpa durfnv tho Faar In I