The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-11-10
COSTS SOMETHING TO MAINTAIN
BILLINGS SCHOOLS.
PROBLEM THAT PERpLExES
Trustees Wondering What Action
They Shall Take in View Of
Probable Contingency.

Saturday was payday with school
district No. 2, which embraces the
schools of the city and the one main
tanned at Huntley. For their SER
vices during the month of October
the teachers received the sum Of
$2,317.22. At the end of the present
month the salary account of the dis
trict will be increased to $2,592.22, as
the sum of of $275 has been added to
the payroll because Of janitors wages,
as three of those functionaries are
now employed by the board for care
of its city schools. Although there
are really four of them, one is an
assistant, who is paid by the janltor
of the north side.
Allowing % working days to the
month, the wage account Of the dis
trict foots up, in round numbers, $92.70
a day.
vexatious Question Arising.
The trustees have promise to soon
be confronted by question more
or less difficult of solution Because
of the fact that the county does not
maintain free high school, as 1t may
under the provision of the law, many
residents of the country districts an
nually avail themselves of the facil1-
ties afforded by the district to send
their children to the city school, where
they may attend the high school and
the higher of the intermediate classes.
This causes a larger enrolment OF
pupils each term than is afforded by
the district itself. Under the law the
trustees are powerless to deny ad-
mission to the children from the out
side, being compelled to accept them
as long as room for them can be
found.
While they are the beneficiaries OF
the schools, the parents OF the country
districts are not contributors to their
maintenance, as they pay school taxes
i'm the districts in which they reside
and own property. 1t was the manifest
intention of the legislature to AFFORD
a remedy for this, but a faulty con-
s..uction of the law renders its very
apparent intention nugatory. "A clause
in the law provides that the trustees
of a district may" pay the proportion
of taxes collected from parents whose
children attend the schools of another
district to the district in which at
tendance is had, but nothing OF a man
datory nature is provided for the
payment of such taxes. By reason
of this wording of the statutes It IS
wholly optional with trustees whether
they pay or not.
Manifestly it is very unjust to COM
mel one district to educate the children
of another without being compensated
therefor, but no way OF enforcing pay
ment seems to be available.
The question which is confronting
the trustees is the course they shall
pursue when the time comes-and
they think it is coming fast-that the
influx of pupils from the outside dis
tricts shall become so large as 70
crowd the schools to the extent OF ac-l
tually denying admission to children
who are really entitled thereto. but
who may come with their parents
during the period intervening between
the beginning and ending OF term.
In other words, they are wondering
what to do should a case arise which
would demand of them a decision as
to whether they shall compel the out
side pupils already enrolled and IN
attendance to vacate and make room
for the later arrivals, who have right
to demand admission, or compel the
laller to wait until the next term pe-s
fore they may become enrolled.
AS yet the board does not find y.
self in the position of being REQUIRED
to make a decision of that kind Dut
the members are apprehensive that II
NAV occur at almost any time.
Stepped Against Hot Stove.