The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-11-13

counties of the state. and have "by per- sonal address and personal eommuniea- | tionq done what I could to "dsseminate among the people such useful knowl- edgen as I could and to encourage a lively interest in the the cause of public education. I have given most assiduous attention to the rural schools-the com mon schools In the offices of the de- partment oe education l beg to report that the work has been systematically aud promptl. attended to.
 Revenues.
 The provisions of the present const- tuition. which provides for a special tax for school purposes, is a great improve ment over the cid plan of raising rev. enues. Under the former constitution ] 1t meant a fight at every session of the ! legislature to procure an appropriation | for the common schools. The eonstitu- tional provision guarantees permanent school fund and this fund will not only be increased by every raise in the tax valuation of the state but the legislature has the power, when the finances of the state will permit, to make an especial appropriation for the schools. The amount fro.1 the special tax reported to this office on October by the state audi tor is $S79. .246,33. This. with the six teenth section and other interest funds gives for school purposes this year the grand total of $1,041, 560.97. This does not include the roll tax nor the many large appropriations made by cities and towns for the support of schools.
 The Local Tax.
 The constitution allows counties, under certain conditions, to levy a one-mll tax . for the support of the schools of the county. It is pleasing to note that good number of counties have ordered elections to be held for the purpose of levying this tax. Jefferson Walker, Talledega, Marion and Tuscaloosa have already levied this tax. Not a single county in which an election has been held up to this day has failed to levy the tax.
 While the county tax will be of the greatest assistance to the schools of the various counties in which it is levied, there Is stlll further need for revenue There is only one way in which the ru- ral schools can be put on a basis com mensurate with their needs and this Is by allowing a local tax by districts. The present school fund can be used for but one Eurpose-the paying of teach- CTS. Not a cent can be used for school buildings or for equipments or for de- fraying the actual incidental expenses of the schools. If allowed local taxation by districts, the funds raised could be | used, if the district authorities saw fit for building and improving school houses and for other purposes which are ab- solutely necessary in order to have an efficient public school system
 The Census.
 For years there has been a complaint that the school census of the state was padded. As a matter of fact, under the old plan of taking the census in a great many sections, an actual enumeration was never made. Township trustees, too busy with personal matters, to at tend to the taking of tbe census without compensation, simply made estimates. It Is safe to say that these estimates were never too small. Seeing the evil which was naturally arising from this incorrect census, l. this year. acting on the advice of the attorney general, or dered the census to be taken giving the name, age, parent or guardian and ad- dress of each child. l am pleased to state that am of the opinion that the school census taken in August of this year is the most correct school census ever taken in Alabama.
 Under the present law a great many separate districts are not required to take the sc1ool census in the same year that counties take it, and one or two counties are not requirded to take the general census at the time that other counties take 1t. This is the result of special or local laws. In my opinion a general law should be passed requir- ing all counties and districts to take the census during the same year.
 Tho Re-DistrIctinu | aw
 The last legislature passed a law which we call the re-districting law. The object of this law was to provide for the formation of school districts with regard to eenters of population and nat ural barri srs. Until this law went in- to effect school districts, with the ex- ception of a few which had been ere ated by special legislative enactment, had as their boundaries arbitrary town ship lines. The re-districting board un- der this Jaw, consisted of the county superintendent of each county, member of the court of county of commission CTS or board of revenue, and the county surveyor. This board was required tC re-dstrict the county so as to form school districts in such a manner that no child would be more than two and q half miles from school house. A de- scrlption of each district was required to be made and a copy of such descrip- tion kept in the office of the probate judge. This work was done in all the counties of the state except Escamba Mobile and Baldwin. These counties had already been districted under pro, visions of special or local laws As g rule the work of the re-districting boards was satisfactory
 The law provided that the qualified ,1a t,, oh, fefr af Iof otttq qho11lf meen at a specified time and elect three trustees who should be householders ant freeholders and residents of the district for which they were elected. The dis trict board was required to meet ano elect president and a secretary. Th' various district presidents met at tht various court houses at the time spec flied by the law and elected a county board of education. This county board of education consists of the superinten dent of education, who is an ex-offici' member and executive officer, and fou citizens selected from the county.
 The county board of education has com plete control of the schools of the county They have the power to change distric line fix salaries, prescribe course o study, and do whatever they think bes for the educational interests of the coun ty. Of course, there are some specific provisions of the law which cannot b' violated. It is my opinion that, as sool as the new plan is understood, the peo pie will endorse 1t without question ant that 1t will rebound to great benefit t the public schools of the state. Undei the old plan, there was no one who haC diriect authority over the common schools of the various counties. Thi law places the board of education ove the schools with specific power to sei that their plans are carried out.