The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-06-03
NO "PADDED' RETURNS
PLANNING FOR NEW ALABAMA
SCHOOL CENSUS.
superintendent Hill of Educational De-
partment Has Devised New Meth
cd to 'Obviate Irregular
Practices of Past.

After next August padded schooi
censuses which have given law maxi
ers and State educational authorities
no end of trouble, will be things Oh
the past.
Hon /. w. Hill, State Superintendent
of Education, has devised system Oh
taking the school census which will be
inst and accurate and which will elm
mate the excess of imaginary children
of school age who have been reported
as having an existence in reality py
some of the township trustees.
The new census next August provld-
ed for by the school laws OF the last
Legislature will be taken under super
intendent Hills system. 1t is expected
that the injustices and the unfairness
of old censuses will be completely elm
mated.
AS is we'll known the apportionment
of school funds is made according 70
the number of children of school age
in the school districts. This census of
school children is taken by the trus-
tees of the district. There has been no
supervision or espionage over the re-
turns sent in by the trustees. That
some of the trustees padded the re-
turns to the educational department is
not denied Hundreds of children,
probably thousands who have no exist
ence except on school census returns.
have been given school funds. or rather
township trustees have received funds
for such fictitious children. The Sta\s
educational officials have long been
convinced there have been rotten bor-
ough townships" wherein the trustees
drew a great deal more from the edu-
cational funds than the townships were
entitled to.
why" said a Statehouse official yes
terday. There is a township in Ala
bama to which the last census gives l.
800 population and yet that township
according to the returns sent in, has
over 900 children of school age. I'm
der ordinary conditions children OF
| school age form about one third of the
total population. That township. to say
the least, is out of proportion to the
rest of the State"
The total figures of Alabama's popu-
| lation. also shows that something is
wrong as to the returns made to the
| educational department. The popula-
| ton of Alabama in round numbers is
| 100000 As before stated. under or
binary conditions the children of school
age should form one-third of the total
| This would give the State a school pop
| ulation of $4,000. Yet the school mon
| ey of Alabama is paid out to 10000
CnlluTen, showing IndJ the returns
| have been swollen.
1t is clearly evident that some town
ships are receiving more than they are
entitled to and that some other town
ships are consequently receiving less
than they should receive.
Another important result of the
padded school return is that it ma
| terially reduces the per capita allow
ance of each child in the State
The school censuses have been taken
in a very lax manner. 1t is usually
done by the township trustees. In
many Instances they simply make a
rough guess of It, In other instances
they report year after year the same
| census, regardless of the fact that
there must be some change in the pop
| ulation.
Under Mr.. Hills new system each
child must be correctly tailed. The SUI
| perintendent has provided blanks, one
of each of which must be used for a
| separate child. The blank provides
that the parents of each child, the
| name, color and sex of the child must
| be specified. The man who takes the
census must make oath that it is cor
| rect.
The new census will be taken Au.
| gust Is. 1t will be the first census TAX.
en- since the creation of the new school,
districts, based on population and nat.
ural barriers.