The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1904-03-25
THE TOWNSHIP
SCHOOL BILL
introduced IN Legislature and
Causes CONSERVATION Among
Local School Trustees
STATEMENT BY BOARD COUNCIL

An effort Is being mace Dy Une
Board of Education of Morris town
ship to have paid to them portion
of the surplus school money now in
the treasury of the Morristown
Board of Education.
Since the township has been di-
vorced from the Morristown School,
district and made district of its own
it has been without school buildings
and money. In order to get the
latter bill has been introduced in
the legislature by Assemblyman
Baker which provides that the County
Superintendent shall divide between
the new school district and the old
district the portion of the balance
arising from the State appropriation,
State school tax and interest on the
surplus revenue on the basis of the
aggregate number of days attendance
of pupils, and from the district tax on
the basis of the respective ratables of
the districts.
The Morristown School Board has
surplus of 1923, 1853, which they
schedule as reserve for the purpose
of erecting school building when
necessary. They are jealous of the
money and are adverse to paying out
any portion of it.
VKTko,, %Io tr,,c%aoc 1norpoI pocfor.
day that bill had been introduced
in the legislature in behalf of Morris
township to get a slice of the reserve,
war was declared at once, and John
B. Vreeland counsel for the Norris
town School Board went to Trenton
post haste to fight the measure. Sc
cretary Freeman also became active
and communicated with his friend
Assistant Superintendent Belts of the
State Board of Public Instruction.
The Township Committee were. not
apathetic in the matter for they sent
men to Trenton to help the bill
through. The Township Board
claim that as the township helped
to accumulate the reserve fund,
they should be paid their portion
when legislated out of the district
Charles A. Phillips, president of the
Township Board said that the town
ship had helped establish the surplus
and should receive it's share. "We
did send $50 pupils 20 the Morristown
SCHOOL, said Mr.. Phillips, ''and paid
1923 per capita. The city only pays
$40. Out of the $4,000 raised by
special tax the township contributed
$4,200."
"If the bill does not pass he con-
tinued, 81 presume we will have to
bond the township and build school
houses" I"
In speaking of the matter John M.
Mills, counsel for the Township Board
said this morning "The act of
1900 and also the special act of 1903
provided that where any new school
district shall be created the County
Superintendent at the end OF the
current school year shall divide the
moneys remaining in the hands of the
custodian of school moneys of the
school district, from which said new
district is created.
1.-THE moneys under the act to be
divided in the following manner: all
the moneys received from the State
and the remaining to be divided be-
tween the old district and the new
district according to the proportionate
attendance of children in the old
district during the year then ending.
"All the moneys received from
special taxes then remaining to be
divided between the old district and
the new according to the respective
ratables in each OF the said districts.
"This law was supposed to apply to
the present situation of Morristown
and of Morris township. But in look
ing it over find that it applies only
where new district is created. In
the present case no new district is
created but the old district of Nor
ris township has added to, and be-
cause of the phraseology of the school
act it cannot be made to apply to the
present case without an amendment"
Members of the Morristown School
Board would not talk about the
matter, although repeated attempts
were made to elicit from them an
opinion concerning the merits of the
townships claim.
Secretary Freeman, when seen, said
he had nothing to say, while other
trustees tried to conceal their know
ledge that the bill had been intro
duced, by expressing surprise at the
mention of it.
A man who is in close touch with
school matters said last night that
the Board of Education did not pro-
pose to have the bill pass If it could
be prevented. He said that the
money now held by the board was an
accumulation of years and was not
question of school house property.
The Morristown Board Of Education
No oaiI aofod ,,odor a c,ootal oba