The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-10-02
COUNTY SCHOOLS
 WILL OPEN TODAY
About One Hundred District Schools Will Begin Session
NEED DISTRICT TAXATION
Superintendent McAdory Thinks It Necessary to Good Schools-May Enact Law Providing
 for Elections.

About 100 of the public schools of Jef- ferson county will begin their fall terms today. varying in length from five to nine months.
 Jefferson county has 152 school districts with as many schools Some of these have had sessions during the summer months, no school being held in the win ter. Others have opened recently. AL though the complete reports of the trus- tees to County Superintendent McAdory have not yet been made, 1t Is thought open this morning.
 Reports from the trustees are coming in daily, and contracts are being submit ted to the county board for approval. In spite of the limited funds, the indications are that the schools will have successful sessions.
 County Superintendent of Education McAdory is engaged In notifying the dis trict trustees of the resolutions adopted by the board Saturday afternoon authoriz- ing and empowering them to levy  for fuel and other necessary expenses According to the ruling of State Superin- tndent 1 w. Hill this tax may be exact- ed and In case of non-payment the pupil may be excluded from the school.
 As provided by law s6 per cent of the school funds go to the payment of the salaries of teachers, and per cent to the county superintendent. leaving no pro- vision for fuel and other necessary incl dentals
 Buildings Not Owned.
 Even the buildings used for the schools have to be purchased or rented by private subscription of the people living in the district.
 County Superintendent of Eduction Me- Adory in discussing school conditions in the county yesterday said
 "The limited funds for school purposes in the county has been the only draw back to the county school system. It has been indirectly the cause of the difficulty in getting the children of union and non union miners to attend the same school. "The county does not own any of the school buildings and for this reason 1t cannot locate them where it would like. The district trustees are largely inde- pendent of the county board. If the county could afford to erect it's own build- Ings in the places it considers best, more graded and better schools could be main tained. There would also be less trou- ble about the attendance
 ''There is only one way" continued MT. McAdory. that these wants can be sup piled, and that is to secure a local dis trict taxation. Local taxation with the county as a unit has been secured, and has proven to be of great benefit In se- curing a fine school system for the coun. ty. With district taxation, the citizens of the county would be called on to make only little more contribution to school purposes than they do at present. It would be a matter of taxation instead of voluntary contribution. The county would own the buildings, however, and would be in a position to combine certain dis tricts and establish in them fine graded schools similar to a certain degree ro the city schools.
 Farm District Taxation.
 .I believe that a majority of the best citizens of the county are heartily in favor of the proposed district taxation. do not think there will be any opposition in the legislature to the passage of a bill providing for elections in each district to dtermine whether or not the tax shall be levied. If the bill Is passed in Jefferson at least little opposition to the move ment will be felt
 "An organized effort will be made to secure the passage of such a bill in the legislature. The county will later be thor oughly canvassed and speeches made in be- half of the proposed taxation. As thorough a canvass will be made for district tax ation as was for county taxation, and believe there will be no more trouble in securing the vots of large majority of the people in favor of the tax''
 The schools in Republic, Sayreton, Graves Mines and other places will open today, and the reports of the trustees later will show whether or not the schools are being attended by both union and non-union miners children.
 -------
 Nofica fo confracfore