Omaha daily bee., 1905-11-03
OMAHA AND SCHOUL HONEY
Local Directors Nighs Have Trouble Il
Asked to Re und FeeL
STATE ASKS LINCOLN BOARD TO DO I
Change in Method of Taking Census
Here Makes Decided Diner
ence In Number OF
Pupils and Fund.

II the proposed suit at Lincoln to make
the local Board of Education turn back
to the state all money received for non
resident students at the State university
enumerated in the school census is sue
cessful, the Omaha school board may have
a little worry Of its own on hand.
The state school money, raised by taxa
ton, is apportioned to the various coun-
ties and by the counties to the school dis
tricts on the basis of so much per indi-
vidual of school age which is between
and p years. 1t is to the financial interest
of every school district to make its annual
census as large as possible, this is the
basis used for compiling the amounts. To
incite to dligent effort in Omaha It has
been the custom for years to pay the census
enumerators in proportion to the number
of persons they enrolled, the price being
cents per capita. II thus became the
effort of every enumerator to swell his lists
just as much as he could, under the instruc-
tions given him by the board
system Has Changed.
Up TO this year it has been the practice
Of the school district authorities to seek
the enrolment of every person in Omaha
within the school age, regardless of dupli-
cation or genuine residence. All colleges,
ness houses, factories and offices were Wis
tied. as well as the homes and boarding
houses. Enumerators were instructed to
pay no attention to statements of enumera-
ton elsewhere. Simply to take the names
and all the names possible. Last summer
colleges, private and parochial schools were
cut OF the list, but the business houses
and factories were ordered visited Just the
same.
Members of the board, as a Justification
for this course, always have pleaded the
number of individuals missed probably re-
duced the Implications to about what was
right, and, therefore, IL a good approxima-
ton was accomplished this was all that
was necessary to satisfy conscience and the
law. At any rate, 1t was argued, the lists
were sent to the state authorities and II
| there were Implications the latter could
check them up just as well as the local
school board.
Part of the Instructions.
This is paragraph of the instructions
to census enumerators of 1904:
Enumerate all persons between and q
| years of age, including private and paroch.
| ial schools. Call at all stores. mercantile
! houses, manufacturing establishments an6
| offices and obtain the names of all persons
| employed therein between the ages of
and p. 1t makes no difference If they
| claim to have been enumerated elsewhere
| that matter will be settled in this Office
| after you turn in your books.
This year private and parochial schools
| were omitted.
| No checking was ever done in the BoarC
of Education Office to discover Implications
The lists made out by the enumeration
were forwarded to the county supetinten
dent just as they came in.
In both the old and the new instruction.
this paragraph appears:
1t makes no difference how short tim
| the persons may have been living in Omaha
| them. Get the names of all between
| and Il, who are actually living i'm Omahi
! when you make the canvass OF your terri
\ tory; also the names of al between and 2
who are temporarily out of town. but wht
| are residents of the cityacs
| Produces Big Decrease.
The difference in the Instructions pro
duced a marked decrease in the school cen
| sus for 1905.
For the school year ending June 80, 190-
| $4350S was received by the school distric
| OF Omaha from the state school moneys
The school census was 81. 763, meaning abou
| $l.37 for every person down on the censu
rolls. The following year the state appor
tionment went about 5000 better.
Members Of the present board say the
are trying to change the system so It wi
include no Implications, but every perso
who properly should be registered The
are hoping no parent living in Dundee {
elsewhere out of the city, and who is pay
ing tuition for his children at the hig
school at the rate of S47 year. win "stal
anything"