The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1907-03-02

N view Of the annual school cleo
Il. ion which is to take place this
afternoon and the fact that the retir
ing director is the clerk of the board,
the taxpayers of the district and the
patrons of the school may be interest
ed in brief statement showing the
financial condition of the district and
the work which the school is doing.
The Importance of good schools to
n taxpayer cannot be overestimat-
ed, for education is the worlds great
est safeguard of order and civil liber-
ty. Where the standard of knowledge
is lowest the standard of morals is
lowest, crime is most rampant, prop
erty most unsafe and class distinc tions
greatest. So far, perhaps, we will
all agree in a general way, but we
are not of one mind when we come to
discuss the question as to what con-
stitutes good schools and as to the ex-
pense which it is necessary to incur
in order to maintain them.
Sources of Revenue
Few states in the Union have bet
ter school laws than the state of
Washington or a larger permanent
fund for the maintenance of our pub
lie schools derived from the nations s
liberal bounty in grants of public
lands In addition to the funds so
derived the state Ievies a tax upon
the assessed valuation of all coun ties,
as equalized by the state board, the
proceeds of which tax so into the
general school fund and are appor-
toned among the schools of the state
in the same manner as is the interest
upon the permanent school fund.
which is upon the just basis of school
attendance. This county is required
to pay this year $3,858.45 and to
raise this amount we must pay tax
of 3.367 mills.
Last year the state levy amounted
to $5,255.66 and the tax was five
mills. But it va "bread cast upon the
waters" for we received back from
the state during the year $3.50. IL,
which sum was apportioned among
the schools of the county on the basis
of attendance. This district receives
little over one sixth of all the funds
so apportioned. The state appor-
tionments to the district during the
school year ending July l, 1906,
amounted to 81, ,429,66 and during
the same period the receipts from
the special tax levy of five mills, lev
led by the directors for general school
purposes, were $673.87, and $40. Is
was received from small apportion-
ments of county funds. At the be-
ginning of the school year there was
a cash balance on hand of $685. ).62.
Total expenses for the year we're
So, ,343. "a, leaving cash balance at
the beginning of the present school
year of $784.3 81. The present asses
sed valuation of the district is $149,-
TO, which is an increase of $40, ,463
over the valuation of 1905. The re-
ceipts from the special tax this year
should therefore be little over 800
more than they we're last year. Any
taxpayer who desires to ascertain
how much he will be required to pay
this year toward the support Of our
schools has only to multiply the
amount of his assessed valuation by
g. 367 mills, which is the combined
state and special district tax, and it
should be remembered that more than
twice the amount we pay to the state
comes back to the district in the
state apportionments.
Special Taxes
The special tax here is very low as
compared with most of the districts
of the county and much lower in COM
parison with the taxes levied for
for school purposes in the principal
towns of Whatcom and Skagit coun
/ ties, not including the city of Belling-
ham. In Whatcom county, for in-