The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-10-11
FIX UPON TAX LEVY
Board Of Education Decides
The Yearly Cash Budget.
SITE FOR SCHOOL BUILDING
Prepare to Meet Bonds That
Will Come Due Soon.
From Thursdays Daily.

From Thursdays Daily.
The board of education made it,
tax levy at it's regular October meet
ing last evening. 1t provides for a
six mill levy for the general fund, and
levies for the special fund as follows
$500 for repairs on the Union school
building, $500 for other repairs, $1,000
for a sinking fund to meet the bonds
that will fall due in a few years
and $1,000 for acquiring site for a
seventh and eighth grade school
building.
This levy is calculated to produce
nearly $4,000 more than last years
levy did, and besides this, greater
amount is expected to be received
from the state apportionment and from
the high school aid fund of the state
New School building.
The largest item in the special fund
is for acquiring suitable site for
a new building, as the high school
building is already overcrowded. By
taking the large eighth grade from
that building and the seventh grade
from each of the grade buildings, and
putting them in new building, it is
thought that the present buildings will
have room for the increasing at
tendance for great many years.
In July, 1911, there will fall due
81 500 of high school bonds, and a
levy of $4,000 year is expected to
enable the district to take up these
bonds when they fall due. After that
the bonds will fall due at the rate of
81 500 year. The loan is from the
state.
Restore the Overdraft.
The levy for repairs on the Union
building is believed to be justified by
the fact that this old building needs
new roof badly, and also needs
general overhauling. The levy for
other repairs will enable the over
draft in the special fund to be wiped
out and still leave a sufficient bal
ance to take care of such general
repairs as may be made during the
year.
The district is limited by its char
ter from making greater levy than
six mills for general purposes, and
last years levy was within two-tenths
of a mill of that.
The levy this year will restore the
SIS 900 that the district used up for
general and special purposes the past
year, take care of increase of nearly
81 900 in teachers and janitors' sal
aries, besides providing for the sink
ing fund and new building fund. 1t
will no longer be necessary to borrow
money at certain times of the year
to tide the district over.
Besides the above levy, there will be
levied sufficient sum to pay interest
on bonds.
Explained the Levy.
In presenting the recommendation for
the tax levy, DR.. Beach, chairman OF
the finance committee, stated that it
would give just about the money need
ed to carry on the schools. Last year
the district used $1,000 more than the
tax levy and other sources OF income
produced. 1t had been provided to re-
store this through the extra levy
for repairs, which the district was al
lowed to make.
Mr.. Scherer asked for more informa-
ton. and DIR. Beach said that the six
mill tax was expected to produce $685.
500, and that last year the one mill
tax produced $1,000, the state aid to
the high school amounted to $l,lOO,
and the state apportionment $4,000.
These latter items would be little
greater this year on account of the
increased valuation in the state and
the greater number of high school
pupils.
The report of the committee was ac-
cepted and adopted.
No Longer Desperately Conservative.
State High School Inspector George
b. Alton attended the latter part of
the meeting, and being called upon
for remarks, said that he had spent
the day faithfully visiting the schools,
and that the superintendent and mem
bers of the board had also worked
faithfully with him in visiting the
schools. He had been visiting the schools
here for fifteen years. He felt very
much pleased at what he had seen
during the day. Mankato has had
the reputation of being desperately
conservative in school matters, its rep
utation in this regard extending all
over the state. He was delighted
| to find now that the board members
are very progressive, and the Man
kato schools ought now to take their
place among the progressive schools OF
the state. In past years some of the
teachers have not been up to date, but
this is not the case now, for the
teachers all seem to be bright and
progressive The high school situation
| is very encouraging and satisfactory in
every respect but one, and that is
that the school has no room to expand,
| but the board had now taken steps to
e