The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-08-13
School Board May Reduce Its
Levy.
A Special Meeting Will Probably
Be Called
WORK ON WRONG PLAN
Would Pay Off Entire Floating
Debt i'm One Year.
Business Men Demand IhaC
Something Be Done.


action taken on August placing tne
levy for the coming year for schoo
purposes at mills and an Increase 1T
the amount of taxes to be raised over
1907 of Sl6,5O0.
The tax last year on the valuation
OF about s12. 500, 900 was 20 mills. return
ing TO the schools s249. .564.2 20 for theiI
support, the tax proposed and adopted
by the board this year was mills OF
a valuation of approximately A4,40Ooo'
and returning for school purposes $685.
o6se7.
The increase amounts to Sl6.5oo-
Trying to do everything by one jump
instead of by easy skips and bounds
that's what the board of education has
attempted by increasing the tax levy
The increase was intended to retire
$4,000 floating Indebtedness in the
shape of school warrants which are
drawing the high rate of interest OF
Der cent. It is a good piece of finan-
ciring to retire such an Indebtedness
but to attempt to do it in two years
does not smack of good business.
Several of the members admit that
the fund which it is proposed to re-
tire the warrants should be permitted
to grow more slowly and that the ooaru
of education should cut down its levy
T. F. Carver. the president OF tne
board. is out of the city but c. G.
Nicholson, vice president, who Is auth
orized to call the board together IN
the absence of the president, stated
that he thought it might be gooo
idea to call the board together TO con-
slider reduction in Che levy. oor
think though that 1t would be too late
to take ii up at the regular meeting in
September" said Mr.. Nicholson.
What is your personal opinion
about reduction
s''I don't care to say" was the reply
at have been considering the matter
considerably but 1 don't care to give
out what conclusion have arrived at.
Favor a Reduction.
C. F. Hardy and J. w Gleed. mem
bers OF the board OF education are gut
of the city at this time but majority
of the following members: Nj. X. Mitch
ell. F. f. Mallory, G. H. Smith. Z. II.
Anderson. ]. d. Norton, Josiah Jor-
dan. A. B. Poole and ]. A. Ramsey.
favor a reduction. One or two of the
members of the board of education
raised their eyebrows In polite dis
agreement when it was suggested that
they should reduce the levy, placed
the tips of their fingers and taumbs
together and in a high throated voice
said in palliation of increasing the bur-
den on the taxpayers. that they real
ly couldn't think of taking step
backward in the building up of mag
nificent educational system in the cap
ital city
l.. d. whittemore. superintendent of
the city schools. said: ''The amount
of the increase is very small. but
$4,000, and II was the purpose OF the
board to pay off the warrants the in
terest of which is so high that 1t
amounts to almost as much as the
principal The board has always ad-
ministered its affairs economically. in
fact too economically and we are now
suffering from the economy practiced
in the past
A number of the board members
thought that they had a perfect right
10 increase the levy because they had
scribed by the law. a position which
clearly indicates that these men would
not be bound by any limit to the levy
which they would attempt to author
lie II such a limit was not established
by law.
The ways and means committee of
the council listening to the complaints
at the proposed 80 levy has cut down
its appropriations to bed rock and
suggests a 60 mills levy. If the board
of education refuses to make a cut in
it's levy II will have the questionable
tax payers of Topeka are asking them
to do.
Spend With Lavish Hand.
The board of education spends on
the maintenance of the schools of the
city an amount greater than that
spent by the city for running It, which
means that for nine months in the
year the cost of the school system is
in excess of that of the city in run
N
the fire department. the police depart
ment the asphalt repair department.,
the street department. all of the pay
OF officials and employees at the city
hall. the cost of prosecuting all city
cases in the courts. the feeding of
the cost Of maintaining the streets
and sidewalks in addition to the
bridges. besides the interest on the
cost of the auditorium. the MeIan
bridge and the city's at large proper
ton on the cost of paving and re-
paving streets.
The board of education last year
spent s249,564.20. the city s247.s7I.O7,
the comparison speaks eloquently
enough of the cost OF the two depart
ments of civic affairs. The actual
operating expenses of the schools of
Topeka are probably not considered
excessive but there is well founded be-
lief that the building operations of
the board Of education do not escape
such an adjective. UP until 1905 the
tax rate in Topeka for the support of
the public school system was in ex-
cess OF any other city of Kansas with
the exception of Kansas City. Kan,
and in 1905 it forgec anead of the
last named city.
What People Say.
1t is well known fact that a
great many men of means who are
not engaged in active business in the
city OF their residence are generally
opposed to improvements. higher
taxes and any thing for the good of
their town that costs money The
State Journal in getting interviews to-