Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-03-09
WHAT STATE SPENDS
FOR EDUCATION
GEORGIA RANKS 42ND BUT
SHOULD RANK HIGHER As
SHE SPENDS 100000 AN
NUALLY INSTEAD SS,O11,67S.

The startling declaration that the state
of Georgia spends annually for the edu-
cation of it's children some four million
dollars more than it gets credit for, Is
given out unofficially in the offices Of
the state school commissioner.
| Georgia ranks forty-second among the
states of the union, in point of money
spent for education. South Carolina
among the southern states, follows after
| it. Other southeastern states rank about
with Georgia or a little ahead of it. The
addition of four million dollars to the
states showing of cost of education
would place it several numbers higher up
on the list and would probably place Il
at the head of all the southern states,
excepting Texas 1t would at least head
all the southeastern states.
Figures Should BE 100000
The total cost of education in Georgia
is shown by the 1907 report of the state
school commissioner as s3,0ll, 6IS.46. or
slightly less than a million more than
the state itself appropriated. According
to the claim of the state school depart
ment, those figures should be approx
mately $7.0OO.OC0. The aggregate amount
shown for 1907 included reports from only
\ rs of the two or three hundred private
educational institutions in Georgia.
| In other words, by the laxity or neglh
gence of private institution heads in
Georgia, the state is being deprived of
some four million dollars credit on the
national records.
| A strenuous effort is being made in
| those offices to collect such statistics as
will insure that at least part of that
credit be recorded in the 1908 report OF
the state school commissioner, now being
| prepared.
| According to the foregoing. it is an au-
/ thoritative claim that in addition TO the
two millions and a quarter, approximate
| ly, that the state of Georgia appTopri-
ates annually for its schools, plus the
| million other dollars. approximately, re-
| garding which information is collected
each year as having been expended in
| the cause OF education in private schools
i and which is incorporated in the commits
i sioners annual report there yet remain
not less than four and possibly five or six
/ million dollars that are spent in private
| institutions in Georgia and that are not
accounted for to the extent of even dol
lar in the statement which Georgia an
nually gives forth 10 the country as show
ing her expenditures for enlightenment OF
the young.
Commissioners Opinion
State School Commissioner Pound and
| Assistant Commissioner Merry, both OF
| whom are capable of expert opinion In the
| matter, are in accord on this claim that
Georgia is being annually rated as state
/ spending about three millions on educa-
ton when as a matter of fact she Is en-
titled to classification on basis of seven
millions, at a conservative estimate.
Every effort is being made this year
to collect the valuable information that
| bears so directly upon the states good
| name. But as the Institutions to which
the missing millions would be credited are
not in any way under control of the state
school department, the only course the
commissioners office can pursue is to APP
peal directly to the institutions them
selves to furnish the commissioner Of
flee with the necessary information and
statements on which the true showing
! could be based of Georgia's annual ex-
penditures for the education of her young
er generation.