The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1909-07-20
EDUCATION
NOT LOCAL
Policy Of New Jersey Described
by Ex-Governor Stokes IN a
Letter to the Sunday Call.
A COMPREHENSIVE STATEMENT


letter to the Newark " Sunday Cali u
gives some interesting facts in regard
to the distribution of school moneys,
from which we quote:
At the time of the adoption of the
constitution in 1874, the school system
had become SO much a part CT Jersey
life and so great was the interest
therein, that it created no little dis
cussion in the constitutional conven-
tion and received recognition in the
constitution itself in the provision for
the establishment of school fund and
! in 1875 an amendment to the consti-
tuition directed the legislature to pro-
vide system OF free public schools
This constitutional mandate declares
thai" " the legislature shall provide for
the maintenance and snpport OF a
thorough and efficient system of free
public schools for the Instruction OF
all the children in the state between
the ages of five and eighteen years"
In the provision for ahe establish
ment of asschool fund for the support
of free schools, the constitution de-
clares that the income thereof, except
so much as shall be applied to an in
crease of the capital, shall be annually
appropriated y u 8 for the equal
benefit of all the people of the state" !"
Here is q distinct declaration in the
constitution that the free public
schoof system is state school system
for the equal benefit of all of the peo-
pie of the state and of all of the chill
dren of thesstate between certain ages.
This constitutional provision is of
fundamental Importance in interpret
ing and understanding Jhe provisions
of the scheol law affecting the distri-
button of school moneys. 1t makes
all of the children of the state of equal
Importance, no matter in what local.
ity they reside. 1t knows no distinc-
tion between child living in Cape
May and child living in Essex. 1t
regards the state as a single school dis
trict from Sussex to Cape May, from
the Hudson to the Delaware: and the
state school taxes levied upon the
property within this !. state school dis
triet ~ are levied for the equal benefit
of all of the children in the state be-
tween the ages of five and eighteen
So far as the constitution is con-
cerned, so far as the school money ap-
propriated or dedicated by the state
for school purposes is concerned, there
is one school district, and that is the
entire state. The districts popularity
known as school districts consisting of
a single municipality or township are
in realty administrative units, Great
ed for the sake of convenience ia ad-
ministering school affairs within their
respective local limits.
The state school tax was formerly
known as the two mill " tax, because
il was levied at the rate of two mills
per dollar of valuation. 1t was then
changed, and was raised upon the basis
of FIVE dollars for every child of school
able. age according to the school CEN
sus. 1t was again changed and levied
as it is now, at the rate of two and
three-fourths mills on the ratables of
the state. This change was made be-
cause of the difficulty and expense of
securing an accurate school census.
In the main, there are two sources
f1f rou of fn
taxation and appropriation out of the
state treasury; the other from local
taxation.
The revenue from the first source
is for the equal benefit of all the chill
dren of the state without distinction.
The revenue from the second source is
solely for local uses. This is a distinc-
tion Of the highest Importance, and it
is this fiscal system that has pushed
New Jersey to the front rank in school
work.
In New Jersey the state revenues,
always certain and sure, enable the
educational authorities to build upon
an assured income and to plan their
school work not for one year, but for
years to comea necessary essential
TO progress in any continuous enter
prise.
In our state this certainty of rev.
enue is happily combined with the
power to raise school taxes locally, so
that such localities as are rich in prop
erty can, if they SO desire, tax them
selves for a high grade Of school build
ings, surroundings and equipment.
No one can question the right of each
locality to spend as it pleases the mon
ey it raises through self-taxation.
With this right the state does not in
terfere, except in supervisory way,
such as defining the necessary quail
fications for teachers and making
proper hygienic rules concerning the
air, light and sanitation of school
Under this cooperation of |
state and local revenue. for our public
schools the state revenue can be used
only for teachers salaries, fuel, trans
portation Of pupils and tuition Of pu- |
pills In other districts, but not for the
erection Of schoolhouses or for repairs,
debt or interest. The latter must be !