The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-10-08
FINANCES In SOUTH
CAROLINA.
sCUOOI.
DAs Appeal to Common sense AMI
Conscience.
To The Editor Of the Daily Item:

To The Editor OF the Daily Item:
In my last letter 1 discussed the
sistribution Of the constitutional
three mill tax. and suggested def
itton of enrolment which would
make the distribution contribute t.
school efficiency 1 now wish To dis
ca.s the practical difficulties whcn
confront the school authorities OF
south Carolina I'm the present method
ef apportionment. and It's moral ten
dencies
= The Constitution provides that tho
ehree mill tax shall bs apportloned
among the districts OF the county In
which II Is raised on the basis OF en-
rsilment, and leaves to the legisla-
rure the definition OF enrolment. The
legislature has defined enrolment as
Ten days attendance during the pre-
vtous scholastic session" Under this
deanition pupil who attends school
Tor less than ten days should not be
enrolled and should not secure recog-
nitior I'm the distribution OF the three
mill tax. The actual number of pu-
pits who at one time or another at
md school during any scholastic
~Session - usually greater than the
legal enrolment. For example. in
the annual report OF the Columbia
schools for 19Os-os the total number
Of pupils enrolled. in the ordinary
sense OF the term. was 3.933. The
0legal ten day enrolment" was g.
SIS. This Is typical of actual con-
ditions all over the State.
Since tho amount OF money avail
able from the three mill tax for the
maintenance OF schools in any dis
trict is dependent on the enrolment.
it IL to the pecuniary interest of the
tfustees 10 secure as large an enroll
ment as possible for at least the min
inum period OF ten days. The teach
er mt the end OF each month makes
ON the back Of her pay warrant du-
piicate a report 70 the county superin-
Neudent OF education. who approves
She warrant for the teachers salary.
At the end OF the year each teacher
Is supposed to make an annual re-
port Of the total number of pupils
enrolled. and OF certain other data
indicated by the standard forms pro-
Asided by the State Department OF
Education. This report Is transmit
ted through the district board OF
trustees who alone have the opportu-
nifty to check its accuracy. The teach
erSvery soon finds out that the dis
trict board Of trustees Is more con-
csrned. that there should be a large
kMollment than that there should be
an accurate statement of facts.
In consequence. the enrolment re-
ported frequently includes every child
who has been present even for one
day durii.ss the school session. In
fact there are teachers In South Caro-
Aiina who through ignorance OF the
legal provision. without desire to de-
fraud. report the entire list Of pupils
a. the legal enrolment.
The. law Is especially subject to
abuse by negro teachers AS Is well
. known In South Carolina. the dis
~trict funds are not divided among the
schools of the district In proportion
TO enrolment. but every negro child
counts as much as a white child IA
securing funds for the district. The
negro schools AFFORD the best oppor-
Atsnity for padding the rolls. In fact
"a contract with negro teachers Is not
infreduently made In South Carolina
in which the salary to be received by
the teacher Is dependent on the
aamber OF children enrolled. The re-
port OF the teacher Is usually receiv-
"a and transmitted without correct
ZION. with a result which can be easily
imagined. Recently 1 visited a negro
school In South Carolina In which
found nine children present.
asked the teacher for his record for
book. Although II was the closing
day OF school. he handed II TO me
D/vih the statement that he had just
made u out that morning. He had
enrolled eighty-eight children. There
were no marks In the book to indi-
cate the number OF days each child
had ben present. I asked him for
the daily record which he had kept.
ksnd he produced from his pocket
another book which contained mere
" the names OF the pupils. called