New-York tribune., 1910-09-19
QUESTIONS SCHOOL COST
Research Bureau SAYS Board OF
Education OVerStates II.
NOTES SPECIFIC EXAMPLES
Cost of Normal Development
Said To Be Exaggerated
Budget Not Discussed.

--he officials OF the Bureau Of Municipal
Research have written 70 the Board OF
Estimate anc Appor1ionment ana 10 IL
s:vidual members OF the Board OF houca-
rion. asking ti.em 10 ascertain why the
educational authorities persist in what they
call oversizrirs the cost Of the average
yearly normal enlargement OF the schooi
system
The bureau saio that. contrary TO its Of
Scial records. tie Board Of Education states
when asking q building fund OF SS'oeO'VN
--ssrl,- N q, a,,olisr mart time. and when Justl-
svine its large estimates. that II must pro
zi5e for from S5.0ea TO 30.o00 more children
-, -vssr For several years up 10 1893
sr average annual increase OF per cent
a. ..eie--s+ion was stated. This was shown
n 6e an exasgeration. and the board modi-
80 s+e statement IN the 1919 and 1910
1o,,,dEets. buf continued the bureau as
yze--ad. 10 has7e Il understood that II would
need money 10 take care of 2S.eoo new
pupils Eear-
According TO the bureau. the average
-,e+ enrolment increase since 1906 has been
les than 1000
Since ree0 the average has been o.2SS.
In ;he elementary schools. including kin
..de-za-tens. the highest net average for one
and one wear was only 6.6e0 Neither in
rezlzter nor IN attendance. the bureau as
serted. do the figures for the last ten
sea. the last fve, the last three years
or the last year show an increase Of from
3 = ~ 10 s0eao.
What wss called another form n ex-
zeee-ation was contained in the BOARD IF
tEducation's request for s. So5. 81 - for nor
ma enlargement Of the school system in
: 1911 In the last annual report the per
.car5ta cost for al schools OF average reg
fas-er iz given as 81 \ T the new chill
oren are TO be gwen the same attention IS
1ne old ones 2 per capita amount - look
rafter % ona. ana not 5o.6s0 additional pupils
5 requested. II Is alleged
other hgures We're cited as typical Of what
IS termed lack of information and ne mis-
Etatenent Il information. which. il was
Hchsrged. have characterized the budget pro
tTosals and other estimates for money 10y
i1he Board Of Education for Years
L was suggested that little else can be
expected when the estimate of the hoard.
consisting of coz pages. with number Of
schedules was not seen bv six of the forty
ssix members until a few minutes before
srhev voted to demand s55.eoo.eto. or an an
;111al increase Of S7.3e0-oo0.
IN L+f- lllr EtLLFal- d --AC lC44E9t ~
special committee appointed bv the Board
iof Education. wrote asking how may ad-
oftional teachers had been required to take
care Of the alleged increase Of 3. .e9H chill
lssren from September to Decerube-. 1903
Tire City Superintendent OF Schools an
swer1ug under GATE OF October Il. said that
&during September. 1909. the Board Of Su-
7,erintendents al1horiZed the formation Of
I16 new classes. and directed the disCon-
rinuance Of ~ classes already existing
Yer on October q. 1899. there were, accord
.nig 70 register. 1925 classes Of less than
FORTY pupils and 1886 of less than thirty
I've
Attention was called TO the fact that The
snlv change the board has made in its esti-
mate vas TO favor an increase Of $4,000
over the proposal submitted 10y its employees
and committees.
Moreover. although city officials are 70
give : budget exhibit in order 70 Jet tax
-oavers see 1he budget estimates. and al
though the educational estimate for Ssl,-
6o0 ooo viii be shown. neither that fact
nor the purpose OF informing the public Of
school needs. the bureau said. twas men
toned a. the board meeting or ~ the pfin-
s-lpals' meeting held on September Is.