Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-09
COST OF EDUCATION
Maj. Judson Discusses District
School Expenditures.
SEES PERIL IN INCREASE
Outlay Is Now 1910 Per Annum
Per Capita, He Says.
LARGE SHARE OF REVENUES
Judson Says It Is IS Per Cent.
Board of Education Puts
It at 26.1.
LARGE SHARE OF REVENUES

Following the recent discussion of the
cost of education in the District, and the
| census report the subject, NAL Will
| lam V. Judson. Engineer Commissioner.
has issued a statement setting for that
| the per capita cost of education here is
not $6.46, as claimed by certain authori-
| ties, but 500
In answering Commissioner Judson the
board of education gave out q statement
intended to show that the percentage of
revenues applied to school purposes In the
District is lower than the average for
| 13S cities.
/ The Commissioners statement follows:
! statistics based upon reports of the
| census Office have been recently published
| in the local press, wherein the cost per
capita Per annum for education in the
District Of Columbia is stated at $646.
| 1T has been further stated in the press
that this per capita cost in Washington
is less than the per capita cost in certain
other cities, and I am asked to say
whether these comparative figures do not
| prove that the cost of education in the
District Of Columbia is not excessive.
Il reply in no spirit Of controversy, but
| in the belief that facts should be wei
coined by us all.
Figures From the Census.
II understand that the figures employed
are taken from table 80, beginning on
pa e 3o2. of a special report of the census
bureau, published in 1910, and entitled
Statistics of Cities Having Population
IF over 10000: 19OS.'
This table contains the data from
LAT cities, and shows the average an
nual per capita cost of performing the
various municipal functions for the perloo
from 1862 to 1908, inclusive
The per capita cost of education Tor
Washington was S6.46.
THE average per capita Cost IoF tie
LAT cities was SI.W
among the 147 cities only three show
ed costs above those of Washington, to
wit: New York, $6.52; Denver (about,
$40; Newton, IS.
Now, the costs include buildings as
well as operation. 1t is we'll known that
Washington was not building many
schoolhouses during the period 19O2-19Os;
therefore its cost, S6.46 could not have
been increased unduly by items of new
construction. On the other hand, it would
| be strange it some of the other LAG cities
had not bought more sites or built more
buildings than usual during that period.
This is notably true of New York. and
probably true of Denver as well as of
Let us assume. nevertheless, that the
figures above referred to do not demon
Strate excessive cost in Washington dur
ing the period under consideration.
Not Under Present System.
I'm the first place it should be noted
that during far the greater part of this
period schools were not under the pres
| ent system, but under a board appointed
by the District Commissioners 1t was
| under the latter that estimates for school
purposes We're prepared for the fiscal
years 1902. 1903, 1904, 1905. 1905 and 1907.
| being six of the seven years covered by
| the census table.
Finally, it should be noted that the
cost of education in Washington has re-
Gently increased tremendously.
1T Is with present conditions that we
are dealing.
| The truly alarming facts are these,
| that while in 1908 and Whereabouts we
were spending for education but about
80 per cent of our revenues locally col
lected, now we are spending So per cent,
and while on the average during the seven
years preceding 1909 we were spending
for education but s6.46 annually per
capita, now We are spending 800"
Board Answers Maj. Judson.
The board of education today issued the
following statement:
"The answer to Maj Judson's state
ment that the District spends 55 per cent
Of its revenues for education is a simple
one. Here it is:
Total amount appropriate by
Congres SO for District Of Co
lumbia for the year ending
June 30, 1911. Observation-Disclosures. SO. zoe, $40 80
Total amount appropriated
for public schools. 3,O11 ,96O 90
Per cent of the whole appro-
priation allowed for public
SCHOOLS Observation-Disclosures. PSI
Major Judson obtains his 50 per cent
by disregarding the half and half princi-
pie and using as his base only revenues
| locally collected Every good-sized Wash
| ington school boy knows that the District
government Is not supported In any de-
partment whatever by revenues locally
| collected
| The District would have to 20 ont of
business II it's sole municipal az sets were
taxes locally collected To these the
law OF 1878 was intended to add an equal
amount, otherwise the relation OF the
United States to the District would be
that OF taxpayer delinquent to the
enormous amount OF $3.50, 92O.43
Average Cost Is Higher.
An allowance of Isl Of ell municipal
expenses to education cannot be truly
| alarming when the census report in
forms US that the average In 1os cities
Is .0.5 per cent,
| Congress does not seem to have taken
seriously these widely published charges
] OF extravaganza. for In the appropria-
ton act just passed the House has in
| creased the total amount appropriated for
| schools over last years app opriation,
and the reason no doubt Is that educa-
| ito neverywhe.e in the states from which
our representatives come Is supported
L n in q
and municipal budgets, and by the gener-
Gus provision Of the national government
| in giving school lands for educational
purposes"