The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-02-16

TWO or the buildings In the dis
trict are used for the white pupils
and the other for the colored pupils.
OF the building used by the colored
pupils I shall say no more at this
time than that 1t is inadequate for
the demands made upon us for hous-
ing the pupils of that race. The pri-
mary school building, while it may
answer for the present, yet the time
is not far distant when it will be
necessary for this district to enlarge
it, If it Is to meet the requirements
am afraid that the citizens of
Ocala and the patrons of the gram
mar and high school do not fully re-
alize what an infatuated and abso-
lutely inadequate building we are u.s.
ing. 1t was constructed in 1887, and
while, at that time, it may have met
the needs of that day, yet this city
has grown in every respect, and it
should not be allowed to stand as
any longer than the time required to
replace it with modern structure.
One has only to visit the building
during the school hours and witness
the crowded condition of some of the
rooms, to become convinced, if view
of the exterior has not convinced such
person, that I am not exaggerating
the situation.
I am not very fond of comparisons,
but l know of no better way to bring
home to us the fact that Ocala is be-
hind the other cities of equal size
than by presenting to you this table,
which shows the conditions in those
cities. You will readily come to the
conclusion that this comparison is
not dattering to us:
Number of pupils in high school 20
Number of teachers including
principal 49,. -. ........ 3
Value of building ..............$12,50 500
Number of pupils in school,. 49,. 600
Gainesville
Number of pupils in high school 80
Number of teachers including
principal ..........
Value Of building .............. $4,000
Number of pupils in school 49,. 600
Similar or more disparaging COM
PARSONS can be made with Orlando,
Lake City, Palatka, ST. Petersburg and
other towns.
The population figures in the above
table are taken from the 1910 u. S.
census. and the other data from the
latent available reports. 1 regret that
am unable to add information about
Lakeland, Barlow, Tallahassee and
Fernandina, but have received no re-
plies to my inquiries of the school au-
thorities in those respective cities.
The table, however, is amply sufficient
for the purpose / have in view. Now
let me call your attention particularly
to the cities whose school enrolment
equals or exceeds Ocala's. Sanford,
the largest, has a $4,000 building and
five teachers; Gainesville, next, has
$4,000 building and five teachers; st.
Augustine, next, with a 100000 build
ing and five teachers; Orlando with
the same high school enrolment, with
$4,000 building and four teachers;
while Palm Beach, the smallest town
given, having less than one-ha1f the
population OF Ocala, has a $4,000
building and four teachers. I submit
that In this comparison Oca1a occupies
an unenviable place-exce1ling only
Live Oak in the value OF buildings, but
not in the number OF teachers employ
ed. We cannot afford to occupy this
position, and do not believe we will.
I come now to the most difficult part
of my remarks, and that Is the ans
wer to the question with which we be-
gan-what are we going to do about
it. 1t is an answer to this question,
the solving of this problem, which
has been puzzling the present SUBJ
school district trustees for their term
of office. Four ways have been sug-
gested: 1, increase in the millage; 2,
issuance Of bonds; issuance Of coun-
~ school warrants by the county
board; 4, secure money by private
subscription.
The first method cannot be adopted,
as we are now levying the maximum
millage allowed under the constitu-
llOn ne STATE WllH lis Olc-iIill ldA,
the county with its seven-mill tax,
and the subschool district with its
three mill tax make a total levy of
eleven mills for school purposes,
which we find scarcely enough to
meet the current expenses incident to
maintenance Of the schools Of the
county. If the assessed valuations
were increased, such increase would
not be made to exceed 20 per cent on
the present assessments, which would
bring us probably s2250 more than we
are receiving in this district. This
method cannot avail us anything with
out an amendment of the state con-
stitution.
So far as this district is concerned,
the second method meets with the
same objections we have stated to the
first. 1t is my opinion that an
amendment to the state constitution
is necessary before the subschoo1 dis
tricts can issue bonds for the purpose
of buildings. if the amount necessary
to pay interest on the bonds and pro-
vide for sinking fund must be raised
by making a levy which will increase
hof xro