The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1913-08-19
ALONG DELAYED STATEMENT.

For three long years the patrons of
the Twin Falls Independent school
district No. l have been waiting for
the board of trustees to make fin
ancial report for the district. Such
report is required yearly by the state
laws. For three years the trustees
have by their refusal and silence prac-
tically told the taxpayers that the fin
ances of the schools were not any of
the taxpayers business. They have
defied the state and county author
tiles also by their position The Times
believes that the time has come for a
very insistant demand for true and
correct financial statement of the
condition of the school funds. That
report should not be glossed-over
report of an expert accountant on the
condition of the books. The taxpayers
care little about the details of the
clerks work. In September another
trustees will come before the taxpay-
ers for approval or disapproval and in
justice to the board and to the tax
payers the financial report should be
made at once. The board have known
for long time that the report must
be made at a certain time and should
have made preparation for it before
this late date, The state law says:
Section 81. 1t Is the duty of the
Board of School Trustees to make a
report in writing, on the first day of
July, Of the financial condition Of
their respective school districts, show
ing the amount of money received
from what source, the amount eX-
pended, and in what manner and for
what purpose expended, and the
amount of money in the treasury of
the district or to the credit of the
district on hand at the date of the re-
port, the said report to show in full
the financial condition of the district
at the date thereof; Provided That
the report of any expenditure shall
contain the specific items, amounts,
and names to whom such expenditures
were made. 1t is hereby made the
duty of the Board of School Trustees
of each district to cause the said re-
port to be published in newspaper
published nearest the school house of
said district and posted in three (3)
conspicuous places in the district, one
Cd of which shall be posted on the
school house door of said school dis
trict, and to retain copy of said re-
port in the office of the clerk of the
school board of the school district,
where the same may be open at all
times to examination and inspection
by any person. Provided. That in. In
dependent Districts the aforesaid fin
ancial report shall be published in
one issue of a newspaper nearest the
school house of said district.
Erratum: In Section 81, the fol-
lowing should have been omitted
at is hereby made the duty of the
Board of School Trustees of each dis
trict to cause the said report to be
published in newspaper published
nearest the school house of said dis
trict."
The present board are not novices
at the school work and the president
and one of the members have served
for nearly two terms. There is no
excuse for their action except that the
report will show bad financial con-
dition with floating Indebtedness of
SCI 900. But such statement has leak
ed out and the reticence of the board
over taking the public into their con-
fidence looks foolish. At any rate,
the statement should be made and if
there are mistakes and extravagances
shown up it is high time to make a
change in the personnel of the board
The Times wishes to emphatically
state that as far as the individual
members of the board are concerned
that it has implicit confidence in their
integrity and honesty and that in ask
ing for financial statement that no
idea of grating enters into the heads
mistakes have been made, that is as
far as the blame is attributed. The
Times fully believes that the school
affairs should not be made a political
football and that the patronage of the
school system should be awarded on
merit and not on the basis OF favors
shown to individual members OF the
board Extravagances in the school
system have occurred and the total
cost of fifty dollars per capita esti-