The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-01-26
NORTH STATE WILL
IMPROVE SCHOOLS
BILL INTRODUCED PROVIDING TO
KEEP ALL OPEN FOR SIX.
MONTHS IN YEAR.
FIND MEANS FOR 1T
QUARTER OF MILLION DOLLARS
APPROPRIATED FOR BENEFIT
OF THE RURAL COUNTIES
IN THE STATE.

/ Especial to The Richmond Virginian.
RALEIGH, NJ. c.. Jan, 25.--sis
/ months term of school in every school
! district in every county in North
I Carolina Is the purpose of a bill just
presented in the senate by Chairman
Thorne, of the committee on educa-
I ton.
] This measure, having been drafted
I by the senate committee on educa-
T ton, with the unanimous endorse
ment of the committees members
] is reasonably certain to be enacted by
! the upper branch of the general as
! sembly. and very probably concurred
t In by the house.
( In its contemplated effect upon the
intellectual. moral and industrial life
of the State no bill before the iegis-
lature yet presented Is fraught with SO
much interest and such vast possoilt-
ties. The bill is no "grand-stand
play OF a popularity seeking poliu-
clan, but it Is, as the committees bill,
the consensus of views of seven OF
the ablest men in the State, each of
them particularly well qualified to
handle the subject inteIligenuy.
Abt &NAAGultIGFy Ap dp
The measure therefore is feasible,
even at this juncture when the legis-
lature is confronted with state
treasury deficit of 100000, of which
1 sum 100000 was, caused by appro-
priations by the last legislature in ex-
/ cess of the States income.
The bill at the outset appropriates
quarter of million dollars an
nually "out of the State treasury
- sol nnI
of the State, to be apportioned by the
1 State board of education TO the re-
/ spectIve counties of the State, per
I capita. as to school population on the
I first Monday in January of each year
using the school census of the pre-
Ceding scholastic year as the basis
of apportionment-
AT present there are exactly one
hundred counties in North Carolina
and the average term Of the countr
schools is four months. The. existing
school laws and the funds available
there under s. guarantee 1.-The four
months schools, but are not adequate
for terms extending beyond that
except in some counties where the
taxpayers voluntarily tax themselves
an additional amount for extension
of the term of a school in certain
school district-which they are au-
lnpEGSu 10 40 uHuet the ttf HIS VI
| the special school tax" act passed
| several years ago.
The Milk In the Cocoanut.
/ Section of the bill, provides that
! there shall be set aside annually
| Ave cents of the annual ad valoTen
| tax levied and collected for State pur-
poses on every one hundred dollars
value of real and personal property
in North Carolina, and the funds sc
arising from said tax shall be held
| by the State treasurer separate and
apart from all other funds for State
purposes, and shall be known as the
! State Equalizing School Fund and
shall be used, as hereinafter directed
/ to provide six months school term
! in every school district in the State
or as nearly six months term as
said funds will provide"
After providing ironclad machinery
! for the guidance of the county boards
of education and school superinten-
dents-especially with regard to the
expenditure of the funds. even tC
| fixing the maximum salary they may
pay teachers of the several grades
the measure takes pains to avoid any
| interference in the counties or schoo
districts where the additional funC
has been and is being raised through
the voluntary local special school TIA,
levy heretofore referred to--excep
/ where the rate of the special tal
levy can be feasibly reduced (by tn,
school committee or board of trus
tees of such school districts) in pro
portion to the increase derived
through the operation of this new