Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1913-12-24
THREATENTS TO
CLOSE SCHOOLS
BROWNSVILLE SCHOOL BOARD
PUTS ULTIMATUM UP TO CITY
COUNCIL. AND MEMBERS MAY
RESIGN
WANT TAX LEVY
ANNOUNCE BOARD Is WITHOUT
FUNDS AND Will DECLARE
SCHOOLS CLOSED JAN. >. IN
LESS COUNCIL ACTS.

Unless the city council passes the l9l:
tax levy by January :. thus providing
funds for the operation Of the city
school, the Brownsville school board
threatens to close the city schools. and
if this extreme measure is taken al
least five members of the board say
their designations may be considered
as effective Immediately thereafter
This action was determined upon at
a meeting OF the school board, held Tues
day afternoon at 4:30 O'Clock. and sign
ed by j. l.. Workman. president of the
school board Frank c. Pierce, vice
president. Caledonia NJ. Cara, Secrc-
tary: John Gregg and George Mcionigle
was adopted reading as follows:
"TO the Honorable \. Is. Cole, May
or and the Honorable Beard of Alder
men:
Dear Sirs: In view of the fact that
the funds necessary for the conducting
and operating Of the public schools OF
Brownsville are now exhausted, and
that the levy of taxes for the purpose or
Supplying the money for the mainttcn-
ance of these schools for the remainder
of the school year has not been made,
we desire to inform YOU that unless the
providing of thes, funds shall be made
at once. we shall be compelled to close
the schools of this city. effective Janu-
ary >, 1914.
1--WE desire to further inform YOU that
( compelled to resort to this extremity
you may consider our designations ef-
fective Immediately after that date
Five members of the board were pres
ent at the meeting including those men
toned, the other Two being y. W. Sea
bury and DR.. W. +. Cole, both of whom
were out of the city.
Members of the school board claim
that the members of the board of alder
men are playing politics and that this
action on their part cndangerS the con
nous and unobStructcd conduct of the
city schools They say that when they
mandamused the city council 4 year
ago to force the passage of tax levy
for the city schools they took that ac-
tiOns as last resort. and do n0a intend
to carry out the same program again.
The school board claims to have been
embarrassed i'll the matter of financing
the oDeratiOn of the schools and that
the amount of money afforded by the
lew of twenty cents on the 500 valua-
ton is not sufficient for the needs of
the schools. The school board about two
months ago presented petition to the
city council asking for an increase OF
the school tax from twenty cents Of the
500 to twenty seven and half cents
on the hundred dollars. which would
have increased the levy for school pur-
poses from about $4,000 to Sl3,150 in
Guiding delinquent taxes, on a total val
uation of $4,000 600 i'll round numbers
The board yesterday borrowed &l46>
with which to pay off the city teachers
and other employees of the schools
There is now about $4,000 on hand
about $500 of which is from the state
school fund and will be used in paying
off part of an amount borrowed for tho
purpose of paying teachers salaries
The other $500 is to be used for interest
payments and incidentals. Secretary
Gorza states that the schools are in debt
to the amount of so 600 money borrow
ed to pay teachers, which is already due
and also an amount of about $1,000 that
was carried over from last year. Out
standing accounts will reach about
$500.
Secretary Cara says that for himself
he has no statement TO make. with refer
once TO the action of the five members
of the board other than the resolution
of the board that was passed. He state'
that it was the sense of the mcctin:
that it would stand by the action takei
and that the board has no desire what
ever to interfere in the apparent un
willingness of the city council to pas
the tax levy.
The school board last year instituted
amandamus proceedings against the cit,
council to force the. passage of lev
for school purposes. and District judg
w r Hopkins set date for the hear
inc However before the day of the hea
inc arrived the members of the counci
got together on that portion of >theslev
affecting the school and passed it with
ont in any way acting on the othe
leyies. but no action has as yet been tai
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