The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1913-08-02
The Proposed School Tax Explaind.

The Proposed School Tax Explaind.
Editor CoJar Chronicle:
/ have been asked many times recent
ly to explain the proposed plan for re-
financing the schools of the parish, and
with your kind indulgence shall try
to do so.
For the benefit of some who may
not understand it, / wish to say that
our school finances are divided into
three kinds. namely: the 10Th section
fund, the interest on which only we
use, amounting to a little over a thou
sand dollars, which is apportioned to
the several school districts according
to the area of that district located in
the township in which was located the
original 10th section.
The next is the special school tax,
amounting to about Sl4.0 which is
apportioned by the assessor when he
makes up the tax rolls and is so collect
ed by the tax collector and turned over
to me as treasurer of the school fund.
The next is the general school fund,
consisting of the poll taxes, fines and
forfeitures of bonds, the current school
fund which we get from the State and
the three mills we get from the parish,
known as the police jury appropriation.
This general fund is pro rated by the
school board and myself to the several
school districts according to the num-
Der of educabIe children residing in the
respective school districts, the color
and nationality of the child cutting no
figure in the case.
This plan of pro rating the funds
has been in force, presume, possibly
ever since you have had public schools,
at the same time there is no special law
for it, and none against it. mean the
pro ration of this last fund mentioned,
known as the general school fund,
which amounts to something over $780,
1000. 90 annually.
1t will be seen from the above figures
that the entire revenues of the parish
for schools will amount to about $36, :
co., 90, which is inadequate to pay the
salary of the white teachers, provided
che schools run eight months, and for
that reason this question of financing
the schools has arisen, and it is now up
20 the people to say whether they want
to take up the system of schools We
mad some years ago, scarcely an aver
age term of three months, or go Oh.
with the progressive movement and
continue to have eight or nine months
public schools, as We have had for the
past four or five years. What will the
people of the parish do?
The plan to re-finance the schools
sufficiently to maintain them for peri
cd of eight months, is to vote parish
wide tax of five mills on the dollar, with
the exception of five school districts,
namely, Lincecum, Liberty Chapel,
Black Creek, Greed and Dry Prong,
which five districts have plenty of mon
ey to continue to run on a cash basis
with the tax they are already paying,
which will continue to run from three
to four years.
The other school districts have been
; grouped into one mot consoidated) fol
the purpose of voting the tax, said dis
trict to be known as school district No.
>
81, but the original territorial subdivis-
ions remain as they have always been.
In other words, no school district has
lost its identity. All money now to
the credit of any district will remain
as it is, and all Indebtedness will re-
main as it now is. The proposed five
mill tax will be apportioned to each
district in its just and fair proportion.
Ninety-five per cent of the revenues
that may accrue from the parish wide
tax, provided it carries, is to be pro
rated or apportioned according to the
number of educable white children liv-
ing in the several school districts of
| the parish, and the remaining five per
cent is to be pro rated to the colored
! children in the respective school dis
tricts.
; Some have wanted to know why it is
, that some of the school districts have
been maintaining their schools and not
pay a five mill tax Others seem to
think that the school board has been
giving funds belonging to some districts
to these districts where they have new
er paid tax, at least some talk that