Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-05-23
SCHOOL BUDGET
RAISES TAX RATE
lrvington Board of Estimates
observation-disclosures
in Salaries.

After slicing $S63.s3 from the IT.
vington school tax budget the Board
of School Estimate last night voted
to appropriate $4,000 to be raised by
taxation for the support of the
schools. This amount is s6,o27.16 in
excess of the town appropriation last
year, which was s3S.972.s9. The in
crease will cause an advance of six
points in the tax rate.
The total school budget is now
fixed at $110,S11.17. The Board of
Education wanted Sill, 675. From the
State the town will receive $65,S11.17,
an increase of $9,54S.46 over that of
last year.
School Commissioner Edward f.
Folsom, chairman of the Board of
School Estimate, explained to the
board members last night that new
teachers are the primary cause of
$40, 900 increase in the item Of teach
ers' salaries. Fourteen new ones are
engaged for this year to teach in
the new Grove and the Augusta street
schools, which, Mr.. Folsom said, will
be opened in the fall.
Mayor David Fl. Greene was very
skeptical of these buildings being
ready for use this year and thought
the budget should contain less APP
proprlations for those schools. He
was given positive assurance that
the buildings will be completed by
October, If not IN September.
Increases In Salaries.
Increases of salaries of old teach
ers, amounting to $4,475, was far too
great in the minds of Mayor Greene
and Councilman Louis G. Breiten-
bach. Fifty-six teachers have each
been given a raise of $50 each.
Neither official questioned that, but
cited two instances where salaries
were raised $500 and $500. respective
~, which, they declared, was not
acting on good business principles.
Mr. Folsom said the superintendent
of schools, who gets the $500 raise,
had received no increase in three
years and the commissioner believed
the superintendent is well worth the
$4,000 which he will now receive.
Mayor Greene replied that he did not
question the mans worth, but sim
ply opposed such large increase at
one time. He thought 1T would be
better to let the increase be dis
tributed over two years at $3.50 each
year. Councilman Breitenbach was
of a similar opinion.
Explaining the raise of $3.50 in a
sewing supervisors salary, Commits
sioner Thomas b. Buchan said the
teacher came as sort of experiment
last year for only $780, He declared
she had made good. could command
5000 elsewhere, and that her work
in the schools is of such a practical
character that the board could i'll
afford to dispense with her services.
She teaches in all the schools.
Contracts are signed in April with
all the teachers, as Is the customary
practise, and no reductions in sala-
ries can now be made.
Cut to $4,000.
Following a careful examination of
the various items in the budget by
all the estimate board members,
Mayor Greene declared he felt sure
that the Board of Education could
get along with $4,000 instead of the
SAT, s63.S3 requested. He said that he
is fighting hard to keep the tax rate
down, and while he realized the i'm
portance of the schools. he believed
200 would be ample for the boards
needs He moved the appropriation
of that amount. Seconded by Coun-
Gilman Charles Hartkopf, the motion
was passed unanimously.