The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-01-02
Supt. Williams, of Schools,
Says This County Will Re-
ceive More Money in Case
Law'Is Passed.
FIGHT IN GENERAL
ASSEMBLY EXPECTED
Officials Want State to Col
z lect in Proportion to the
Wealth and Distribute Ac-
cording to Attendance.

Wayne county will be greatly bene-
fitted in case of the passage of the pro-
posed law to be presented to the state.
Legislature at the coming session rela-
tive to the distribution of the educa-
tional funds of the state, according to
County Superintendent Williams.
Under the present plan, Wayne coun-
ty draws 81 per capita for each of the
105OO pupils in the schools making an
approximate total of $4,000. Under
the new proposed plan 800 will be ap-
propriated for each teacher and the
balance will be divided in proportion
to the attendance By this plan Wayne
county will be benefited because there
are more teachers in proportion to the
number of students in the Wayne
county schools than in the average
county in the state. In Wayne coun-
ty there are 254 teachers, an increase
of six over last year, There are
twenty eight pupils to every teacher in
Wayne county while the average in the
various counties in the state is thirty
two pupils to each teacher. The new
plan is known as the Terre Haute plan
as it was instituted by school author
tiles in that city.
Ft. Wayne Objects.
Every city and county in the north
ern part of the state except FIT. Wayne
indorsed this measure and every
county in the southern part of the
state is fighting it's passage. The rea-
son for this is that the northern
schools maintain a longer school ses-
sion than the other schools. The ap-
preparation therefore would be greatly
increased among the northern coun-
ties as the school attendance would
be larger as a result of the longer ses-
sion. In Wayne county the average
session is 166 days while the average
county session is 144 days. BY a COM
parison of the two gains that of the
teachers and the pupils this county
would gain approximately Is per cent.
or from $4,000 to $4,000. The mini
mum amount which the county could
gain is $4,000 and unless the counties
south of the National road heightened
their school session Wayne county will
gain $4,000.
Would Be Fair.
Wayne county is short on chill
dren and long on wealth and accord
ing to the present plans of assessment
approximately $4,000 more per year
is paid into the fund by this county
than is returned" said Supt. Williams.
Collect in proportion to the wealth
of the counties but distribute accord
ing to the average attendance is what
county officials here desire. Our own
assessment would not be as large then
and the southern counties which make
very small a ssessments on their resi-
dents would necessarily be compelled
to make larger one which would be
only just. They do not make a large
enough appropriation for maintain
ance of their schools while we arr
compelled to make too large an ap-
preparation. Ft. Wayne is the only
northern city fighting the law because
there are many parochial schools
there and other private institutions
which would cause that community to
lose money.
This play, if the law is passed, will
| COMPEL the southern county officials
to install truant officers and inflict
punishments on truants. We have
truant officers in all northern cities
but in southern cities the law is not
vigorously enforced. 1t will be to the
advantage of the school authorities to
have as many pupils attend school as
possible and will also necessitate that
when pupils once register that they
be compelled to keep regular attend
ance.