The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-15

new buildings and equipment are not in
cluded. For this sum the state does not
rank as the thirty-hfth In any essential
test. She does not by a wide margin, and
here is where Mr.. Willingham should rise
to explain the situation. Surrounding
states get more for their money and this
fact stands at present unexplained so far
as official statements are concerned"
The Age-Herad through years past has
done such efficient service in promoting
the welfare Of public ecucation In Ala
bama that | am sure the writer merely
nodded this one time. The Age-Herald is
too fair to present a criticism OF our pub
lie school system through any intentional
juggling of facts and figures
Because Alabama ranks thirty-fifth
among the As states in the volume of pub
lie school moneys expended annually, the
Age-Herald would suggest to its readers
that our state ought to stand approxl-
mately that high in the scale of efficien-
cy as compared with the other states,
without any reference whatever to the
number of school children in the several
states. True our volume of money ex-
Dfllbtu III PuDiA1 ihhNdticli lHiity
fifth in the Union, but the Sage founda :
tion report, page 5, on which this fact is
set forth, draws 10 conclusion whatever
as to the efficiency of the several school
systems from that point of view, but the
table referred to, as it states plainly, in
tends merely to show the percentage of
revenue derived from local taxes, state
taxes permanent funds, and other
I IL, 49,,
ranks first i'm general efficiency, is shown
10 rank fifteenth IN the volume Of money
expended, and yet the state of Washing
ton eXpends more money per school child
than any other state in the Union. Penn
sylvania ranks second in the volume of
money expend ID annually for school pur-
poses and yet 1t ranks twenty-third in the
enjciency Of its public school system. X
is not merely a quetsion as to how much
money a state provides annually for pub
lie schools, but how much per child.
Rhode Island ranks thirty-eighth in the
volume of money expended, while Ala
hama ranks thirty-ffth; yet Rhode ISL
! and ranks eleventh in the efficiency of its
public school system. Rhode Island raises
Se1 annually per chic, while Alabama
raises 81 Alabama paying 81 per child
annually from al sources Is the forty
sixth state in that classifca ton, raising
a less amount per child than does the
4
state of Alabama, and the difference be-
tween the Carolinas and Alabama is only
a few cents, as shown by the government
reports issued 4 few weeks ago and as
verified by the Sage foundation report.
| south Carolina Is placed above Alabama
In general efficiency because, as shown
nv this report, that state ranks exceed
ingly high, No. 81 In one single item, that
of attendance. which is produced by the
fact that South Carolina depends on local
taxation 10 the extent of 1913 per cent OF
its entire school revenues. and thus Sc
cures an exceptionally high local interest
and a corresponding high percentage of
attendance in school. North carolr-a.
through compulsory attendance law,
likewise secures a high ranking, No. 27.
in the number of children in school. and
corospondinglv Is placed. through this
item. in the general classification above
| Alabama.
| II the editor Of The Age-Herald ..'ill
| connparo in the Sage foundation report the
| two tables. one the amount Of money ex-
torded per child. the other the rankin
| If the states IN general efficiency, he viii
| hnd q remarkable similarity each stare
| being placed IN the matter Of general e'f1
cheney OF its school system, with ,bpFt
The same ranking which the state has IN