The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-07-10
PAY OFF THE SCHOOL DEBT.

Members of the board of education
will be failing in their duty to the tax
payers of the city if they do not take
steps next month, when the tax levy
for the maintenance of the school sys-
tenn is fixed. to make a real beginning
towards wiping out the bonded in
debtedness that hangs over the Topeka
schools. This debt has assumed the
proportions of more than a half million
dollars. Much of it is of exceedingly
long standing. And the interest charges
that have to be paid on it each year
amount to a large sum.
There is only one way to cancel this
huge obligation so that the burden on
the taxpayers will not be excessive.
This is to include in the school tax
special levy to provide a sinking fund
which will be big enough in a few
short years to pay off this Indebtedness
in its entirety. Such a levy would
make the annual school tax a little
bigger than it has been in the past few
years. But the people would probably
be willing to meet it without murmur
for the simple reason that it would
eventually mean money in their pock-
cts. With this debt wiped out, the
thousands and thousands of dollars
that are now paid each year to meet
the interest charges on it could be de-
voted to the general purposes of the
school system. And it would be just
that much money saved each year to
the taxpayers. 1t is now paid out by
them with absolutely no return, except
that it maintains the credit of To-
peka. However, there isn't much real
satisfa ction il this to the taxpayers.
They are merely carrying dead horse,
and one that is mighty expensive.
OF course. boards of education of the
past have been derelict in not estab-
fishing a fixed policy in respect to
creating a sinking fund of adequate
to take care of this bonded
Indebtedness. Most of it should have
been paid off long ago. But negligence
on the part of school boards in the past
is no excuse for negligence on the part
of the present school board and those
to follow it in the immediate future. A
precedent of this sort Is of the kind
that should not be followed under any
This debt must be dis
some time. A good start In
that direction should be made at once.
The longer it is delayed the more costly
it will be to Topeka's taxpayers.
1t is understandable why there has
been a reluctance on the part OF scnoot
boards to take the necessary steps TO
nav off this debt. AS Topeka has grown,
the ordinary expenses for the conduct
of the schools have increased proper
New buildings have been
needed in the newer sections of the
CITY. and to replace the old ones. The
of the schools have been
enlarged in scope to meet the demands
of the times and to keep Topeka schools
a abreast of those in other cities. This
has necessitated the employment of
more teachers, and the purchase of all
kinds of school equipment and appar-
atus that wasn't dreamed of for the
public schools of a generation ago. TO
meet these increased expenses, it has |
been necessary to make the school tax
levy bigger. 1t has been growing gen. |
orally along with all the other tax
levies. So the members of school
boards have probably argued that be- |
cause of the increasing levfes for gen.
eral school purposes, it would be per-
haps burdensome to add a levy for an
adequate sinking fund.
But such reasoning doesn't smack of
alert business methods. Paying huge /
sums in interest each year on the bond |
ed Indebtedness is no more than a |
waste of money that could be used for |
the purposes of the schools in many |
ways and to the best possible advan-
tage. There might better be retrench-
ments in the management of the
schools in countless directions if that |
be necessary. than that this debt |
should run on for a couple of more de-
cades or so.