The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1917, 1914-04-14
STATE BUILDING FUND
HELPS MANY SCHOOLS
FOUR SCORE COMMUNITIES
ARE AIDED
FOR NEW SCHOOLS
Letter Received By Anderson Ed.
ucator From State Superinten-
dent OF Education

According to a letter just received
by j. B. FELTON,, county superintendent
of education, from j. Il. Swcaringcn,
state superintendent, about $4,000
will be available this year for the pur
pose Of aiding communities to erect
new school buildings.
The following is Mr.. Swearingens
| letter in full:
During 1913. no State aid for
school building" says Mr.. Swcarin-
gen. was available. During 1912, tho
building fund was exhausted early in
the summer, leaving a heavy deficit
in this appropriation.
| Every county board OF education
was urged to protect the building ap-
plications for 1912 by contributing the
usual amount from the county build
! ing fund and further amount from
its discretionary county board fund.
The carrying out of the policy was
made possible by the second distribu-
tion OF the state dispensary money In
! September 1913. and by the setting
aside for special purposes of one-half
OF the one mill state tax last year.
Il hope. therefore, that all build
ings erected without State aid during
1912 and 1913 have been fully paid for.
III any district Is embarrassed by un-
paid debts arising from new school
buildings during 1912 or 1913 the sta
tus of every such district will be fully
considered upon the presentation OF
/ the facts.
THE 1914 appropriation must be
used for the completion OF building al
! ready under way. or for tho arert ion
OF new schcolhouses before Decem-
Der 81, of this year. Building already
finished or building to be constructed,
during 1918 cannot participate In the
fund. The appropriation is for cur
rent needs. Contingent improvements
cannot he considered, because they are
frequently never made. Future i'm
torovements to be added after jan
, uary l. 1913, must be left to future ap-
| preparations.
"All school buildings erected at pub
lie expense must be located on land
owned In fee simple by the school dis
trict trustees. Blue prints OF all pro.
posed houses must be submitted to the
county board OF education for approx
al before extra aid can be legally gran
| ted.
prof r. r.. Lee OF Clemson college
has rendered valuable assistance 10
the schools by cooperating with the
department in preparing g bulletin
iof~sehooi plans, dhd by distributing
blue prints free OF cost. Any plan reg
commended by him will be approved
In this office. EF4
Application blanks for building aid
are enclosed herewith. The law re-
quiFes the payment OF these claims
In the order OF their receipt. Any
board of trustees planning a new
building during 1914. or desiring TO
complete their scnooihouses this year
! should confer with you and send in
both their plans and their appIica-
, tion at once
"If any school or district stands In
need of extra aid, the local board
should make application for part Of
the $4,000 recently appropriated by
the general assembly for needy
schools This fund is especially de-
signed to protect the weak, short term
schools in the rural districts. With
| 1t ] hope you will be able to run ey-
cry white school for a session of at
least six months, or better still, seven
months.
II take 1t for granted that every
county superintendent and each coun-
ty board of education will have ex-
pended their county board fund deriv-
ed from the state dispensary balance
as well as their county board fund
derived from one-half of the 1913 one
mill State school tax before any ap-
plication Is made for further State
aid. Since these two county funds
may be used In the discretion Of
county school officers, we cannot con.
sistentiy ask for more money until the
amounts in hand have been fully util.
lied. At the same time the uses OF
these two county board Funds during
19l3-1914 should Indicate and should
regulate In no small measure the uses
of the State contingent fund recently
made available.
gbfbgpyr. ed