The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-08-26
SYSTEM OF FEES TO
BE INAUGURATED TO
KEEP CITY SCHOOLS
OPEN NINE MONTHS
CONTINUED from Page Five)

pupil to credit. Our high schools with a
seven-month session would be below
standard and would not be accredited
by the college and universities of the
country. Such a condition must seriously
affect rot only the schools, but the high
est welfare and reputation of the city
as we'll.
I'VE have thought that we might allevi-
ate the situation by running the schools
for seven months free and charging regu-
lar tuition for the additional two months,
excluding from attendance those who
were unwilling or unable to pay and
using only so much of the school prop
erty and plants as would accommodate
those able and willing to pay.
Would DemOralize System
but such a solution would necessarily
involve confusion of the worst kind, be-
cause not many, but many thousands,
would be unable or would decline for some
reason or another to pay the extra two
months fee and in consequence the
whole system of promotions and advance
ments would be utterly demoralized, and
in the end we would be involved not
only in great confusion, but enormous
additional expense to reorganize the new
classes, so as to provide new teachers
and different classifications for those
who had gone the full nine months term
lTOIIl tHoSt WHO Hdu sOHC OIly seven
months. Such a solution we, therefore.
believe would be unsatisfactory, as we'll
as unwise.
Moreover, as a practical proposition,
we have found that under our law as it
now stands we have no authority to
charge tuition fee in our public schools.
the theory of the law being that tuition
should be free. We, therefore, could not
without a change in the law charge tut
ton for any part of the term.
TT has been determined. however, by
our supreme court, that although a tut
ton fee cannot be charged, the respec-
tive school boards of the state have the
right to charge a reasonable incidental
fee for heating, lights, janitor service and
the like. If we could collect from this
source enough to pay the Incidental ex-
the entire deficiency due to the unex-
nected reduction in our revenues by the
city authorities.
I'm the case of Robertson VS.. Oliver.
66 Sou. 645, it is said:
" In the case of Bryant VS.. Whisenart
167 Ala. 325 this court, after careful con-
siderat ton, declared that chapter Al of
the code of 1907. which relates to the pub
lie school system of the state. contem-
plates that tuition shall be absolutely
free to all minors of the state over the
age of seven. In this same case this court
also declared that school boards have a
right to fix a reasonable Incidental fee
for heating and lightinfi the schoolroom,
ETC., and that they have the right to re-
quire. by reasonable regulations, each
child within school age as a condition
precedent to entering a public school as
n pupil. to say such incidental fee. OF
course a rule fixing reasonable inciden-
tai fee and requiring it to be paid on the
first day of each month, will be upheld
by the courts
I'VE have. therefore. determined to i'm
pose small incidental fee, to cover a part
only of the incidental expense, of % cents
per pupil for the first seven grades, and
80 cents per pupil per month for the
High school grades. to meet as far as 1t
will the present emergency.
Ask Cooperation Of Citizens
III the patrons Of the school system OF
Birmingham will but bear with us dur