The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1916-04-01
A Parish Wide Tax for Schools.

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Last week we commented upon
and made liberal extracts from
the report of Chas. F. Trudeau on
the schools of Grant parish, made
to to the State Superintendent OF
Education in January. Much In
terest is taken in this report by
the entire parish, and we have
been asked to print what Mr..
Trudeau has to say about the
support of the schools by parish
wide taxation. He says:
s.G-ant now has parish-wide special
maintenance tax of FIVE mills for five
years, expiring IN 1918; besides, five
districts are now paying special main
tenance taxes. and four districts are
paying special building taxes. For the
last six years, all white schools of the
parish have had an eight-months ses-
sion, excepting the high schools. which,
as the law requires, must operate nine
months year; there are eleven negro
schools in the parish. whose average
session is four months-the same teach
ers teach two, sometimes three, sepa-
rate schools during the twelve months.
In 1915, special school taxes in sixteen
separate districts expired. In view OF
the foregoing information, and in order
that all white schools may continue to
operate for at least eight months q
year, we strongly recommend that
special maintenance tax, parish wide,
be voted in the parish of Grant. And
in fixing the rate of such tax we adj
wise that tn. people of this parish take
cognizance of the following facts:
"First-That all moneys for the up
keep of schools, for fuel, brooms, nee
essary minor repairs, equipment and
teachers salaries should be provided by
parish wide tax levied on all property
10 the parish, turned over by the prop
er officials to the treasurer of school
funds and by him expended for all such
needs Of the school when properly au-
thorized to do so by his school board.
By all means, this tax should do away
with the present incidental fee now
collected from those who are willing to
pay it, and never collected from those
who are of mind to refuse paying it.
School entertainments, subscription
lists, begging by teachers and pupils
should no longer be resorted to in order
TO raise funds for the general needs of
q school. 1t should be the parish's
business to furnish this money by
means of special parish wide school
tax. 1t is matter of business and
should be handled in a business way
The way mentioned we believe is the
proper way.
Secondly The parish resources are
10 unequally distributed, its wealth SO
unevenly distributed in the parish, that
some school districts with large num-
Der of children to be educated are al
most too poor to do so; on the other
hand, some district, with most Of the
wealth of the parish in it, railroads,
telegraph, and telephone lines, ETC.,
and with but small number of chill
dren of educable age, may have more
money than is needed to educate these
children. If railroads do not pay taxes
to educate children in a given district
in preference to the children in some
other district of the same parish, much
less did nature, which placed more
wealth in some corner Of parish than
she did in another, intend any such par
tial distribution of educational advant-
ages among the children of the parish.
No, the parish is the unit of taxation,
and the only fair unit. We advocate
special maintenance parish wide tax
for the benefit of all the white children
Of Grant. 1t is badly needed and the
children are entitled to it..