The Nevada County picayune., 1916-03-16
PUBLIC EDUCATION IN ARK
 ANSAS.
No. 4. A Better System of Taxation.
By Dr, J. R. Jewell, Dean of School ot Education, University of Arkansas.

Education, University of Arkansas.
 NO school revenue system Is good enough for Arkansas that does not give to every child within the state at least seven months a year of ele- hlentafy instruction. No revenue sys- tenn rom now on will be quite good enough for our splendid state unless It oHers to every qualified boy and girl a free high school education. Sev- eral Of our neighboring states do this and we cannot afford to have people in our border counties feel they must move across the state line to have their children we'll educated.
 Any acceptable school revenue sys tenn must provide that this education De furnished and paid for by the local school unit, if possible without exces- siVe taxation; if not, then the state must stand good for what is wanting. we snail never have a school system Tn any way worthy of our boys and girls until Arkansas adopts as her educational motto: Local eeopranhv
 
 education of our children" It must no longer be possible for an Arkansas child to be denied an education be- cause he lives on the wrong side of the road and so is in d poor school district With little taxable property.
 Arkansas must go back to the ad. vice of Thomas Jefferson, that great Commoner, who said, Our country VIII decay unless we have a system of instruction which will reach every de. scrlptfon of our citizens, from the richest to the poorest This principle was my earliest public concern. and It shall be the latest in which | shall permit myself to take an interest. No other sure foundation can be devised for the preservation of freedom and happiness" He also regarded it as an economic question. and forever set tied the equity of taxing all the wealth of the state 10 distribute not in any percaplta way. but rather placing it in the places of greatest need, when he said; If children are untaught.
 
 future cost Us much dearer in their consequences than il would have done in their correction by a good educa. ton"
 Speaking by and large, the average school district of this state, city or rural. IS not able to raise enough money by taxation to support as good a school as are common in our neigh boring states. Many Arkansas com munities, indeed probably most of them, are perfectly willing to vote a larger school tax than is now possi- ble under our present constitution The last Sage Foundation report showed that Oklahoma spends an- nually 75 cents on her public schools per every one hundred dollars of wealth. while Arkansas spends only 29 cents. The amendment now be- fore the people of our state allowing communities if they wish to tax them selves at a higher rate than is now legal must carry, else our sovereignty as people is in danger. Indeed 1t al should pace any constitutional limit of taxation for education upon its people. It is like saying by law that no family shall spend more than so much per week for food
 To have good schools for our chll- dren we shall have to allow any com munity to tax itself twice the present legal limit. and then have the state step in and aid wherever the commun- ity has so little taxable property that it cannot even then maintain good school for minimum of say seven months Gin many states it is put at eight months). The state must then pay the difference. Last year there were some 100000 children not in school at all and some day they will all vote.
 As matter of self-protection to good citizenship Arkansas should pro- vide good public school education for every boy and girl.
 The solution is a township or coun- ty tax for school purposes instead Of the present district tax. which will do away at one stroke with the more ob- vious inequalities of taxation between adjoining districts, one rich because d railroad runs through it. and the other too poor 10 afford a school worthy If he name. And then the state must compel attendance for a minimum of even months of every child, and pay my balance that is yet necessary to maintain the school.