The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-08-13
FEES CITY
SCHOOLS TO BE RAISED
Financial Condition of City Makes Drastic Action Necessary for
Operation of Nine Months Schoos-Board of Education
to Adopt Schedule of Charges at Meeting Tomor
row-The School Question
ny RICHARD Y. LUssIER

/ sum s441,6619S was paid in salaries to
teachers and other administrative Of
ficers. For school supplies such as
free textbooks. printing and stationery
the sum of S21,192.S5 was spent, while
for the physical operation of the
schools such as janitor service, cost of
telephones, coal, electric light and rent
s25,52S.10 was expended. For mainte-
nance of the buildings it cost $19,-
0S6.1S and other maintenance expenses
amounted to $19,086.1S. The miscella-
neous expenses were $4,03O.72.
The school census in the report of
1914 showed 25,9O9 white children of
school age and 22,349 negroes.
The registration in the public
schools, according to the 1914 report,
showed 1903 white children and 1923
negro children, or a total registra ton
of 26,306.
OF this number the 1914 report shows
that the average daily attendance for
the white children was 1852 and for
the negro children $3.50 or a total of
1915.
The report also indicates that IS
buildings were used for white children
and 81 buildings for the education of
negro children. In all, the city utilizes
Sc separate school buildings. OF this
| number the city owns 80 of the build
ings for white schools and II of the
negro school buildings. The remainder
it rents.
The report shows that Sic white
teachers are employed and 13S negro
teachers, making a total of 564 teach
ers in the employ of the boar dof edu-
, ca ton.
1t was stated yesterday that the
above facts contained in the 1915 re-
port obtained in the present status of
the schools with the exception that
the school buildings as a whole were
in a much worse condition now than
two years ago. The same number of
teachers will be employed during the
coming scholastic year and a registra-
ton, of about $4,000 children is ex-
pected with an. average daily attend
ance of about 10000.
DECREASE IN ATTENDANCE
The registration of the school chill
dren may fall lower, it is stated,
through the fact that the incidental
fee will be raised by the board of ed
uca ton.
"It is quite possible that the regis
tration will fall lower this year than
last" said Commissioner Hornady, las
the incidental may affect some par
ents. But we do not anticipate much
trouble on this score and like last
year we believe the citizens are so
familiar with the city's financial status
that they will willingly pay the ad-
vanced incidental school fee without
embarrassing the board of education
with any opposition.
$4,000 FOR REPAIRS
AT the present time some $4,000 is
being expended on the absolutely nee
essary repairs of the public schools OF
the city. If the public schools of the
city were repaired as the needs de-
mand at the present time it would
take at least 100000 but as we have
not the money we must get along the
best way we can.
1.-THE only hope for Birming CHAM
schools at the present time is in the
passing of the 3-nnill amendment to the
constitution. which will be submitted
to the voters in November. If that
| amendment passes we will get out of
the bog that we are in at the present
time. ias 8,-i s,s.a 81