Imperial Valley press., 1916-03-09
Claims That Schools Especially
Are Responsible for the
High Tax Rate of Imperial
County.

!, jury assumes absolute responsibility
therefor.
The figures compiled in the special
auditors report, in reference to our
schools, certainly furnishes food for
thought, and we recommend the very
, closest scrutiny of them, and we fur
ther recommend that these figures
particular those appertaining to the
| enormous cost of conducting and main
, tanning the five high schools of this
, county, be published, to the end that
every taxpayer may know something
of how and where his money for
school purposes is being expended.
From investigation, and by close
inspection of the special auditors re-
port, we find that there has been a
woeful lack of ordinary business meth
DDS in vogue by the trustees in most
Of the school districts along almost
every line, but particularly in the
method, or lack of method, pursued
in writing up the minutes of board
meetings, and in keeping the accounts,
and in purchasing supplies. The spe-
cial auditor plainly shows how hun
dreds of dollars can undoubtedly be
saved by the proper method of buy
ing in quantities, through thoroughly
competent purchasing agent for the
county. We heartily concur with him
in his suggestions in this matter. In
looking over many bills for supplies
furnished, we found, as did the spe-
cial auditor, large percentage of
bills against the county with the high
est prices attached that they will
stand.' Particularly does this seem
to apply to all supplies furnished for
the schools, as we'll as in all wages
paid for labor performed There is
great waste of school money in this
manner, which could easily be stopped
by installing real present day business
methods, as suggested by the special
auditor.
The special auditor has called spe-
cial attention to the unreasonableness
Of recent bond issues in two districts
of this county, viz, inland and Cali
patria. We consider his point well
taken in reference to these two dis
trictS. The amounts voted for school
bonds in these two instances seem to
be beyond all reasonable requirements
at this time. But is it not also fact
that nearly every school district in
the whole county is overloaded? Does
it not seem that the people of this
section nave gone daft on the bond
question? Apparently it is only neces-
sary for some individual or two to
advocate, at any time, an election fol-
the purpose of bonding this commG-
! ity, for any old thing, and for any
amount whatever, and the proposition
is sure to go through with rush,
the people seeming to forget the fact
that there is a payday coming. Par
ticularly does this appear to be true
in reference to all school bonds, as
noted by the special auditor in ref
erence to the two places above named
He might have gone much further and
given other instances equally as bad
or worse, as we shall try to show
you. Here in this school district of
Ell Centre, we have, during the past
year voted additional bonds of sixty
thousand dollars ($6O,OOO) for new
grammar school, and one hundred and
twenty-five thousand dollars ($125,-
OOO) for an addition to our high school
Neither were required when the bonds
were voted nor have they been needed
since, as note the following facts: The
new grammar school is already COM
pleted and ready for occupancy, but
not one single room is wanted at this
time, nor will the building be used
possibly for long time to come, GER
tainly not during this school year. The
$125,OOO voted in the high school dis
trict now reposes peacefully within
the vaults of the county treasurer
and the dear people are now paying
interest On the full amount Of these
bonds, and have been doing so fol
months, with the ground not yet brok-
en- for this not needed new additional
building; nor is it at all likely to be
even wanted for at least a year OIL
more. Is it any wonder that oul
taxes are going up, and still up, by
leaps and bounds, and are fast be-
coming burden almost greater thar
we can bear, when school districts ar,
allowed to vote bonds when not al
all needed and in such eXorbitant