Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-08
HIGHER SCHOOL TAXES
PEND UNLESS CAUTION
GUARDS EXPENDITURES
Secretary of Education Board,
Citing Large Increases Dur
ing 1915, Warns of Over
head Expenses
COLLECTION OF CLAIMS

Utmost caution must be used by the
Board of Education in framing recon.
mendations involving increased overhead
charges or II higher rate of taxation Will
be necessary
This is pointed out by William Dick
secretary of the Board of Education, in
his report on the financial and business
affairs of the School District of Phila-
delpha for the fiscal year ending Dccem.
Der 81, 1915.
Although considerable amount Of
work has been accomplished in the better.
mcnt of school conditions, the report says
that much remains to be done in meeting
the needs of various localities and the re-
uuirements of the school code in its com.
prchensive plan of public education.
The report says that since January l.
1912, when the school code went into op.
Grafton, the board has borrowed $1,000
600. which with the assumed debt of
$7.9S3.2Sl created by the city, entails an
appropriation annually of $llOS,OOO for
debt service For every million dollars
borrowed by the board there is Il fixed
charge of amou, $4,000 for 10 years
MAINTENANCE INCREASE.
For elementary schools during the prcs-
ent year 216 additional classrooms are
required. These, in addition to the
Northeast High School ordered by the
board, will cost about S2,O0O,0OO, all of
which must be provided for out of new
loans, at an additional fixed charge of
about 100000 exceeding the average
yearly increase in revenue from taxes,
etc. which amount, says the report,
should be used to meet the annual in
crease in maintenance resulting from the
natural growth of the school system,
rather than for debt service.
Referring to the continued increase in
.t.- toll, gRh fHt' he
last 10 years, it is predicted that UieFe
will he continual growth in high school
buildings to the extent of at least one
per year
AS TO TAX CLAIMS.
PcrsIstency in collecting all claims for
unpaid taxes is advocated in the report.
In this connection 1t says:
"The wisdom of keeping alive all
claims for unpaid taxes by filing liens
against each delinquent property has been
justified from the results obtained, even
though in some cases the cost of filing
said liens was in excess of the amount
collectible. The rapidly accruinE interest
charges, penalties and other costs have
awakened the minds of many of the de-
lnquents to the fact that the Board Of
Public Education is going after every
dollar of taxes that has been levied for
school purposes, and that 1t will be
cheaper for them to pay up.
"By way of illustration, we have OK
pended about $500 for filing liens against
delnquents of 1912. OF this amount we
have had returned to us in the collection
of lien fees about $500. leaving n net
expenditure for filing liens of $1,000. which
enables us to legalize our claims against
said delinquents for the collection of the
$4,000, with penalties and interests still
due The amount of this delinquency on
December 81 1912. was almost $4,000
Not only is the delinquency in these cases
discharged but when the owners realize
that 'dodginG the school tax collector is
not to be tolerated said holdings become
live taX-producing properties for the
school district and very often for the mu-
nicipalty as we'll"
The total receipts for 1915 were more
than S75OOO0 less than 1914. This was
partly due, according to the report, TO
the fact that the amount of money bor-
rowed lust year was 100000 less than
the previous year