The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-01-17

THE DISTRICT CHARTER
Report Of the trustees to the Dis.
iis trict Voters. t

Af tfF it- ~''SS vSh~tcs
The following is the report of the
trustees of the graded school district
relative:to the proposal to throw up
the charter OF the Incorporated dis
trict and unite again with the town
| district:
Present School Law and Public
Money.
The provisions of the School law
| passed at the last legislature have
suggested the desirability of sur
rendering the district special char
ter and entering the town system in
school management
The consolidated school fund. No.
Ga acts of 1915, is made up from the
income of the permanent school fund,
the sum of $130,OO0.00 appropriated
annually by the State and the 10 per
cent. school tax assessed by section
1863. These monies are pooled in the
consolidated school fund and appro-
priated as follows:
(a) For the general admlnistra-
tion and office expenses of the state
board of education 5 100000
Cb) Superptendents 100000
(c) Training teachers for
elementary schools 100000
I'D Summer schools 100000
(e) Transportation and
board Of scholars, elellen-
tary schools 100000 90
(f) Payment OF portbn :
salaries, teachers in rural
schools 100000
(g) And finally the balance is
placed at the disposal OF the state
board of education for aiding rural
schools and for equalizing education
al opportunities and advantages. On
this last clause the Bennington grad
ed school District received approx
mately $1,000. this year For the
three years previous to this plan Of
distribution we have averaged to re-
ceive some $4,000 annually. The in
corporated district gets less and the
town gets more than formerly on this
new plan of distribution II we sur
render our charter the public money
coming to the town system would be
the same as the combined amount re-
ceived by the incorporated district
and town. There would be no change
in that particular but as the matter
now stands the inc. district is taking
the larger share of the burden OF
higher education. Surrendering our
charter and merging with the town
would increase the town school tax
and lower the districts tax somewhat
and thus the burden of school taxa
tion would be equalized. You will un-
derstand that this discussion does not
apply to the North Bennington inc.
school district.
Financially.
The trustees of the district have
calculated that 80 cent tax on the
grand list would support our schools
and take care of the Indebtedness,
but on this new basis OF distribution
OF the public money 1t may require q
dollar tax il we continue as an inc.
district. The districts debt is now
100000 with cash on hand and be-
coming due to care for running ex-
peuses until about June l, 1917. The
assets of the district are two or three
times the amount Of the indebtedness.
In the town system the school tax
would probably not exceed IS or so
cents on the grand list. In 1915 T5
cent tax would have netted approxi-
mately the same sum as the combined
taxes of the inc. district and town
school tax. This year we have 80
town pupils in our high school at the
tuition rate Of $4,000 annually. or a
little more than half of the average
cost per pupil. We also have nearly
100 outside pupils in our grades. The
statute provides that an inc. district
may vote to surrender its charter and
merge with the town system. In this
event the town takes the school pro-
perty and assumes the debt OF the
district. Section 1144 Up. 81 pro-
vides, that when surrender is voted,
1t shall take effect not later than
April 1st.. or Sept 1st.. following the
vote so taken.
The Rufus 3. Godfrey Fund.
In regard to this it is suggested
that in case surrender is voted, that
an application be made to the Court
Of Chancery, to take care of the
Trust Fund and apply 1t so as to car
ry out the real purposes of the testa-
tor so far as they could be ascer-
tanned In this event the town would
probably be made the Trustee and the
proceeds of the trust be for the school
purposes Of the entire town district.
Incorporated School Districts
In our investigation Of the matter
we find that nearly all OF the large
towns In the state have their inc. dis
trict or districts. Many Of them came
into existance some thirty or more
years ago There is great deal of
sentiment attached to them. There
has been a feeling that the special
charter formerly gave some advant'
age but it is questionable If 1t does
now. In some towns we find that
they have considered surrendering
their inc districts burt are waiting to
see what will happen, or for some
other reason they have not yet done
| Sc.
At Brattleboro the question has
been discussed but action not taken
Prin. Smith in his last printed report