The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1917-07-13
BELTRAMI SCHOOLS
SUFFER AT HANDS
OF STATE BOARD,
GOVERNOR SHOWS

St. Paul, July 13.-Governor
Burnquist has sent the State High
School Borad a letter in which he
not only gives details of what he
terms IAN exceedingly inequitable
treatment of the pupils in our
schools and taxpayers of our state"
in the distribution of school aid, but
also reminds the board that it has
failed to make the annual report
declared by law.
The letter, accompanied by a re-
port from Public Examiner Andrew
E, Fritz, was received by the board
: at it's meeting yesterday.
:, The public examiner has just
pleted a thorough examination or
the records of the board and the dis
tribution, of state aid.
Discrimination Shown.
The governor, in his letter, quotes
from the examiners report figures
which he says are typical of the IN
eoualities in the distribution OF ald'
not onl .yas between counts SINH
larly situated, but between dlstrlcts
in the same county.
\. Fillmore and Freeborn, nelghDor-
ing counties on the southern border
of the state, have the same local tax
rate for school purposes, about nine
mills. To Fillmore county the state
navs as state aid STAT, and to Free
born only 1888 per pupil.
Crow Wing and 1tasca counties
each have a local tax rate OF l5:5
mills. To Itasca county the state
nays 50. .95 per pupil and to Crow
Winp county only $3.11.
Some Extremes Quoted.
Koochiching and Beltraml are au-
Joining counties. Koochiching mas q q
: tax rate of 21 mills and gets $l5:3S
ner nupil, while Beltrami, with tax
rate of 27 mills, gets only $6.75 per
pupil. .v..r>. .o ...o, ~
nearly II mills and gets 1887 per
nnnil while Sibley county, with
tax rate of less than half that OF
Stearns, gets from the state s9'A
per pupil.
Anoka and Big Stone counties have
the same tax rate, but Big Stone gets
nearly twice as much perp pupil as
:Anoka county.
These are but typical of the many
INEQUALITIES in the distribution, ac-
cording to the governor.
In Mower county Austin gets $6.Vo
per pupil, while Lyle gets S4.9O per
pupil. In Winona county, St. Charles
gets $45.9O per pupil, and Wlnona
1888. In Itasca county, Deer River
gets S6.SS per pupil and Grand
Rapids SIS per pupil.
Again Asks Reform.
"If the State is to take the position
that it is it's purpose to give every
pupil, as nearly as may be, equal
educational opportunities, it cannot
continue to permit such INEQUALITIES
between localities and PERSONS, the
governor SAYS. and he continues:
1T was because I fully belleved
that our school aid system should be
Just and equitable that l advocated
a change in the methods of the dis
tribution of aid in my budget mes
sage to the last Legislature. 1t was
in accordance with that desire and
for the purpose of calling attention
to the need of such a change. as we'll
as on account of the large approprla-
tions of this year, by reason OF war
conditions and the $2.500,000 in
crease in school aid. that vetoed a
portion of said increase, with the ex-
poctation that your board would so
adjust, out of current funds, the pay
ment of deficits and the aid for the
rext two years so that the various
districts throughout the state would
suffer no hardship by reason of said
veto.
"As you were Informed at your
last meeting, the attorney general
holds that you are in a position to
pay any past moral obligations out
of funds now available.
II feel that the state high school
board can be of much service to the
state in co-operating with the ad-
ministraticn in its present educa-
tional policy, for it's only purpose is
to secure for all the children of our
commonwealth equal and larger op-
portunities to obtain the education
to which they are entitled"