Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-10-03
CITY MAY LOSE
IT'S SCHOOL FUND
State Officials Inclined To Cut
Baltimore's Share For Annex.
State Law And Red Tape
OVER $4,000 IS INVOLVED

Baltimore City is apparently in dan
ger Of losing out in the distribution of
this years State school funds for the
new Annex. This seems TO be the
state of things after several days
negotiations between state and city
officials.
Although the schools in the sec
lions annexed, from both Baltimore
and Anne Arundel counties, will be
taken over by the city on January /
and all of their expenses will be paid
thereafter by the city. there is con-
siderably more than a possibility that
the school funds for the annexed ter
ritory will be given Baltimore and
Anne Arundel counties for the entire
year by the State authorities. The
amount involved is estimated at from
$4,000 to $4,000.
Under the law the State school fund
is divided into two parts. One-third is
distributed in proportion to the at
tendance in the preceding year: two
thirds is distributed according to the
census of school children for the pre-
ceding year. or. in other words, ac-
cording TO the school population. The
State Superintendent of Education
makes up the attendance records and
complies the census. and forwards
both TO the Comptroller. The latter,
upon those figures. makes the distri-
button of the school funds between the
city and the several counties.
Dr. NJ Bates Stephens, State SUI
perintendent of Education, filed with
the Comptroller early in September
the figures as to attendance and CEN
sus. Those figures, of course. were
gathered from the 1917-191S school
year, during which the new Annex
were still parts of Baltimore and Anne
Arundel Counties. If Comptroller
McNIullen takes without question the
figures submitted by DR.. Stephens,
that part of the school fund applic-
able this year to the Annex will go to
the two counties only until January
/, which will cover about two-fifths of
the school year, while the city will
bear the expenses from January /, or
for about three-fifths of the scholastic
year
1t seems that the matter could be
adjusted by having a corrected census
filed with the Comptroller by DR..
Stephens; that is, by having new re-
port filed, showing the shift in the
school population of the Annex of Bal
timore city. The shift, under the act.
actually took place on June L, when
the Annexation act went into effect.
That would give the city two-thirds of
the school funds for the Annex, on ac-
count of the census, beginning with
the first quarterly payment, which is
made in this month. The schools in
the Annex are under the counties con-
troll now, and the city would gain for
would be offset by the loss to the city
for the entire school year of any share
in the one-third of the funds, distri-
buted upon the attendance. The city
would make no claim to that.
A simpler and much more business
like way out of the situation would be
to have the State Superintendent and
the State Comptroller arrange their
bases of distribution so that the entire
fund-both the one-third for attend
ance and the two-thirds for census
would be given to Baltimore and Anne
Arundel Counties until January /, that
is, while the counties are paying the
expenses of the Annex schools and
given to the city after that date, when
it will have assumed the expenses of
the schools. But there seems to be
some question as to whether that may
be done in strict compliance with the
law.