Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-15
PLAN WORKED OUT
TO GIVE THE CITY
BETTER SCHOOLS
Proposed Legislation Places Entire
Responsibility on Board
of Education.
WITH MODERN EQUIPMENT

Modern educational equipment LOT WIZ
mington-which includes some new anu
up-to-date schools, with adequate tacih-
ties for development. and the anoli,'oh
of the present buildings that are opsoietc
"a busnesslkc method oi financing,
with regard To the raising and spehdlhg
of the necessary funds, and the substitution
of a smaller Board of Education, with iuii
rosponsibilitv for the school management,
are the salient features of u bill which IS
IN course, Of preparation for presentation
10 the Legislature, now IN session at DoVcr.
All Of these points have been agreed upon
cxccpt as To the size Of the board, but 1t IS
likely that that matter will bc dec4ded ut
a meeting tonight of those who are drawing
the bill As small boards, elected ut
large. appear to get better results IN cities
where they have been tried, u IS believed
this feature will he provided for IN the biii,
with a board oi five or seven members,
though there Is nothing definite vet on
this point NJ present the board COM
priscs Is members, one from each ward
and the president, who Is Gle cted at large.
The bill is being drawn what IS known
"a tho CITY Committee on Public Itduca-
ton which is composed Of delegates from
80 or more civic organizations Of the city.
Charles Warner, who Is chairman ni the
committee bv invitation Of the Men $
Club Of st Andrew Church, explained
the proposition last night at 4 JOINT meet
ing Of the Mems Club and its guests the
members of the Rotary Club. held IN -
Andrew : Parish house Earlier IN the
evening MIR Warner had explained the
proposition to the Social Service ia
at a dinner IN the Hotel Nobis
Under tho present arrangement, while
tho Board Of Education IL corporation
independent OF the city administration,
in j sense, working under separate
charter from the Legislature Il i depend
ent on City Council for funds The ncw
plan is 10 give the board the authority
10 levy the school tax, for which nnc mllls
on the dollar is fixed as a MAXIMUM ! ms,
it is figured, would be adequate 70 run tn"
schools and pay tho interest on the loans
that would he necessary to provide modern
equipment including number oi up-to-
date buildings, and retire thr bonds,
whea due In Pennsylvania tho legal
maximum is 20 mills. but as realty IS not
fully assessed, as il Is here. that, II i c>tl-
mated, would be equivalent 10 l5 mills
here, higher than the bill proposes as
the maximum from Wilmington
The hill will also give the board au-
thority to borrow up 70 , per cent Of the
assessed value Of real estate IN tho city,
for new buildings, with a restnN tiqn 10
IL of / per cent IN any one year This
would prevent board borrowing moro
than 1t needed
LOAN WOULD RE SUBSTANTIAL
On the borrowing basis mentioned
above Il j. estimated that the board
could obtain up 10 ST 100000. which
would permit of the retirement II Sie0
600 worth oi obllCa tlons now outstanding
and leave 81 100000, which, i Is he
hcved. would he adequate ndcr the
restriction. however, not more than about
100000 could be borrowed IN airy ono
year.
SoME or OUE pTFECTS.
Mir Warner said d year agoW ilmington
was next 10 the lowest city IN its class in
the per capita expenditure per child at
school, the amount spent by the city for
each child being about $50 year. Iren
ton, \ j was the only city that spent
less, while most critics averaged from $50
10 500, while some spent ~ high as SOB
and S67 Under the proposed financial
plan with 9 mills as the tax levy
maximum, Wilmington, he said. could
spend up TO sos per child, and then be
we'll within the limit He felt that by
placing on the board the entire response
bility for raising and spending the money
the board would feel It's obligation To the
city and would keep within bounds. II 1t
did not it had its legal limits anyway
MIR Warner quoted trom 4 report re-
ceived FROM Superintendent OF Schools
Clifford j Scott two year, ago, pointing
out number OF the most conspicuous
defects, enumerated AS follows, and most
of them still existing and being even
worse.