Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-20

nor do they nave w laS~ hP'h - 49,.
prorrams with which they are not iamiiiar:
4 The experience in the majority, oil
cities of the United States has shown thh'
| Do,rds of Education will rarely raise
| school tax rate without general approNa
nv tho rcoplc of It's budget and program
for the year. -,
The Board of Education should
Law out a full constructive program 10,
the schools of Wilmington and should
he IN a position To secure finances 10 carry
out tins program.
a. After extensive study OF conditions
i'm Wilmington and elsewhere, we recon-
mend the following conservative statutory
limits within which the Board of Educa-
tion shall have full power to determine
the annual expenditure for schools and to
issue bonds foi permanent improvements
subject only To It's direct responsibility
e. the people.
~ The annual budget for costs of
opcratinn maintenance, interest on all
school bonds, and amounts necessary to
take care of all matrltics or sinking
fund payment Of bonds, not to exceed
mills on the dollar of the assessed value
of city property
thl The total Indebtedness for school
property not to exceed at any time per
cent of the assessed value of real city
prnpcrty of the ,itv of Wilmington.
,r 4 hmit of one-half of per cent on
assessed real valuation of the City of VIII
mington as the MAXIMUM amount that
may bC borrowed III any one year
,dl Bonded debt for school purposes
shall hc exclusive Of and separate from
municipal Indebtedness
: The limit of 9 mills rs stated above
i lower average of maximum limits IN
other cities ClticS IN Pennsylvania have
maNmum Of ~ mills which is equivalent
To- H. mllS ou Wilmington assessment.
The = per cent limit outlined above IS
the lowest set IN any state tNyomlngl,
and the maNlmum IN Pennsylvania clties
* per cent without revision and up 10
: pcr cent by vote of the people IN the
town affected other states range 70 10
per cent hy vote nf the people The :
Jcr cent bonding limit which - the small
c,t allowed IN other states without q
vote ui the people, Is recommended as
adequate for Wilmington
Wilmington now spends approx
matrlv $50 per child per annum for school
nantrnancc and operation, and has
uv,~tcd III school property about $40
Irr child average cities spend approx
mattel, So pcr chili for maintenance and
operation and have invested IN school
property about 5000 per child, whi =
pcr child iur maintenance and have m
vested ia school property from 500 70
$500 pcr child.
ndcr the program - recommended.
n, pcoplc VIII havr tho same direct con
trrl oyer administration and expenditures
tar luhh. schools through the hoard q
,u.atiou that Is nov exercised through
thr Cltv Council over the administration
,i u1lnclpal affairs and munlcipal cx-
pcndt,urc~ ~ pubic opinion and the
ballot
UDNRD oF FIVE MEMBERS.
ma committee recommends that on
AMI after Iunc 80. 1919, the Board q
nill dutatipn IN WILMINGTON shat
consist ct five members elected at large
far thy following reasons
IN board elected st large every
u,mic, rcpr,,> cuts tie entire u'v directly
lNp,iirucr slows that board mem
hcr c.cc1cd H large naturally assumes
> ultl-vlir interest III all schools and II
tt, ~ssf,p, ( II whole. rather than tEt
Z vatd IcvIrlnt affecting ne or wo school
rdcr board Gle, ted 81 large NJ
practice, ~ building small schools N every
Vard i replaced hN the building ct 'eWel
!. ana larger schools in the ConNemen
Z cntcrs ior nc population
CulC> ln surrounding states who's
schools were poor 2 number OF wears ag'
! under the ward system are now noted 10
4 good schools under boards representing
thc CITIZENS II large
= s IN ~ pCr cent Of he cItleS OF IN
nI,cd states of 100000 Or more Popula
I tion md in - per cent Of the cltles be
tween $1,000 ana 100 600 population
election ~ large has been adopted.
Testimony of All of these cltles
ANA ihc testimony of the nned state
Bureau uf Education. and other authorl
ucs .onccTnlng these cities, IS constan
4 ana InanimouS record Of better results
REASONS ron SMALL BOARD.
q Ihc following arguments are advance
m favor ~ small board
= A small ioard can transact huslncs
nor, cfh0cntiv. u ahlc ic discuss en-
deId, n matters uf importance Tltbou
uslng committees and will mol assum
executive duties which belong nrpperi
70 paId experts Of the board
= , The small board is FREE 10 give II
Is entire attention to constructive plan
1, and general cducational policies, whli
~ paId experts. acting under the contrf
uf the board produce better results, a
y iess cUsi IN CARVING out the adninistratlT
work oi the board on account OF thel
J.. cNu.rieuce and constant attention I
D business
3 The tendency in All cities is tOwar
, thc small board, as the people can secur
q majority nf competent men more easll
ID oii j small board than on a large board
and r can b., held more directly respona
q ihl, Ia thc people because the excuse c
- committee action and ward division
cannon be- used save anV member iron
= Just pubhc criticism arising IN any sectlo
OF the city.
ID sually, on small board eiecte
r at Iarg, the candidates are chosen WIT
2 view 10 their special qualifications an
experience lhu~ an ideal board o1 nv
5 would b. made up Of men pecullarl
qualified "a handle such problems q
= finance up-to-datr business admlnIstri
tlun the health Of tho pupils, and tn
n educational standards required IN moder
ifc : Under the ward system eac
. ward elects the man who happens TO /
III popular oT we'll known. without regard I
Wlat typ,., Of men the other wards al
; clccting. hence il frequently happer
n m ward-elccted board that all Of the mer
while really representing their repectlN
(" wards have no special qualifications f
handling the peculiar problems whic
~ arist ln q Board uf Education.
\ Io AMEND LAW.
81 The committee recommends that
bi. properly Incorporating the abo'