Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-05-15
Agreement Reached by Council Com.
mittee and Board Not 10 Ask
Additional z Mills
FEAR JE0PARDIZING OF WHOLE
SCHEME OF PAYING OBLIGATIONS
Teachers Must Have More Money,
Says Dykes; Closing of Schools
One Alternative Faced

An agreement has been entered into
between the finance committee of the
city council, and the special commit
tee of the school board appointed to
negotiate with the council, that the
extra two-mill tax which the school
board proposed recently to council be
added to the city's 5-mill special tax
bill in the legislature at the coming
session, shall not be asked, but the
schools present needs will be met
by the council out of the money to be
raised by the 5-mill special levy. 1t
is possible that this agreement may
be reported to the council tonight.
Although the wisdom of both spec
ial levies was believed in both by mem
bers of the city council and the
school board, after considerable DELHI
Grafton it was thought unwise to ask
for. both special levies at this time,
and it was feared by Mayor Sheppard
and others that the extra two-mill bill
might jeopardize the city's 5-mill pro-
posal, and that nothing should be un-
dertaken that would in any manner
endanger it's passage, since it is de-
signed to liquidate in period of five
years 100000 of city floating in
debtedness, which is now due and
payable.
To Meet Both Needs.
AS announced by Mayor Sheppard at
the time the financing program was
adopted by the council, the 5-mill levy
was expected to be ample for paying
off this 100000 of Indebtedness in
the specified time, meeting all inter
est requirements and leaving a small
surplus. 1t was expected to raise $685.
600 the first year, and increase slight
ly each year with the growth of the
city and increased property values.
After closer calculation the city Off
Gals determined that the sum needed
by the board of education-some $5, 500
to $4,000 this year-might safely be
spared from the fund to be raised by
the special levy and still leave a suffi-
cient fund to liquidate the city's in
debtedness according to program.
which arrangement was satisfactory
to the board of education.
1t was stated in this connection that
because the originally prepared bill
as recommended by the city council
specified that the money raised by the
special levy should be used for no
other purpose whatsoever, except the
payment of outstanding floating in
debtedness This will have to be
amended under this new program, so
as not to preclude the school appro-
priation from it.
Board Up Against IL.
The board of education is simply
up against it." said w. W. Dykes,
chairman of the teachers committee
of the board, today in discussing the
school emergency I'VE face the pos
sibility of either having no schools
at all next season or operating with
inefficient teachers who will mean
lower standard of schools than we
have had heretofore.
The fact is, Judging by the pres
ent cost of living, we are not paying
living wages. We have lately been pre-
pairing for the election of teachers
for the coming year, and have discov-
cred that many of our present teachers
are not applicants for reappointment.
We have discovered that other cit
les, where arrangements have been
made to increase teachers wages for
the coming term to something near
er what they should be are already
dickering with our best teachers.
I'VE read in the newspapers this
week that the teachers of Atlanta had
Joined labor union. They were
driven to it for their own protec-
tion because they could not get
living wage otherwise
First Request for More.
There is one important thing that
would like the people of Americus
to understand, and that is that this