The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-09-09

on a 10 per cent. increase in costs as
shown below is the present day esti-
mated amount of our program:
New High School. 81 ,135, 900
Grand st. School ......... 4S6,000
New Prospect-Myrt1e Ave.
school 55o,000
Longfel1ow School Addition $4,000
Whittier School Addition. 100000
To complete payment of
Mckinley Addition $3.50. $4,000
Land for new High. furni-
ture and equipment 49, 100000
Total ,724 900
Basing our estimate upon standards
laid down by the Fire Underwriters
Association, we are within our rights
in assuming that the valuation of our
school plant has increased SO per
cent. thereby placing the valuation Of
our school plant at the present day at
$6,000,000.
School Revenue.
The budget of the Department of
Education VIII continue to increase in
size and justly so because the City of
Bridgeport will continue to grow in
population and expand in business
and commerce.
The time is coming when we are not
going to be able to maintain schools in
America by local taxation. The state
and federal governments must aid in
the maintenance of public schools to
a far greater degree than they are
now doing. The income from certain
state taxes such as the railroad tax or
the income from state fisheries. ETC.,
must form some such source of in
come. This aid is at the present time
received from the sources named in
the states of New jersey, New York
and Missouri. State aid does not
necessarily mean state control, yet
state supervision when properly ap-
piled is good-it builds b stronger ed
ucational system.
Money spent for schools is an in
vestment in the city's best asset,
viz: good citizenship. The city's prob
lem of education is not a matter of
how cheaply the schools may be op-
Grated, but how wisely, school reve-
nues are expended and a good sys-
tenn cannot be maintained cheaply.
The City of Bridgeport spent last
year the sum of a little over one mil
lion and a quarter dollars for
schools. What has been received by
the pupils in return for expenditure?
the public in any community is the
sole judge.
In the record of Financial Sta
tistics of Cities issued by the Bureau
of Census. Department of Commerce
at Washington for the year 1918, we
find the average costs of operation
per capita in the various city de-
partments were very much greater in
Bridgeport as compared with the
other 46 cities in the classification
of group compiled by the govern
| ment.
Following is the average per capita
cost for At cities; average per capita
cost-city- of Bridgeport; per cent. of
total expense spent in AT cities; per
cent of total EXPENSE idgeport:
Police-s1.67; $3.50; 1912 per
cent; 1877 per cent
F1remen-s1.75; $3.50; 1917 per
cent; 1913 per cent.
! HighwaysS1.S3; $2.07; 11.2 per
cent; 9.S per cent
Charities-.7s; $1.26; At per cent;
| 60 per cent.
school-s5.s1; $3.50; s5.4 per
| cent; s1-2 per cent
| Libraries-.24; "a; IA per cent;
| g per cent.
Recreation-.e2; so; s.s per cent;
3.S per cent.
Health-.41;> III; 2.5 per cent;
"a per cent.
sanitation-s135 s1s7; SO per
cent; s.S per cent.
| From the above, it will be noted
that we are paying more per capita
| in this city for the operation of the
| various departments named than any
one of the other At cities ranging
from 100000 to 100000 in population
but our city spends less for
schools than any other city in the
| group named, viz: 31.2 per cent. as
against 35.4 per cent.
| A subject that is. also uppermost
, in the minds of engineers is the
health of the pupil and sanitary con-
ditions in the schools throughout
the country are being investigated.
| Summary.
Az recommended in the annual re
port of a year ago, it is again request
given to the establishment of a bu-
reau of records: that this Board pub
Hsh an annual report to the public of
| all its doings.
In addition to the above the sum of
! $40, 900 should be set aside for a COM
| plete and thorough survey and ap-
praisal of all physical propertdes-this
was presented to you a few years ago.
! When all our buildings are. reduced to
b1ock map system giving location of
sewers, fire hydrantS, construction of
buildings and every detail possible, all
future inventories will at all times be
available by the simple problem of
subtraction and addition.
| It is suggested, too, that a, teachers
pension system to be maintained
jointly by the city and the teaching
corps be given consideration. Since
| the conc option of the State Teachers