The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1920-11-12
DANGEROUS DELAY IN
SCHOOL BOND ELECTION
Some on School Board Oppose Half Million BOND
Issue And Want To Amend Bill Schools
Suffer While Some One Plays
Politics
Ry w. o. SAUNDERS

The August 1920 special ses.
sion of the North Carolina Gen
cral Assembly authorized the
Board of Aldermen of Elizabeth
CITY to call an election on a bono
issue Of $5OO,OOO for the Eliza
heth City graded schools. The
bill provided the election should
he called within Six months from
the passage Of the bill and upon
request of the Board of Graded
School Trustees. The issue was
t. be submitted to a vote of the
qualified voters of the city, the
votes of a majority Of the reg
istered voters OF the city being
necessary to carry the election.
The limit of the bond issue to
he voted upon was $4,000, but
it was expressly stipulated in the
hill that the Board of Graded
School Trustees should issue on
X such an amount of bonds as
might be required for such i'm
movements and extensions as
might be determined upon by
the Board.
Nearly, three months have
elapsed since the passage Of that
Act and the Board of Trustees
has not yet notified the Board
Of Aldermen to call an election
and this newspaper has inside in
formation that no election will be
called. Here then is a sensational
fact which the progressive citi-
zens Of Elizabeth City should
take cognizance Of at once and
bestir themselves.
Instead of calling an election to vote
upon this bond issue. the Board OF Grad
ed School Trustees purposes to have
the bill amended at the January 1921
session of the General Assembly to re-
duce the bond limit to $35O,OOO or some
smaller figure. A committee composed
Of P. II. Williams, J. B. Leigh, j. h.
Wilson and S. L. Sheep has been ap-
DOinted to draft such an amendment
There is also some talk of an amend
7npnt TO call for a new registration upon
the theory that the present reglstra-
ton can not be trusted to vote upon
such an issue.
Disastrous DiIIy-DaIlying
This newspaper relieves that this sort i
If tampering with the present ACT Will
prove disastrous to the schools and Is
but a stall upon the part of some one
70 ,t3ve off new bond issue as long as
r.os>ih1e There are men on the Board .
IS Trustees who do not want Sooo.ooo
bond issue and while they will not open :
X fight thing so popular. they are cap
:hf. of sub rosa work that will accomplish
r1.e same results This is plain talk. but
il i time for plain talk and time for
the neople of this town who are tired
a the present disgraceful school sEs-
TEN to get acquainted with the members
Of tLeir Board of Graded School TruS-
tees.
Here are the members of that Board.
Clip and paste the list in your hat or
some other convenient place: T. ii.
Williams. \. S. Leary, w. A. Brock. j.
y. Hathaway, NJ. P. Gallop, ]. B. An
derSon. H. C. Bright, w. II. Jennings,
c. y. Cooke. w L. Small. s. W. Gre!
CORY F. F. Aydlett, L. S. Blades. K. =.
Abbott and T. J. Markham. Mr.. Aydlett
is president of the Board.
The Board vs.. Expert Opinion
One acquainted with the personnel
of the Board will be pleased with the
of it's members, but must
wonder how such a group of men be-
came entrusted with the direction of the
problems of the city. There
ere not three men on this unwleldly {
body who know single SOLITARY thing !
about modern pedagogics or >whe are IN =
any way qualified to render an expert
opinion or suggestion on any education q
al problem. The Board exists as g
body of financiers interested primarily
in approving and paying bills. Not so c
many as three of them know anything @
about the schools, more than any man d
II the street knows. They meet once t
Z month and go thru a routine perfor- 2
nance. but a man who has been on that
BOARD for more than a year tells me
hat at not one of its meetings has he
seen such thing as a report from the .
of Schools and has new ,,tt
sr learned anything about the schools y
rom any of the meetings. And this body
If men are saying that they can give p
Elizabeth City a school system to meet u
= present and immediate future re- "
with a bond issue of about
""'DIUO, in the face of expert opinion =
Witch has said that it can't be- done for =
t").Fo. The highest educational au- 81
h"rIty in America, DIR. Philander P. 81
iaNfon himself. the z. S. Commissioner
D Education, has visited our schools 81
'ha nnhisitatingy says the sum needed 81
" meet our requirements is nearer "a W
'"it million dollars 3: