Imperial Valley press., 1920-12-11
KEEPSCH00lS
At PRESENT
STANDARD;
ENYEART
Shipments of Spinach Have
Already Stopped; Lettuce
Shipments Small and Can
talOpe Industry Threat
ened with Destruction.

Il. F. Enyeart, superintendent
of the Imperial county schools,
vigorously defends the school sys-
term and the expense of operation
during the past year, in answer
to attacks made by certain county
officials in testimony to the
grand jury at the last session Of
that organization, investigating
the expenditures of the county,
which have resulted in the present
tax rates. 1t was alleged in the
transcript of the grand jury that
the majority of the taxes is spent
for school appropriations, thus
causing it was intimated, the
high tax rate.
1T is true" said Mr.. Enyeart, "that
a large percent of the taxes is being
spent on the Imperial Valley schools.
We are proud to say that Imperial
county teachers rank in qualifications
with the best instructors on the
coast. Figures published last year
show that 80 per cent of the coast
teachers, that is Los Angeles and
San Francisco, have college certifi-
Gates. In the Imperial Valley the
percent is S5.
"A reduction in appropriation next
year will mean reduction in teachers
salaries, and the ultimate result will
be that our most efficient instructors
will be forced to leave for positions
where the emolument will be in pro-
portion to their ability.
COST THIS YEAR
"The cost of maintaining the
Imperial county for the fiscal year
192021 is estimated at $1,00O,OOO, ap-
proximately. The set of figures are
the aggregate of the combined bud
gets of the 4S elemntary school dis
tricts and tn six union high schools,
upon which budgets the tax levy was
based
"The average daily attendance of
all schools in the county last year
was 6472. 1t is conservatively esti-
mated that the average daily attend
ance of the schools of the county will
be 1000 for this year. By division it
will be seen that it will cost approx
imately $142.00 per pupil to maintain
the schools of the county for the COM
ing year
"The population of the county by
the last census is given as, 4,3S3
The schools of the county therefore
will cost about $500 per capita.
GOVERNMENT FIGURES
Opinions are bound to differ as
to whether these figures show extrav-
agance, but in this connection it is
interesting to note another feature
of expenditures for the past year
Statistics for the Imperial Valley are
not available and the figures taken
are for the country as a whole, but
are probably more applicable to this
progressive valley than most sections
of our country.
For education ..............$ 7G3,000,00C
For automobiles .............. 800, 100000
For tobacco ............,.....,... 2,100,000,0OO
Candy ........................... 1000, 100000
Soft drinks ................. 350,00O,00C
/ Luxurious foods ..... 5,000,000,O0C
"These figures are taken from a
report by the secretary of treasury
Certainly they show gross extrava-
gance in everything in general ex-
cepting the schools.
! "As there are 2O,S53,60O children
in the public schools, this means that
$36.60 was expended on the education
of each child. If each teacher hac
80 pupils and every cent paid to the
teacher, the average salary would be
less than $1,000 per year. 1t will bt
noted that Imperial is doing a great
deal better than the average in ed
ucation, on which subject opinions ar,
again bound to differ.
LABOR PAID MORE
| Last wear the teachers salaries il
Imperial county were lower THAI
those of any unskilled labor in thi
valley. This year the average salar,
is about $1650.00, which on a twelv,
month basis is $137.50 per month.
''In dealing with school finance, es
pecially in Imperial Valley, one mus
consider the vast amount of perman