The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1920-01-09
Administration of The School Fund

local papers for which l am respon-
sible l endeavored to show the local
relation of Lambertville to State
Funds and local taxation, but l am in
clined to think a point which l tried
1 to make clear has not been fully ap-
preciated.
/ Under present conditions the great
est burden of maintaining public
schools must be borne by local taxa
ton, but years ago a state fund was
provided assessed upon property and
distributed to the schools on a basis
of school attendance, the consequence
of which was that the rich counties
and cities helped to support poorer
counties and country districts. This
fund, subsequently provided from
different sources, enormously increas-
ed. | am quite sure that it is more
than double the amount originally
provided, but the aid which Lambert
vile derived from that fund had only
increased 33 per cent in six years and
on account of a different method of
distribution last year actually de-
creased more than rs per cent, the
reason being that part of the fund
was left to the discretion of the state
Board of Education as to the method
of distribution and the costs of the
school system had commenced to
pinch the big cities so that in order
to satisfy them, the fund which we
had formerly received was taken
away from us. And also that this
fund was depleted by the enormously
increased expense of administration
of the school matters by the Depart
ment at Trenton.
In that article l was made to say
that there was propaganda for mill
tary training in the schools. This was
a mistake | said a militaristic De-
partment of Public Instruction. And
the fact is that there has been pro-
poganda in the State to influence
legislation and by prominent educa-
tors and professors of colleges for
Department of Public Instruction un-
der the command of one man with his
subordinates controlling the state,
county, city and district SO that local
Boards of Education and even State
Boards would have nothing to do
with the direct administration of the
Public Schools.
And there is some justice in the pro-
position. We are told and perhaps
cannot deny it that the professional
educator is better qualified to manage
the school than mere representative
of the taxpayers. 1t is also true that
it is difficult to get men who have the
ability and are willing to give their
time to practical work of school af-
fairs and a prominent educator re-
Gently said to me, "You cannot get
anybody to do anything unless they
get something out of it." And this
the application of the school laws to
the SCuOOlS. IC PiOiSooiNh%A
educators are attempting to apply to
school affairs the principles on which
the worst evils in politics have
| flourished.
And it is not correct. There are
men and women in the world who are
willing to work for the betterment of
mankind and children without COM
pensation. If it were not so, we may
be forced to admit that democratic
government. is a failure and besides
that perhaps some of us may be par
doned for feeling that even if we do
not know the very best way of secur-
ing results we have some rights to the
control of the expenditure of our own
funds.
Walter F. Hayhurst.