Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1920-09-29
BOND ISSUE FOR
SCHOOLS TO GO
BEFORE VOTERS

(OOntiHueu LEUfn A-aSe III
. 4
really urgent2 Let us examine the
late census TO ascertain. If possible,
reasons for a shortage OF school ia
| cilities.
I'VE find that Anne Arundel has
a population in 1920 of 43,40S as
against 1858 in 1910, an increase
of 81 per cent This is not a large
Increase for ten years. In the mean
time we have built several large
schools. AT first sight there seems
to be no necessity for increased school
facilities. But let us remember that
| in 1910 Anne Arundel county included
all of the annex territory the most
| thickiy settled part OF the county
| Even though we have lost this popu-
lous area which inciuded two OF the
largest school buildings in the county
we now have population nearly 10
per cent greater than when the
county included the annex. The
/ school enrolment for 1916 shows
4.22S white pupils attending white
schools. In 1918 we lost through an
nexation 1000 white pupils. Yet in
1919, last year, we enrolled 1850 pu-
pills in the white schools The same
is true of colored schools which are
overcrowded in every section of the
county.
I'VE have already gained what was
lost by annexation and have a sur
plus OF over 300 pupils to our credit.
1t amounts to the same thing as if
all the large schools in the Annex
were suddenly closed and the chill
dren distributed over the county with
300 visitors TO accompany them in
their raid on the Overerowded schools.
Ought these new Corners to be prop
eriy taken care of or should we con-
tinue as in the past to crowd them
in one room schools, vestibules, cell
lars and other unsanitary places thus
depriving them of an opportunity for
good education, the birthright of
every American child, by so doing
breed discomfort all over the county.
Expensive, But Needed
THE county authorities, both the
Board of Education and the County
Commissioners realize that the need
is urgent Building schools like
everything else, in these times is ex-
.pensive. The money must be raised,
either by directflevy or by bond issue.
If the money must. be raised by di-
rect levy we must expect an unusual
ly high school tax next year. Some
of the counties that have attempted
this, have a school tax this year of
over S100 bringing the general levy
up to $2.51 Twelve counties in the
state have a higher tax rate than
Anne Arundel county has this year,
and if the people of the county pre-
fer to do the thing that way there
is no reason why a direct levy should
not be made to build the needed
schools but before rejecting the pro-
posed bond issue we should care
fully examine il to ascertain its
merits. Howard Bryant in discussing
the proposed loan for Baltimore City
in the Evening Sun of September 1,
1920, says:
al assume that the loans to be
voted on in November will be APP
proved. The necessity of passing them,
if Baltimore is to take care of its OBJ
legations, is so clear that | cannot
imagine anyone opposing them.
of the people of Baltimore should
be so unwise as to fail to pass the
loans, and. as have said. have not
any idea that they are going to do
that, then we should certainly have
tax rate materially increased. For
we've got TO build schoo1houses. And,
if we are unable to do it out of the
loans, we shall be forced to do it out
of direct taxation and by Provision
in the Ordinance of Estimates.
"'Of course if the loans are passed
in November we shall be able to go
ahead and make our improvements,
extending the cost over long
period
Bonds OF ) Per Cent. For so Years
I'm the first place the bill provides
for per cent. bonds running for 30
years. Theeonly kind of per cent.
bond that could be disposed of at this
time Indeed, it may be hard to dis
pose of these bonds for they cannot
be sold for less than par which is
good feature of the bill. The total
expense of the bonds will be $4,000
per year. exactly the amount the
county receives each year from Bal
tinlore City for the schools taken over
by annexation. Thus for the next
eight years there would be no ad-
ditional burden whatever on the tax
payers of the county. BY the end
of that time the taxable basis of the
county win have increased so that
the burden will hardly be felt. Even
| if this amount were provided for in
the. Budget it would mean but four
cents increase in the tax rate. The
Board of Education is compelled to
| spend each wear a cOnsiEera BILE