Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1920-12-03

ings, pay good salaries and maintain
efficient schools and yet escape with
little or no local tax levy, while
adjoining districts without this
wealth and property must tax them
selves to the utmost limit and then,
can only inadequately provide for the
children in their districts
1t is really amazing to note the
difference in the matter of valuation
and taxation in different parts of the
state, for instance we have valua-
ton per pupil in average daily atten-
dance in counties as follows: Frank
lin county, $12.67O; Adams county,
$12,630; Skamania county, $11,8OO;
Grant county, $1O,290; Kitsap county
$1,652; Island county, $2,110; SteI-
ems county, $2,692; Whitman county.
$2,,905.
The valuation per teacher as fol
lows: Adams county, $171,200;
Franklin county, $166,4OO; King
county, $141,9oO; Island county,
$41,0SO; Wahkiakum county, SAT,
900; Okanogan county, $4s,750.
And tax levies as follows: Kitsap
county, 1924 mills; Stevens county,
22.66 mills; Snohomish county 21.67
mills; Jefferson county, 1913 mills;
Columbia county, 1925 mills Clallam
county, 1858 mills.
In different districts in the state
the disparity is greater than the
county averages. For instance: dis
trict sc in Adams county has valu;.-
ton of $286,440 and an average
daily attendance of pupils of only
four "a, while in district 60 Of
Cowlitz county the valuation is only
s21.940 and the average daily atten
dance of pupils is "a; the valuation
in one district being over $4,000 per
pupil and under $1,000 per pupil in
the other. Again,in district 81 in
Lincoln county, which has one
teacher school, the assessed valua-
ton is only $18,218 while distric:
1O1 in the same county, which has
also one teacher school, has an
assessed valuation of $657,28O, or
thirty-fve (35) times as much as in
state which are levying twenty (20)
mills and over.
These high and low valuations
and the high and low tax levies are
reelected, not only in the unequal
opportunity for education afforded
the children, but to a great extent
also, in the unequal cost of educa-
ton in different parts of the state.
For instance; the cost per pupil in
average daily attendance for eight
different counties was as follows:
Franklin county. $121.S2; Grant
county, $11S.94; King county, $103.-
81; Skamania county, $103.29;
Kitsap county, $49.19; Island county
$3.50; Stevens county, $61.03;
Asotin county, $50 %.
And in eight different local dis
tricts as follows:
No. III. Grant county, $91S.1O;
No. %, Franklin county, $S45.75;
No. 2, Lincoln county, $573.75; No.
AZ, Walla Walla county. $569.10;
No. 81, Wahkiakum county, $27.57:
No. 81, Stevens county. 1891; No.
81 San Juan county, $3.50; No. %,
Kitsap county, $29.36.
Because Of purely arbitrary boun'
Diary lines and varying wealth why
should one district have low tax
levy, spend a large amount for its
the other district. There are twenty
one (21) districts in the state which
are levying a one mill tax, or less;
sixty-nine (69) districts levying not
more than two mill tax, and on the
other hand there are one hundred
lightweight (18S) districts in the
schools and provide lavishly for the
children within its, borders, while a
neighboring district, because of these
same arbitrary boundary lines and
less wealth, is called upon to pay
a high tax levy and yet have only
sufficient funds to maintain "a poor
school? The contract between
wealthy districts with good schools
and poorer districts with scarcely
any support is too great. 1t is a
condition that prevails generally
throughout the state and must be
remedied.
How Can Conditions be Generally
Remedied.
What remedies can be suggested
that will overcome the present in
equality in acquiring the funds for
the common schools and give a
greater and more educational oppor-
tunity to all the children of the
state?
a. A more equitable system Of