Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-11-30
SCHOOL TAX
FIGHT STARTED
Battle Between City and Ru-
raj interests in DiStribut-
ing State Funds

TRENTON, Nov. 30:-The first
guns in what promises to be a lively
battle between city and rural inter-
ests over the proposed change IN the
method of distributing state school
funds sounded here when the legis-
lative commission appointed to con-
slider that problem and the advisi-
bility of increasing the mill tax for
schools held the first of a series OF
hearings or the questions.
Hunterdon County School super
infendent Jason $. Hoffman fired the
first shot for the country districts
with the proposal to distribute all OF
the millage tax, which amounts to
about 1000, 900 yearly, to the vari-
Gus districts on the basis of attend
ance of pupils and the number of
teachers. The idea seems to be that
under this method state school
moneys would be equally distributed
and the poorer districts which need
help would get it.
Nj. +. Hustled, superintendent of
schools in North Bergen. Hudson
county, and his assistant superin-
tendent, III. H. Walhert, were on
hand to gather ideas for the hearing
which is to be held in Newark De-
cember 10. Mr.. Hustled opposed the
proposed change, as did Trenton
School Superintendent William j..
Beckett. The members of the COM
mission which is hearing proposals
for the draft of a new law who were
present were State Education Com
missioner John Enright, Senator
William A. Stevens. of Monmouth,
and Assemblyman John Y. Eater, of
sBergen. Former Senator Harry w.
Mutchler. of the State Board of Tax
es and Assessment, and Wilbur Zim-
norman, of Atlantic City, president
of the Federation of County Boards
OF Education. also members, were
not present at the first hearing.
According to Superintendent Hus-
ted. the scheme of distributing the
state tax according to attendance
and number of teachers would re-
suit in greater inequality instead of
relieving the admitted inequalities
under the present scheme.
Already, he says. Hudson county
loses $4S, 900 a rear of state school
tax which goes TO other counties.
The proposed plan. he said, would
allot to a city and rural district hav-
ing the same number of teachers
and the same attendance, the same
amount of state money. This fails
TO take into account the difference
in living costs in the two districts, he
added. Two thousand uolldrS III
the rural district. where living and
other costs are low" he said, would
secure a much better qualified teach
err than it would in a large city,
where living costs are high. Thus,
although the amounts are equal, the
inequality in actual results
the money would result"
superintendent Beckett called at
to what he declared to be
the crying need for readjustment of
valuations before any
equitable scheme of distribution is
possible. In the rural districts the
valuations are low. he said, while in
he cities they are high. This, he
results in the cities bear
Ing the greater burden of state
Iaxet
1ext hearing on the schedule
Gf~rm commission Is to be at the
court house in Camden, Friday, De-
cember 9, at 3 o'clock. The New
ark hearing is set for December 10.
Another public hearing is to be
leld at Atlantic City, but no date
been set.