The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1921-06-30
THE SCHOOL QUESTION


with perplexing question in rela-
ton to its public schools through
the failure of the City Council to
cooperate with the school board in
working out a plan whereby the
schools of the city can be main
tanned On the standard required for
q city the size of ours, and petty
politics have been allowed to creep
in and today the city is without
school board, all but one of the MEM
bers having quit their posts. This
is at time of the year when plans
should be completed for the next
school year, and thus is working
great disadvantage against our
schools, which will be felt throughout
the school year.
True, there is need for trimming
all along the line in city finances In
order to run the schools and the city
government, but few will agree that
all of the trimming shall be done
and the education of our children
suffer thereby.
The council appointed a committee
to obtain figures on which to base the
coming years school budget,
Thompson and Gray being members
of this committee. Like all other
city business conducted by this pair,
figures were made up out of thin
air, without any attempt being made
to learn the true condition, and no
visit was made or records obtained
from the city or school clerks office
which would have a bearing, and
these figures were submitted to the
Council with a recommendation for
a big cut in the school budget.
Without obtaining figures from the
city Assessor they estimated that
the cut in the valuation of property
in the city would be from 80 to 500.
The council took their figures to be
true and acted accordingly, and
slashed the school budget to sum
upon which it will be impossible to
maintain even to grade school, WITH
out thinking of maintaining the
high school, and rather than have
their hands deliberately tied and
become a party to this crime against
the education of the children of
Washburn the school board MEM
bers gave up their posts.
The true figures, of the city's val
uasion for this year have now been
obtained from the City Assessor who
has completed his assessment of real
and PERSONAL property and these
show the valuation of the city to be
$685. coo, which with rate of 32
per cent will raise $79 1880, or with
q rate of 4.3, which was the same as
last year, would give total of
$98,255.00. Yet in the face of this
the Council has asked the School
Board to run the city schools on
$4,000 the coming year, which is
about $4,000 less than was neces-
sary year ago.
The council does not seem to have
planned any reductions in the ex-
peditures by the council but have
made the cut against the schools.
The laboring man and home own
er with family is the one that will
suffer most by not giving his chill
dren an education. The man OF
means can afford to send his children
to other schools and just how the
Council can explain its action is to
be seen.
For the past year certain council
members nave, through their street
talk, endeavored to create q feeling
that things were radically wrong In
city affairs and made some impress
sion upon q certain few, but the
time for this is past and what we
now need is for everyone to get to-
gether and work out solution OF
the problems confronting us. Ii
certain council members are unwill-
ing to do this they they should step
aside and let others fill their places
who will endeavor to work out these
problems to the best advantage to
the city and our schools. Unless
the attitude of certain council men,
bers change their presence on the
council is but a mill stone around
the neck of the city, that should be
removed.
The move of the school board in
resigning might be followed by the
Council, as one member of its body
has suggested, and let the city have
a new deal all around