The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1921-03-20
merits or efficiency

The honorable directors further
charge that Mr. Meadows has shown +;
lack Of Sound business acumen" in
running the schools, citing that Mr..
I Meadows has in certain instances re-
fused to have bills allowed and paid,
and that as a result the credit Of the I
/ city Board of Education has been i'm
paired This ludicrous statement in
dictates either gross Ignorance on the /
part of the directors as to their own
functions, or desire to grossly mis-
represent the facts to the public.
When they talk of their credit being
impaired, they talk Of something that
does not exist, for the City Board of
Education has not the power to pay
Ia single bill, however small. That
power is vested exclusively in the City
Council Of the City of Columbus, and
lall bills are allowed and paid by that
body. The school budget is allowed
by the City Council at the beginning
of each school year, and all the eX
Irenditures made by the Superinten-
dent of the Board of Education are
in accordance with that budget pre-
viously granted by the Council, Every
item of expense incurred by the Sup
erintendent or the Board of Education
is finally paid by the Council, and 1t
only has the right to allow and pay
bills. Moreover, the facts show that
of budget of practically $1,000 for
the current year, approximately $780,
900 goes for teachers salaries, leav-
ing a residue of $1l 900 for other pun
poses. Of this latter amount, $4,000
is for interest on the bonded indebted
ness of the district, $4,000 for janltoi's
salary, $500 for the County Super'n-
tendent's salary, approximately 81
600 for coal, 81 900 for light, water,
gas. brooms, and insurance, and $450
for the home economics ana physical
science laboratories expended by the
teachers in those departments. This
leaves an amount not greatly IN OK
cess of 1000 for Mr.. Meadows to
expend in purchasing schoul necessl-
ties, such as crayon, sanitary neeH
: sites, etc. Or, in other words, out OF
budget of ST. 900 Mr.. Meadows mas
the actual expenditure Of approximate
" 81 900, and every bill that he in
, Ours is in accordance with the APP
preparations of the budget and must
be allowed and paid not by himself or
the board Of Education, but by the
. City Council. 1t seems to us bit
extraordinary, therefore, that the
honorable directors should charge
Superintendent Meadows with i'm
, pairing the credit of the City Board
Of Education, when in reality it has
no credit, and no financial functions
wbat-so- ever. Practically it's sole
;, function is to recommend teachers,
and It has not even the authority to
fix their salaries.
| Other arguments of the honorable
! directors are just as faulty and other
reasons just as flimsy as those re-
! futed in the foregoing pages. The
honorable directors further state that
| there are a great many more facts
F, and reasons they might give the peo-
! ME but for the fear of boring them
II We appreciate this consideration
| from the honorable directors, and as
\ spre them that if the facts and charges
! withheld are of the variety given out
! that it were better that they be per-
manently withheld
u We note also the statement that
! "the agitation Of the few over the
! action of the majority of the Board
I in declaring the office of Superinten-
! dent vacant, has not caused the ma
iority of said board to change then
/, views in regard to the matter, but
1! has in large measure tied the hands
of said board, and made it difficult
! for them at this time to fill the po-
! sition." We would be genuinely glac
! if we could find in the statement OF
the honorable directors one sentence
| to which we could subscribe without
reservation, but in the foregoing
statement, as elsewhere, we respect
fully point out the fallacy. The "sal(
! few" to which the statement refers
| was representative body OF men ant
/! women, numbering at conservative
/ estimate 600 people, who met in as
sembly to protest the high-hande'
and undemocratic action of the sai'
board. 1t is admitted, however, tina
the activity of this said few hundreds
of people may have made it Difficult
for the honorable directors to fill thu
vacancy which their precipitate actor
created, and that the activity of thes'