Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1921-03-10
CITY ATTY STONE TAKES
OPPOSITION-SUPT. IN
FAVOR OF BILL

An acute local interest has been de-
veloped in Wausau in Educational
bill, No. lat, S., which the. Wisconsin
legislature now has under conSidera-
ton at Madison. Both City Attorney
PatrickNT. Stone and Supt. S. B. Tobey
appeared before the Legislative COM
mittee a week ago, the former oppOs-
ing the bill on behalf of the city coun-
Gil of Wausau, and the latter favoring
it on behalf of city superintendents
and others. The city council at a
recent meeting adopted a resolution
expressing it's opposition to the mea-
sure.
Board Approves
From one member of the school
board, who does not wish to be named,
The Pilot has obtained the follow
ing information: THE school board
is almost unanimously in favor of the
bill insofar as it grants that body the
power to control the school budget.
1t is most unsatisfactory and is not
conducive to the best results, when
the city council cuts and alters school
appropriations, necessary for the eff
ficient management of our public
school system
On few measures has there been a
greater diversification of local opin-
ion.
Elect Beard
'The bill makes every school district
a separate district corporation pre-
sided over by board of education of
from five to nine members elected at
large by the whole people" Supt
Tobey declares. "One or two members
are elected each year for term of
five years which length of term en-
ables each board of education mem
ber to serve long enough to become
acquainted with the needs of the
schools. 1t gives every voter an op-
portunity to vote for every member
of the board of education to whom is
entrusted the education al welfare of
his children. 1t is thoroughly demo-
cratic and in this respect should COM
mend itself to every voter.
''The power to fix the budget is IL
mited to two per cent for all purposes
including salaries of teachers and ia
nitors, purchase of supplies, fuel, re-
pairs, upkeep of building and grounds,
payment of bonds and interest there
on, and all other ordinary expenses.
For unusual expenses such as pur-
chase of sites and construction of new
buildings, the board must be author
ized by the public thru a bond issue
favorably voted upon at an annual
or special election. 1t would seldom
be necessary in city OF our size 10
levy more than fraction of she two
per cent authorized but it was neces-
sary in fixing the tax limit of the
board to take into account the small
city with low valuation and heavy
bonded Indebtedness. For the schools
in such cities it may be necessary to
levy the full two per cent and in some
few instances to go beyond and ask
the people at a special election to
authorize larger amount.
Responsible Board
"A board of education elected di-
rectly by the people and responsible
, to the people will be no more likely
to levy excess taxes than a common
council similarly elected and similarly
responsible.
The bill makes the superintendent
the executive head of the board of
education and member of each COM
mittee of the board but without the
right to vote. 1t becomes his duty
uuuCi thC " ltdCueTS
and janitors as we'll as textbooks and
courses of study but places the final
authority in the hands of the board
whose power is the election and dis
missal of the superintendent, teachers
and janitors, the purchase of supplies,
selection OF books, and organization
of the courses of study The board
has all the authority now conferred
under the present law. The new bill
simply establishes in every city, a
business organization for the conduct
of the educational work of the city:
just such an organization for educa-
tional purposes as any factory, bank
or mercantile establishment would
maintain for the success of its own
business.
School Budgets
1T is claimed by the opponents of
the bill that there can be only one
taxing body in the city without dan
ger of gross extravaganza and excess
taxation but twenty-six cities under
special charter have in the state for
years had the school budgets fixed by
the board of education only. All these
schools report adequate. funds for the
conduct of the schools. Our city. as
well as more than fifty others in the
state have for years had four different
bodies assessing for educational pur-