The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1922-09-22

! IL months school, or leSs-som'
had but 4 months, the reason being
lack of funds. Many planned NOR
but had to either close when thei
money was gone or find other wa,
to finance it. At the same time 9th
er districts finished the school yea
with thousands of dollars surplus t,
their credit in the county treasures
In one district, the 7. T. A. bough
a load of wood after all the individ
ual donations of wood were gone
The teachers were cautioned not t.
start the fires in the morning til
about time for the children to arrive
and these same teachers agreed tC
finish out the last two months OF
school and take a chance of getting
their salary if the money could be
raised, and if not, then to donate
their services rather than see the
children sent home.
Such cases varying only in detail
can be recounted indefinitely.
Some schools have all the helps
and equipment that modern scientific
education can use, others none at all,
Sowe can have swimming pools in
one and two room schools while 9TH
ers can not have a rough shelter for
out doors play whore the children
may keep dry in the rainy part of
the state, or window screens to keep
the flies out in the sections where
that is necessity.
Kind of Teachers
In the poor districts are found the
unframed underqualified, and mex
perienced teachers. If unframed
teachers must be hired, the last place
it should be done is the poor district
with its short term, lack of supple
mentary helps, and with no supervis-
ion save what can be given by an
! overworked county superintendent,
many of whom are in their positions
because of the ability to get votes
rather than for their fitness. Still
another phase of the short term
school is that their teachers are out
of employment half the year. To be
sure, this is euphoniously called a
vacation, but in reality it means
that the teaching is done by some
one who must make a living by other
means and to whom teaching is
merely a side issue.
Tax Conditions
The tax situation is one of chaos,
with levies running from 1-2 mill
to 30 mills, governed by the relation
between the assessed valuation of the
district and the nuwber of children
to be educated. That ratio is what
determines whether a district is rich
or poor. Last year 100 districts
levied from 1-2 mill to 10 mills,
and 1864 levied from II to 30 mills,
oh !
Examples
One of the 1-2 mill districts has IL
children and a valuation of nearly
S2,GO0,00O. Yet because of the pc
culiarities of our present distribution
system. that district draws state
"bonus" of 1886 besides it's regular
app0rtionment. At the same time
some of the districts putting up the
biggest struggle to maintain their
schools get not cent Of help from
the bonus fund.
In certain group of districts, the
children were deprived of high school
advantages, because of the great dis
lance to the nearest city high school
with transportation facilities both
poor and expensive. The people IN
8 districts, all having one or two
room schools. decided to establish a
union high school, but in order to be-
cove part of union high school dis
trict, the local district Indebtedness
must not be above a certain maxi
mum point. In one of these districts,
it was $1,000 over the limit, so the
people by much personal and COM
munitv sacrifice paid off the $1,000
out of their own pockets. But that
is only part of the story. Most OF
the local districts in that group are
compelled because of many children
and low valuations to levy 20 mills
for their little schools. Another 20
mills has been added for the new
high school and mills for bond re-
demption and interest. making a AZ
mill school tax OocaD and their high
school is already overlooking. Elk
IRENE case? Yes, but it should not
be possible. These are not isolated
cases. They occur in all parts of the
state. and because that is true, some
thing needs to be done for relief.
In Eastern Washington is one
teacher school with a total assessed
valuation in the district of $18,218,
and in the same county is another
with a one teacher school and a
valuation of 1857, 1000. The education
al needs of the two districts are iden-
teal, the taxation widely different.
In one 10 mill tax produces 1882
which will not go far to maintain a
school. In the other 10 mills pro-
duces S6570 which a one room school
could not use without throwing the
money away. The first district must
raise their millage and the second
reduce theirs. Would it not be fair
proposition to pool the resources OF
these districts, no matter how wide
" separated geographically? II
these. why not all to the extent of
half the cost of schools? That is the
purpose Of Initiative 46.
Rich District and Poor District
Two districts, each valued at ST.
900. 900. One is rich and the other
poor even though the money value is
identical. This is true because one
has ~ children to be educated and
requires about $4,000. At the same
standard, the other requires about
$4,000. How can there ever be an
approach toward equality of taxation
for the people ofthese two districts
under our present system of taxing
on the local unit? Again would not
pooling of resources be perfectly
fair?
County Differences
Careful investigation has proved
that the same differences exist
among the counties. In one county,
the assessed valuation per child in
average daily attendance is $2,110l
and in another $12,670. In the first
county, man has taken away the
wealth that nature bestowed. and the