Evening star., 1923-03-09
PASSES S0N CONTROL
]. OF SCHOOL OUTLAY
Corporation Counsel UphoIds
| Commissioners in Cutting
! Out Beauty ParIor Item.
MATTER IN CONTROVERSY
Board of Education Asserted Right
to Supervision Over All Expend-
itures for School Purposes.

The right Of the District Commits
sioners to pass upon all expenditures
Of the board of education is upheld
in an opinion by Corporation Counsel
Stephens, made public today by Com
missioner Rudolph.
1t is expected that Mr. Stephens
ruling will end 4 debate that has been
going on since the city heads several
months ago refused to purchase sew
eral hundred dollars worth of equip
ment for beauty parlor in the Q
Street Colored Vocational School.
City Authorities Object.
The school authorities decided to
establish a beauty course at the vo-
cational school. but the city authori-
ties could not bring themselves to be-
lieve that the purchase of blackhe cad
removers and a score of toilet articles
would constitute proper use of school
funds.
In summing up his opinion Mr.. Ste
rhenS lays stress upon the fact that
The officers of the District govern
nlent who handle funds are under
heavy bond. while the school author
titles are under no financial response
bility. On this phase of the question
the corporation counsel said.
The auditor has made a somewhat
lengthy report upon this subject, in
which he studied the question from
purely accountdncy standpoint, and
n which he shows very clearly that
the expenditures of the board under
existing law are subject to the scru-
tiny of the disburSing officer, the au-
ditor and the controller general.
Discusses Board Argument.
IF the argument advanced by the
board on its freedom from supervi-
sion is sound, its expenditures would
be no more subject to the scrutiny of
these officers than to the scrutiny of
the Commissioners; and it would be
tho only body of its character of
which l have knowledge which. un-
der the government, would be free
from this supervision.
1T might be noted also that the ac-
counting officers mentioned and the
Commissioners are under bond for
faithful performance of their duties
The disbursing officer in particular is
hnder a heavy financial responsibility
and Obliged to make good from his
own fund any disalloWance ordered
by the controller general.
The members of the school board
are under no financial responsibility
~u-lcNer 1t would De rather
anomalous situation to allow the
members of board, under no re-
sponSibility and under no bond, free
hand in expenditures When the ac-
counting officers through whose
hands the expenditures pass. and
their superior officers under the mu-
-icipal administration, were put un-
der heavy bond and legal response
bility for such expenditures.
Il am of the opinion that the ex-
penditures made by the board of edu-
cation for school purposes are subject
70 the direction and control of the
Commissioners
Claims Freedom From Control
Mr.. Stephens said the board Of edu-
cation submitted a brief upon the
question in which it claimed, sub
stantially. that the board of educa-
tion. by virtue of it's power to de-
termine all the questions of general
policy and its general power over
administrative matters, is practically
free from any control on the part of
the Commissioners in the expenditure
of public funds for school purposes.
i ain unable to accede to the