River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1923-07-26
Survey Shows Needs
Of River Falls School
Is River Falls Able to Finance
Building Program?

ed. Note.-The following is
continuation of series of articles
reviewing Professor Fowlkes recent
survey of the River Falls public
schools.)
Because River Falls has failed to
provide adequate housing for its
schools it now becomes necessary to
adopt a comprehensive and relatively
expensive building program. In
order to determine how capable the
city is of maintaining such program
the following comparative study has
been made of twenty one cities IN
Wisconsin nearest in size to River
Falls and operating under the city
school plan. All such cities included
have populations from 1000 to 3Ol4.
It would appear therefore that the
comparisons which have been made
are entirely fair to this city and IN
dictate clearly its position in the group
with reference to the various quail
tiles compared"
Since the matter of building has
been delayed for long time it IS to
be expected that the cost would be
greater than it would have been had
it been advisable or even possible to
have built sooner. The Survey by
means of a comparative study OF
cities about the size of River Falls,
seeks to show that building pro-
gram that would provide adequate
schools, would not impose excessive
tax burdens upon the people of River
Falls.
In per capita wealth River Falls is
a very little below the average. The
middle city is boardhead with $1333.OO
per inhabitant while River Falls has
S1148.00 per inhabitant. These fig
IRE, are based on the assessed value
of the property, and the true figures
are higher for River Falls because
the assessed value of property IN
River Falls is low. When true
valuations are taken, as fixed by the
Wisconsin Tax Commission, River
Falls becomes the, average OF the
group chosen for comparison.
The Survey points out that some
cities educate in the public schools
larger percentage OF their children
than do others. Only part of the
children in River Falls are in the
public schools, and therefore larger
amount of wealth is back of each
child in the community than is usual.
Only three of the cities selected have
greater wealth per pupil. ION this
basis very few cities in the state are
better able to finance a school build
ing program than is River Falls"
The percapita wealth i'll River Falls,
based upon assessed valuation and
average daily attendance is $7793.O0,
while the average for the cities COM
pared is $55S1.00.
Another table points out that only
one city in the group has lower tax
rate than River Falls. The average
city has tax rate of three dollars
hundred. The rate for River Falls in
1922 was two dollars and thirty two
cents.
/ Low as this rate is, it would be
still lower were city property taxed
at its real value.
"The school tax in River Falls is
practically th;.t of the average city.
AS noted above, if the ratio of asses
sed to true value in River Falls were
1000 the school tax rate would be
considerably reduced, and would
stand below the average OF our small
city group"
Another table shows that 500 of
the general property tax in the city
goes to the public schools. "T'lis
is a very liberal showing for the city
and indicates an economical city
government. This would be indicated
also by the low tax rate previously
noted"
After calling attention to the fact
that the city has practically no out
standing debts that are to be paid for
by direct taxation, and that the
school district includes not only the
city of River Falls, but also some
outlying farm territory, an estimate
of $4,000 is set as the bonding
capacity of the school district.
The following cities were used in
making the comparisons: Brodhead,
Mineral Point, Stanley, Phillips, Mel
len, Mayville, Tomahawk, Lake
Geneva, Edgerton, Hudson, Evans
vile, River Falls, Lake Mills, Column
bus, Elkhorn. jefferson, Waupaca.