The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-12-01
SCHOOL TAX RATE REFERENDUM PROPOSED
Board Members, at Meeting,
Attack Power of State
Body.
ACTION TO BE PLANNED
East Side High School Plea
Starts 1t All.

Proposal before the coming Legis-
lature of a bill which would make It
possible for the people Of Indianapo-
lis to vote directly on school bud.
gets and tax rates, is being consid.
cred by the council of the union of
twenty-four East Side clubs. it was
by officials today.
The action has been contemplated
for some time. il was said, and will
take definite form at n special meet
ing soon, as a result Of the dis
heartening reception by the school
board Tuesday night Of the club
unions petition for a new high
school in Irvington.
A special school board meeting will
be held Monday afternoon to discuss
the financial difficulties of the school
city Indications are that a commit
tee will be named to take the mat
ter before the Legislature.
Declaring that the state tax
boards recent slashing Of the school
budget would make new projects
practically impossible for the next
two or three years. Commissioner
Fred Bates Johnson stressed 1he
need for new methods OF meeting the
situation at the board meeting Tues,
day when Thomas c. Howe, former
president Of Butler University. and
Mrs. Elijah Jordan, chairman Of the
club union council, presented the pc
tition.
Would Have Big Enrolment
IAN Irvington school erected with
in two or three years would find an
initial enrolment Of 1000 students
living in the district bounded on the
west by Sherman Dr., on the east by
the city limits, on the north by
Twenty-First st. and on the south by
Raymond St." Howe said.
"Irvington offers a higher eleva-
ton for school site and the district
is freer from smoke"
The board received the petition,
promising investigation, but dis,
couraged the delegates from "even
thinking Of the project in the face
of the existing reduced budget.
A delegation Of residents from N.
Pennsylvania ST., in the vicinity Of
the proposed new Shortridge High
School back door" as they termed
1t, raised objection to the location
of the new schools power house.
smoke stack and coal bins on the
northeast corner of the lot. and
asked that they be moved nearer
the center of the building.
Commissioner Charles w. Kern.
the second board member to bring
the expense problem to the front. de.
clared that changes In the tentative
plans would result In recasting the
whole scheme Of the building, entail.
ing an additional structure, with the
money burden increased.
Kern Gives Warning
Kern again warned against the
advisability Of erecting new build
ings when ]. f. Wetzell president
Of the indianapolis local Of the
United Typothetae, presented argu-
ments for the enlarging of the
school Of printing at the Arsenal
Technical School. A plan has been
considered, Kern declared, but prog.
ress is retarded by lack Of funds.
Just before the meeting closed at
midnight Commissioner Johnson ex.
ploded the money bombshell" that
had been simmering all evening.
when he declared that the attitude
Of the tax board had tiled the
hands Of the school board and
forced It up a blind alley"
Il suggest three alternatives in
copying with this situation, he said.
"One Of these is to join with forces
in the Legislature which have for
their object the curblng Of the tax
boards power. Another is to make
every possible effort to change the
personnel or the present State tax
board, and the third measure that
might be adopted would be to obtain
the passage Of a law which submits
school budgets and tax levys to the
voters Of the city either at regular
election every two years or at a
special referendum.
Sanitary conditions are appalling
In some school instances, but we
have no money with which to
remedy them. The tax cut was
made evidently because the school
board was the most vulnerable spot
to hit and a cut Of any kind would
appease the plea of the citizen for
tax reduction.
1.-THE burden Of improvements and
expenditures is taken from our
shoulders because we are broke, but
1t is not our duty to pass the buck
just because Of that"