The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-06-10
EDUCATIONAL HEAD
SCORES MEASURE TO
REDUCE VALUATIONS
saxvik Says Passage Would be
-. 4
Disastrous to Future OF
Our Children

| AVAAAAAA6 WIG PAOPOOSA AAAAtAotSN
measure providing for reduction o.
valuation Of property as "disastrou.
to the future Of our children" H. o
Saxvik, Bismarck. president Of the
North Dakota Education association
Friday urged defeat of the proposal
in an address before the Burleigh
County School Officers association
meeting.
| He charged that railroads, corpora
tions and Public Utilities will derive
the greatest benefit by passage Of the
measure.
1.-The valuations Of all these are fix
ed by the state board Of equalization"
he said, land If reduction of one
third is made now, it will be many
years before their valuations will be
increased whatever the condition of
the times. America has passed through
10 major depressions in her history
and has always come back. When we
recover from this one, as we surely
will, local pride and parental desire
will demand that school standards
again be raised"
Other speakers were Bertha r. Pal
mer, state superintendent Of public
instruction, and j. A. Solein, state
rural school inspector.
The officers met at the city audi
torium for morning and afternoon
sessions. The meeting was to end late
Friday.
Not Fighting Economy
Saxvik told the school officers the
State Education association lis not
waging a campaign against tax reduc-
ton or economy"
I'VE cannot legislate economy any
more than we can legislate morality"
he said.
The proposed measure, he added,
will deprive local school boards Of the
right to continue their economy pro-
grams"
I'VE believe" he continued, that
school boards generally realize the
necessity of retrenchment, have ef-
fected great economies and will do
more as the occasion requires" School
costs have been reduced $685. 1872 dur
ing the last 10 years, he asserted, al
though there are $4,000 more children
and 6l5 more teachers.
IF this bill becomes q law" Sax
vik said, lit will not only destroy the
right of local communities to deter
mine their own affairs, but 1t will give
the power to remote interests to die
tate school expenditures and take
away the right to provide educational
facilities according to local desire.
80 Will BE Affected
According to the report Of the
state tax commissioner, there are 378
districts in the state maintaining
four-year high schools. Three hun
dred and 10 of these will have to re-
duce their budget 31.25 per cent. or
a total of $1,571 LOG. Fifty of these
districts, to maintain the kind of
schools the people want, have found
it necessary to ask the people to vote
the additional levy provided by law.
There are 2,265 school districts IN
the state. Nine hundred and sixty
six of them would be seriously affect
ed by the passage of this bill. High
schools in the smallel towns, especial.
" in the western half Of the state,
would have to close. It would also
hurt a great many Of the rural
schools. In two counties alone, every
school district would be seriously al
fected. In the eastern part OF the
state, valuations are high and only q
few schools will be affected by the
passage of this bill. In the western
half of the state, where valuations are
naturally lower more than so per cent
of the schools would be seriously az
fected.
Valuations Have Shrunk
valuation for taxing purposes In
1911 was $287 ,O65 ,l21. In 1918 the val
uation rose to 81 ,522, 637 ,234. In 1911
school districts were permitted to levy
80 mills and an additional two-mill
county tax, making total Of 81 mills.
Since 1919 a law, limiting the tax levy
for all local purposes, provides that II
mills can be levied for rural schools,
is mills for consolidated and graded
schools and Is mills for schools hav-
ing four years Of high school. The
two-miu county levy has been reduc-
ed to one-half mill. In 1911 the max
imum that could be levied for school
purposes was $9,186,l47 while the pos
sible levy that could be made in 1882.
If the valuation Is decreased 80 1-3
per cent, would be $685. 97. The
valuations have automatically de-
creased since 1919 about Al per cent,
or to $3.50, 432, 053 for 1881. with the
prospect Of still greater decrease for
1882. This would mean less money for
the education Of the children Of North
Dakota than was spent for construc-
ton and maintenance Of highways