Evening star., 1942-01-17
Virginians Ask
State 10 Pay for
School Buses
s. House, II Senate
Bills Offered in First
Three Days Of Session
BY the Associated Press,

By the Associated Press.
RICHMOND. Va. Jan. 17.-With
63 House bills and IL Senate bills in
troduced in the General Assembly in
the first three days Of the 1912 ses-
sion, many OF the members took
advantage of the weekend legisla-
tive holiday today to return to their
districts for rest and a chance to
sound out the sentiments of the
homefolk.
Both houses quit the Capitol halls
after brief sessions, and the election
OF eight judges by joint action yes
terday to come back at noon Monday
for busy week which will see the
Inauguration of Colgate w. Darden,
jr.. OF Norfolk Wednesday as the
new Governor.
Delegates from the rural areas
launched as one of the final actions
of the brief first-week session a
move to lift most OF the burden OF
financing school bus operation from
the shoulders of the localities and
place it on the State.
A House bill by Delegate Preston
Moses of Pittsylvania proposes that
the State pay 10 per cent of the cost
OF transporting the children to and
from school, an expense now borne
entirely by the counties. He eSti-
mated the plan would cost the State
$l.236,00O annually. but he claimed
that more than 100000 children of
school age were not now in school
because the counties were unable to
provide them with transportation.
Cost Is sl3.07 Per Pupil.
The cost to the counties of trans
porting school children amounted
to $l3.07 for each pupil in l94l, Mr..
Moses said.
The Pitsylvania Delegate said he
believed his bill asking the State to
provide a fiat 10 per cent of the
expense did not have the disad-
vantage of other school bus bills in
troduced in that it would not en-
courage the localities to add buses
just to realize additional funds.
Another bill. introduced by Dele
gate Virgin Goode of Franklin. pro-
posed State appropriation of $780,
600 to assist the counties in pupil |
the money to be dis
tributed by the State Board of Ed
ucation to the localities on the basis
of pupil miles Travelled. Mr. Moses
put his name to this bill also on
the assumption that help for the
counties on the transportation prob
lem would be welcome. however it
was given. Also on the Goode bill
as co-patrons were Delegates Yates,
Clark, Hammack, Crock
EFT, Spiers, Calhoun and L. N.
Davis.
Two other bills in the House
proposed the counties be allowed
$50 per month for each bus carrying
more than Is pupils daily and $40
less for those transporting 10 to Is
children.
Free Textbooks Secondary.
In the view of Delegate Moses the
counties would prefer financial as
sistance in the operation of their
school buses above free textbooks
If funds could not be made avail
able for both purposes. Gov Price
recommended in his budget an ap-
of s675 900 for free text
books for the primary grades, but
the pupil transportation aid pro-
posal was an idea born in the To-
calities.
Provision for further aiding the
localities in school financing ap-
peared in the Governors budget
to increase the minimum
teacher wage from $610 to $500 in
the first year of the biennium and
10 the long sought Virginia Educa-
ton Association goal of $720 in the
second year ending June 30, 1914
Although the average pay for all
teachers, white and colored, in 1941
to 1918. in a number of
counties the State-supplied mini
mum was the entire salary received.
The localities must, however. pay
the teachers the full amount of the
State funds on penalty Of being de-
MED school funds entirely.
IS M. p. H. Limit Proposed.
AS means of financing the pro-
jected teacher retirement system
for the States part, Senator Ralph
of Norfolk introduced a
Joint resolution calling for con-
amendment to allow the
State to appropriate any or all in
excess of $4,000. 900 from the literary
fund.
The fund, from which the locali-
ties are permitted to borrow for
schools, is provided for in the con-
stitution and derives its income
from fines, the capitation tax and
certain lands of the Commonwealth.
At present there is about $500, 900
In the fund and it is increasing at
the rate of $4,000 monthly from
various accruals.
Delegate I. N. Coleman of Din
widdie offered a bill to reduce the
speed limit for non military vehicles
to IS miles per hour until the Gov
nrnnr y,roc1oiYpc tho