The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-02-20
Dr. Baer Addresses Women Voters League
Explains Features of Proposed Educational Bill to Be
 Presented in State Legislature
WATERT Stephen Canty Correspondent

Watertown, Feb. 20-Dr. Joseph A. Baer of the State Educational Dept, gave for the WatertoWn League of Women Voters, an ex- cellent Interpretation of the new bill on state aid to education, which is coming to vote in the state leg islature. Dr. Baer spoke at the League of Women Voters meeting in the high school Monday.
 Dr. Baer said that the State of Connecticut now contributes only
 one seventh of the money spent in the state for education, and that most of the states contribute one third of the money used, thus mak- ing Connecticut considerably be- low the average.
 Essential features of the bill that would apply to Watertown provide that the state will give aid equal to the amount of $l0O per pupil, minus the local contribution of 25 percent of the average tax reports as of July 1, 1943. In Watertown. Dr. Baer ex- plained this would mean, that inas- much as there were 1873 pupils in 1943, A at $1OO per pupil, the pro- gram would call for $1,573.0O to be spent on education. Watertown did spend $1 ,633 .0O in the same period, | therefore to meet the minimum re- quirements of $100 per pupil under the new bill; if Watertown puts up 25 percent of It's July l, 1943 tax receipts, which figures out to be | $79, ,535, the state would put up $77,- 765 to reach the required sum of 1 $157,3 WatertoWn would not, of ] course, be prevented from spending more than the minimum of $10O per pupil.
 At the present time WatertoWn is receiving grants (excluding trans portation, adult education and ed- ucation of physically handicapped children in the amount of $4830. Inasmuch as these items are incor- porated into the new bill, Water town would receive $72,935 plus the | $4830 which it is already obtaining or the $77,763 mentioned. The bill also provided that instead of grant, ing such large amounts of money to towns before they are prepared to spend it properly, the state will pay it on a graduated scale. The first year the bill was effective the towns would receive only 25 per cent of the total sum; the second year 50 percent; the third year, 75 percent, and on the fourth year, the program would be in full swing and the towns, subsequently, would re- ceive their full amounts.
 To follow these figures to their conclusion Dr. Baer said that the first year under this bill the town would receive $18,234 (25 percent ot the total amount of $72,935) plus the $483O previously mentioned, and also $843 which it is at present re- ceiving for aid in transportation adult education and education for physically handicapped children This makes total of $23 3,907.
 Other towns might come under this, or one of the two alternate plans depending on their own par ticular financial status, but every town would rceive something.
 This plan does not take any money from the richer and more favored communities to pay for the education in poorer communities. All the money comes out of the general fund of the state. This fund has several sources of revenue which are: taxes on the premiums taken In by insurance companies, taxes on public utilities, state inheritance taxes, plus cigarette and liquor tax eS.
 This money is allocated to the town with no control attached. The towns have moral but not legal obligation to spend this money for education, therefore 1t would be the duty of the townspeople to see that the money was properly ham, dued.