The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1945-01-26
THE UPS AND DOWNS OF THE
TEACHERS RETIREMENT ACT

their years of service, upon reaching
| go years of age, based on the average
salary earned during the last 10 years
of school activity, but not to exceed
81, 900. However, the legislators have
not appropriated sufficient funds and
the retired teachers are not receiving
the retirement salary due from the
stae as provided by law. Few teach
ers earn salary sufficient to war
rant them receiving $1,000 per year
retirement salary
By vote of three to two, the mem
bers of the Teachers Retirement
Board decided to make an attempt to
amend the Teachers Retirement Act
by placing a tax on all school dis
tricts, equal to three and one-half per
cent of the salary paid the teachers
of the district-this is in lieu of hav-
appropriate money from the General
Fund of the state to the Teachers
Retirement Fund
The proposed bill has clause in it
which provides that if the special tax
makes the school levy exceed the ten
mills limit fixed by law, the school
board can levy the tax without spe-
cial election to increase the tax levy.
This is fine sample of the totali-
tartan theory of government showing
up in our legislative halls.
The schools of Montana are oper-
ated through local self government,
and schoolboards fix the tax levy to
maintain the schools, provided, how
ever, tina before the tax levy can ex-
coed ten mills, the tax paying voters
of the district must approve any in
crease of taxes over the ten mills
levy at regularly held election, and
further the school district must main
tain a free school for nine months in
the year, or the district will not re-
ceive any money from the state school
fund.
If the legislature has the power to
force school boards to levy a special
tax without submitting the same to
vote of the taxpayers in the district,
then local self government of our
school system will be curtailed.
II the legislature can assume the
power to levy a special tax on school
districts, then it can assume the pow
er to levy special taxes on the county
and city governments.
Local self government is a bulwark
to a democratic form of government
If local self government is destroyed,
then government of the people by the
people is on its way out.
The legislature of Montana, by law
contracted with the school teachers to
pay a certain retirement salary and
levied tax of five per cent on the
teachers salary to help meet the re-
tirement obligation and further pro-
vided in the contract that appropria-
tons should be made from the Gen
eral Fund to guarantee payment
The state of Montana levies no tax
on property to meet the expenses of
state government, yet there is a sur
plus of over five million dollars in
the state treasury. Therefore, the
state of Montana, is quite able to
meet it's obligations and to guarantee
the annual retirement pay to our aged
teachers without levying any tax on
school districts.
The proposal of the majority of the
members Of the Teachers Retirement
Board to have law enacted. to levy
a special tax on the people in school
districts is uncalled for, unsound, and
represents poor craftsmanship The
state of Montana, is perfectly able
to meet its obligations to the school
teachers, therefore, it is unnecessary
10 pass the buck to the school dis
-ricts.