The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1948-12-03
BY J. M. PETERSON, Poison
HOW TO RAISE ELEVEN MILLIONS


school revenue is major obstacle to equality of edu
catonal opportunities.
These inequalities in the tax burden it was point
ed out make it practically impossible for dis
tricts to provide what is generally considered tn
minimum essentials of an adequate school program
The finance committee then passed resolution
later approved by the committee of the whole call
ing for much large portion of the total cost to b
raised the state leveusing the state rather thar
the district tax base.
Briefly this plan calls for the following:
a. Fifty per cent of the total cost of education
shall be provided on the state level
b. This fund as far as possible, shall be provided
by means other than the property tax.
c. The revenue thus realized shall be distributed
to the counties and districts the basis of need.
d. The county shall serve as the major local tax
unit
These resolutions were referred to the county
committees for study and have been overwhelmingly
approved But it would be unjust to infer that there
are doubts and no misgivings. Like any other
proposal to depart materially from the customary
way of doing things this tax plan arouses some hon
est doubts and fears which must be met
The infrequent objections to this finance plan
seem to center around two fears:
a. The fear that the more adequate school funds
resulting from the larger tax base will result in ex
travagence and waste.
b. The fear that the state such cannot under
take so heavy tax burden-an increase from the
present, approximately three millions, to elev-
en- million dollars.
The objections to state financing the
ground that this will promote waste and extrava-
gence is probably honest in most The idea
that education is state function, cooperative
sponsibity of all the people, has not been fully &C
cepted by everybody.
The answer to the objection is quite simple
State financing using the state as tax base does
not make someone else pay the bill The people of
Montana still pay. For example, when the last egis
ature failed to appropriate therequred school funds
for 1913 it did not thereby reduce the funds re-
e., oo4 10
someone else foot the bill 1t did compel Montana
citizens to make excessive leves property the
county and district levels to partially make up the
difference.
To the writer, it seems that the phrase or idea of
someone else footing the bil is out of place with
those who fully accept the concept that education is
a state function.
American democracy is, doubt, far less en-
dangered by state and federal participation than by
the present over-dependence county and district
property taxes which make it practically impossible
for many districts to provide American standard
of educational opportunities.
Of course, we must admit that many districts
will spend more money under the plan. Wei
hope they will The very idea of state financing is
to provide funds for districts which under pres
ent tax laws, can't provide adequate revenue. But
waste and extravaganza the local level is more
an Accompaniment of estate aid" than is regimenta-
ton from above.
AS believers in democracy, must place our
trust in high level of citizenship to prevent
in both. Neither can be justified on the ground that
one is to prevent the other
Furthermore, think devotion to the doctrine /
of frugaity which we learned so well from Franklin,
will prevent excessive spending-especially for edu
cation. And assuming that state financing did imply
rare of waste. That certainly would not be
great threat to democracy the excessive zeal
of those whose principal is FORM direction,
and organization from the top.
The humorous phase of this is that quite often the
very ones who most insistent direction super
vision, and organization by the state are the ones
who oppose Federal aid the ground that the lat
ter might bring Federal RECOMMENDATION