Evening star., 1948-06-17
EducationF Fund
S|ashed Further
In Montgomery
Tax Rate Unchanged
In Record Budget to
Be Signed Tuesday

A record s6,l35 ,246.98 Montgomery
County budget, which gives the
Board Of Education s611.501 less
than it requested and retains the
present sl88 basic county tax rate,
will be signed Tuesday by the county
commissioners.
Appropriations for the fiscal year
beginning July were approved yes
terday at special meeting of the
commissioners in the Rockville
Courthouse. The total budget Is
s82O,02l more than for the current
year.
Their action was accompanied by
warning that legal action would
be taken to block any attempt by
School Board officials to eliminate
such services as hndergartens,
music, art and physical education
classes in order to place teachers
on a higher salary schedule.
When notified of the cut in school
funds, H. Stanley Stine, president OF
the Board of Education, reiterated
his stand that I'VE will have to
eliminate certain services to give
teachers the best possible salaries
they can get, as far as is legally
possible
"TerribIy Disappointed
Declaring he was terribly disap-
pointed at the commissioners nasty
action" Mr.. Stine said:
THE Board of Education will
stand on its legal rights in asking
the commissioners to submit IN
writing their reasons for the cut.
Less than "a hours before nearly
1000 county residents attending a
public hearing on the budget had
demanded that the School Board S
request for so,429,9 1863 be granted.
In its f1el form the budget, the
most cc,nt"o- cr-ial in The county S.
histol". ~N- the Board OF Educa-
ton s2"1cLCc.
Ccunty Supervisor Irving G. Nc
Nayr had recommended s6,25l ,633,
includir~ s2.885, 1853 for schools or
S544.50l lcss than the Board OF Edu-
cation had asked. The county COM
missioners increased his proposed
cut in school funds by $4,000.
Increase Over Current Funds.
They pointed out, however, that
the Board of Education's appropria-
ton represents an increase of s419,-
el4 over current funds. They ex-
planned they we're forced to cut
$4,000 from the appropriation for
schools in order to maintain the
80
eliminated from the budget repre-
sented payment which would have
peen made to the Washington Sub
urban Sanitary Commission for
sewer and water facilities at veter-
ans housing developments in the
county.
The budget makes no provision
for requested police pay increases
and provides for continued opera
ton of the country aims house. Mr.
McNayr had recommended that 1t
be discontinued He also had pro-
posed a scent increase in the tax
rate,
In statement issued after the
budget was approved, the county
supervisor claimed the appropria-
ton for schools provides for an
average teacher salary of $4,000 a
year, the payment to teachers OF
their annual increments OF between
500 and 5000, the hiring Of so adj
ditional teachers and the continued
operation of all school services.
Board of Education Warned.
"The county commissioners feel,
and they have legal backing, that
monies appropriated for the Board
of Education must be spent for
the purposes for which the county
commissioners made those appro-
priations," he declared.
1.-THE Board of Education cannot.
therefore, eliminate services for
which money was provided by the
commissioners. Should tine Board
of Education attempt to follow
through with its implied threat to
eliminate those services, the county
commissioners will initiate court ac-
ton to enjoin the School Board
from stopping those services"
He said the commissioners had
decided to maintain the present
county tax rate because they feel
it is their sworn duty to protect
all interests in Montgomery County.
They are fully cognizant of the
fact that increases in assessments
have greatly added to the taxpayers
burden