Hungry Horse news., 1949-05-20
Discuss Hill School Problems

Discuss Hill S
Tentative agreement has bee
reached as to General-Shea-Mor
rison financial responsibility TO
grade and high school facilitie
in the area.
The Monday conference at Hun
cry Horse was presided over b.
Miss Mary Condor, state super
intendent of schools, assisted b,
Miss Lulu Barnard, county sup.
erntendent. Among those presen
were members Of the district {
school board, GSM and bureau Of
reclamation officials.
DEFINE VICINITY"
Results Of the meeting include
definition of the word vicinity,
in the education of children of the
prime contractor and Of bureau of
reclamation employees who live in
the vicinity" This is listed as a
responsibility of the prime con-
tractor in the prime contract.
It was agreed after two hours
discussion that vicinity" meant
from the South Fork bridge to a
point midway between Hungry
Horse and Martin City. GSM will
provide all necessary school build
ing accommodations for grade
school children contractor, bu-
reau and others e grades) - who
live in this area. Last summer they
built a four-room school valued
at SOS, 900, and this summer, it is
likely that additional rooms will
be provided.
Recent interpretations of the law
apparently no longer permit the
charging OF tuition to any resident
in his own school district. GSM be-
comes the second largest taxpay-
er of the district on the basis of |
assessments now underway. First
is the Great Northern railway.
It was generally felt that GSM
paying for a schoolhouse, and be-
coming large taxpayer, was as
Stunning a proper share Of the bur-
den. Also that growth of the area
is largely result Of Hungry Horse
dam construction. That the var
ious businesses and properties !
benefit from such items as GSM
having already paid out $4,000, 900
In weekly payrol1s. That having
the dam would improve the long {
range economic worth of the area.
Another view was the GSM |
statement that at least so per cent I
of their employees were in the
R1athead before the project started. t.
The majority of these employees Il
either own taxpaying property or I
'ent accommodations on which b
axes are paid for school purposes. :
TAXES TOO HIGH +.
Problem of this district is that !
has 1875 mill tax levy of which I
SO mills are for local grade school !
To provide for the con- I
truction influx, $4,000 in CO. !
ear payment) bonds were voted I
Or new schools at Coram and !
Iartin City. The grade school in I
olumbia Falls able to accommo-
ate $50 finds itself bullying with
80 students. Grade school enroll
ents of the district increased
ON 214 in 1914 to 1872 last Oct
ser, and the high school enroll I
ent doubled to 216 in the four N
Ears. Prediction for next year is =
20 per cent increase. Supt. Clar- =
ice Lee is asking for Is addition
teachers to the present AZ.
Also reflected at the Monday af-
moon session was a belief that
e prime contractor should pay
r the schooling of all of his en-
Dyes children wherever they
5ed in the district, and disregard
6 such factors as they being tax
lyers or having lived in the Flat
.ad for a number of years. Bur-
n on the district as result Of
I
present heavy tax load.
The high school building, con-
'ucted in 1910, is viewed as adj
uate for another IS students.
important question Is: do Flat
ad county officials keep tab on
} project 80 that as Of March I,
"other" contractors equipment
d camps are placed on the tax \
It,"
At the meeting were Miss Con- q
4, Miss Barnard, Ambrose Mea-
e, county attorney; Chairman
% Fehlberg Of the school board;
Henry Hutchings, James
mining, Mrs. Merriam Afseth
Herman Byrd; F. P. Fleming.
TX; F. J. Robischon, court re-
ter; Supt. Clarence Lee, Prin-
al Dulane Fulton; for the bur-
Of reclamation, Clyde H. Spen-
David Culver and Palmer Lar
; for GSM, c. w. Wood, D. H.
lderson and Mel Hord. Inter-
ID onlookers included A. L.
nson, Seattle, Great Northern
'rney. They paid $68, 967.44 to
district for grade school pur-
es not counting high school
es. The Hungry Horse News
cred the story for the Associ-
l Press and various newspa-