Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-11-01
PTA Council Head
Denies Rising Taxes
Peril Really Values
Montgomery

High caliber Montgomery
County schools are used as q
selling point by county real es-
tate men. according to Myron
S. Isaacs. president Of the Coun-
ty Council Of Parent Teacher
associations.
AS a result. Mr.. ISaacs said.
the county has had a tremen-
.dous increase in population and
in real estate values.
Mr.. Isaac's statement was
made as an answer to an arti-
Gle in The Star written by Sam
uel H. De Vault, of 1910 Motley
road, Silver Spring, stating that
sharp recurrent tax increases
were destroying real estate val
us and incensing some home
owners so they are considering
moving out Of the county.
Mr.. De Vault, former head of
the department of agricultural
economics at the University OF
Maryland and a member Of the
State Tax Survey Commission
under four Governors, cited his
own tax bill increase from $127.l5
in 1916 to $328.87 in 1854.
Caliber Of Instruction Hit.
He said economies must be eff
fected, especially in the schools.
He also charged that school
buildings were overelaborate and
that the Institutional system has
deteriorated.
Enrolment increases has been
responsible for increased school
costs. Mr.. Tsaacs said. In the
last 10 years, he said, enrollments
jumped from 1910 pupils to
F.260 and the roll of teachers
from SOS to 1909.
During the same period, aver
age teacher salaries have more
than doubled from $3.50 tt
1895, he said. Other costs, he
added, have increased in the
same proportion.
This is the real explanation
of the increased cost of operat-
ing our public schools" he said
Teachers salaries now totaling
/ 81, $4,000 represent about 70 pei
cent of the total school operating
cost, he added.
Study Cited as Evidence.
"Any substantial cuts in schoo
| expenditure means fewer teach.
ers. lower pay for teachers anc
a general lowering of educationa
| standards" Mr.. Isaacs said.
THE suggestion (made by Mr.
De Vault that space in Mont,
gomery County's schools /,
neither efficiently nor effec,
lively utilized comes as a rathe,
sour joke to thousands o
parents who know that thei
children are housed in grossl,
overcrowded buildings or are OF
double sessions the PTl
spokesman said.
Mr.. Isaacs cited a study mad
by the Advisory Committee Of
School Construction as evidenc
that school buildings are no
overly elaborate. The commit
tee consisted OF. more than
dozen county residents incIud
ing candidates Davil Scull, Re
publican, and Blair Lee III
Democrat.
1.-THE fact is. as the commit
tee found, that the Montgomer
County taxpayer has been get
ting his full dollars worth on
Of school construction, and tina
there are few, If any. frills an,
extravagances In the ne,
schools Mr.. Isaacs said.
Points to Studies on instruction
/ Mr.. Isaacs also denied tina
! the Institutional system has de
Perforated. saying such a clair
was not borne out by objectiv
studies.
Mr.. Isaacs took sharp issu
with the Green commission bi
passed by the last General AS
sembly that would increase mex
year the county's share in pay
ment Of the States minimum
school program from 65 to Z
cents per 500 Of assessed valua
ton.
The scheduled increase !.
should be repealed, relievin
Montgomery County real estat
Of more than $500 900 per yea
| in school taxes" he said.
4 Mr.. IsaacS called for increase
/ State contributions to schools
taking into account the burde
imposed by rapid enrolment in
creases. He said Maryland con
| tributes only about IS per Ger
of total school expenditures
| the State compared. with q ne
Ks