Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 229, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 September 1919 — CITY SCHOOLS WANT MORE REVENUE. [ARTICLE]

CITY SCHOOLS WANT MORE REVENUE.

_ A. H. Hopkins, a member of the Rensselaer school board, went to Indianapolis Sunday evening and «n Monday was before the state tax commission and asked to have a tax levy large enough to raise a greater amount of revenue for the coming year. Mr. Hopkins reports that much more money will be needed Ibis year and that they did not have sufficient funds- last year. It seems that the board should have met the "requirements of the law and made public the fact that additional funds were needed so that the tax payers might have had some knowledge of the amount of tax that they would be required to pay. The valuation of the city has been greatly increased, but the board is asking for a levy not much lower than last year. Schools are of the first import- ‘ ance and they should be properly financed. People are willing to nay a tax sufficient to have the best schools possible. This year the board has done some very creditable work in having all the rooms redecorated and the seats revarnished. There has been some comment that the schools are not as progressive as they should be, but in the main we believe that the schools are doing good work. A levy sufficient Urn but the taxes should not be unreasonably increased. ' ‘ Let us hope that the matter will be handled in a business like manner -and that_.no injustice will be done the Bchoolg or the lax payers, The valuation last year was sl,502,986, and the levy was $1.85 on the SIOO. This raises $27,805. This year the valuation is $3,579,775, and the proposed levy is $1.14 and should raise $40,809. In addition to the $41,000 which s proposed to be raised by local taxation, the schools receive nearly >4,000 from state tuition and dog r unds. •The report of the city school >oard was not on file at the auditor’s office and we were unable to get any figures from their business last year. If the board needed $13,000, or nearly 60 per cent more money this year than it used last year it should xave complied with the law and so informed Hie tax payers to thpt effect. This very huge increase at ;he taking effect of the new law is nopportune and unfair to the law and will create criticism and complaint which will be charged to Hie 1 aw unjustly. ,