Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 June 1909 — LETTER TO COUNTY AUDITORS. [ARTICLE]

LETTER TO COUNTY AUDITORS.

State Superintendent Calls Attention to School Fund Law. Robert J. Aley, state superintendent of public instruction, has issued a circular letter to the county auditors of the state outlining the law concerning the apportionment of school funds and calling attention to an error, somewhat general in the past, which has resulted in the prorating of the funds not being made properly. The school fund comes under six separate heads—the common school revenue, revenues from transfers, congressional township revenue, tuition revenue from local taxation, and the county dog fund. The error in the past has arisen because the auditors have not understood how to handle the congressional fund. Under the law, this fund must be kept in the township in which was originally found the land set apart by congress for school purposes. In some Instances the revenue from the sale or rental of this land has brought the prorata apportionment from such disposal to a relatively high figure, while in other townships it has been very low. The auditors, it appears, have disregarded this fund in their apportionment, with a result that the other five funds were apportioned among the townships, and added to the congressional fund apportionment, making the total apportionment in the fortunate townships much higher than in those which had been less fortunate in disposing of their public land. According to Mr. Aley, the congressional school fund must be considered in making the apportionment, and if, after the division is made, pro rata, of the remaining five funds, and the pro rata falls below, or is equal to the congressional township fund rate in any township, that township shall receive nothing from the other funds. In any event, such a township can receive only such part of the remaining five funds as, added to the township congressional pro rata, will make its pro rata fund equal to that of the other township funds in the coun.ty. According to the practice of the past, the townships which are rich by virtue of .having sold their public lands at a good figure, have had a distinct advantage over the neighboring townships which did not realize so well from their public holdings.