Total local and State funds expended for building since last normal year, $100,000. Remarks: March 5, 1949, a fire completely destroyed a 20-room building. Insurance money for this building was used up constructing temporary quarters. John Cermak INFORMATION SHEET INDICATING 1949-50 SCHOOL BUILDING NEED Mailing address: School Administrative Offices, Pocatello, Idaho. Federal activities affecting school enrollments: Navy ordnance plant, Portneuf Are any of these now active? All of them. 1 PTA Central Council completed a spring round-up of 6-year olds on May 21, 1949, and reported 1,006 beginners. This year, 1948-49, we have enrolled 832 first-graders. 2 Permanent classrooms needed, 286. We need 2 new grade schools and 1 new junior high school. 2 years ago the citizens of the school district voted $700,000 in bonds to erect 20 classroom additions to the elementary schools and a new junior high school. During the Christmas holidays, 1948, the 20 new elementary classrooms were completed at a cost of $329,212.55, for construction and furniture. This left $370,787.45 for the new junior-high-school building. Plans were completed and estimates made on the construction of the new junior high school-cost $850,000. We are therefore in need of $479,212.55 to erect this new junior high school. When all 20 of the elementary units were occupied, by moving out of basements, off auditorium stages, out of garages, etc., we found our elementary classrooms still overflowing and since Christmas we have been forced back into 4 of our previously occupied temporary classrooms. 2 new elementary schools are needed of 8 rooms each. This would give the district 46 permanent new classrooms. The 2 grade buildings woud require approximately $520,000. 3 $350,000 in bonds authorized but not sold. When sold, this item would decrease by that amount. Total local and State funds expended for buildings since last normal year: None. Remarks: It would be out of the question to bond this district for the full amount required because of the present high tax rate of the district and the overlapping taxing units. At the present time the district levy is 251⁄2 mills, making the total levy of this district and overlapping taxing units in excess of 100 mills. GEO. N. GREEN. Mr. WIXCEY. Senator Taylor has presented a short statement introductory to letters and information sheets sent to him by Mr. John Cermak and Mr. George Green, superintendents of schools at Lapwai and Pocatello, Idaho, respectively. (The documents referred to are as follows:) STATEMENT OF SENATOR GLEN H. TAYLOR ON S. 287 BEFORE COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND PUBLIC WELFARE Federal assistance for construction of school buildings and facilities is essential in my State. I believe the best way to show the present situation confronting Idaho school districts is to present typical letters from school officials. I am submitting letters and information sheets sent to me by John Cermak, superintendent of schools at Lapwai, Idaho, and George Green, superintendent of schools at Pocatello, Idaho. Committee members will note that tax rates are already very high and that the State legal debt limit permits issuance of bonds for only a fraction of the amounts needed for this construction. The city of Pocatello alone needs 286 new classrooms and this is typical of the need throughout the entire State. I urge the committee to take favorable action as soon as possible on the substitute bill for S. 287, sponsored by Senators Neely, Magnuson, and others, including myself. INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT CLASS A, No. 1, Hon. GLEN H. TAYLOR, Member of Congress, Washington, D. C. Pocatello, Idaho, May 28, 1949. DEAR GLEN: We are advised that hearings will come up on the school construction bill on June 1. This very recent data has been provided for you with the hope that you will appear before the committee in our behalf. Sincerely, GEORGE N. GREEN, Superintendent of Schools. INFORMATION SHEET INDICATING 1949-50 SCHOOL BUILDING NEED School: Independent School District No. 1, Bannock County, Pocatello, Idaho. Mailing address: School Administrative Offices, Pocatello, Idaho. Federal activities affecting school enrollments: Navy ordnance plant, Portneuf Are any of these now active? All of them. Congressman for your School District: John Sanborn. 1 PTA Central Council completed a spring round-up of 6-year olds on May 21, 1949, and reported 1,006 beginners. This year, 1948-49, we have enrolled 832 first-graders. Permanent classrooms needed, 286. We need 2 new grade schools and 1 new junior high school. 2 years ago the citizens of the school district voted $700,000 in bonds to erect 20 classroom additions to the elementary schools and a new junior high school. During the Christmas holidays, 1948, the 20 new elementary classrooms were completed at a cost of $329,212.55, for construction and furniture. This left $370,787.45 for the new junior high school building. Plans were completed and estimates made on the construction of the new junior high school-cost, $850,000. We are therefore in need of $479,212.55 to erect this new junior high school. When all 20 of the elementary units were occupied, by moving out of basements, off auditorium stages, out of garages, etc., we found our elementary classrooms still overflowing, and since Christmas we have been forced back into 4 of our previously occupied temporary classrooms. 2 new elementary schools are needed of 8 rooms each. This would give the district 46 permanent new classrooms. The 2 grade buildings would require approximately $529,000. $350,000 in bonds authorized but not sold. When sold this item would decrease by that amount. Total local and State funds expended for buildings since last normal year: None. Remarks: It would be out of the question to bond this district for the full amount required because of the present high tax rate of the district and the overlapping taxing units. At the present time the district levy is 251⁄2 mills, making the total levy of this district and overlapping taxing units in excess of 100 mills. GEO. N. GREEN. Hon. GLEN H. TAYLOR, LAPWAI PUBLIC SCHOOLS, Senate of the United States, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: In reply to your encouraging_letter dated May 7, please find the enclosed information sheet concerning our Lapwai School building needs which we hope may be of some assistance to you in your support of bill S. 287, and in addition, the following: 1. Our location is near the center of population of the Nez Perce Indian Reservation; and as you know, at the home of the Northern Idaho Indian Agency. 2. Our school district has expanded during the past 50 years from approximately 10 to 732 square miles. Of this, 285 square miles of the most fertile land is Indian and United States Government property. The remainder, while taxable, is of comparatively low value. 3. Our temporary quarters, being utilized since our disastrous fire of March 5, 1949, must be vacated by us within 4 years and could possibly be sooner as we are under a 30-day eviction clause. 4. All school-building construction in our district has been supported by local taxation since 1898. 5. Thirty-nine percent of the property which comprises our school district is either Indian or United States Government property which is, of course, nontaxable. This situation creates an impossible burden on our district, because we can only raise $253,000 which is one-half of the amount necessary to construct a minimum number of classrooms. Please call upon us at any time to assist you in this matter; meanwhile, you have our sincere thanks. Very truly yours, JOHN CERMAK. INFORMATION SHEET INDICATING 1949-50 SCHOOL BUILDING NEED School: Lapwai. Superintendent: John Cermak. Mailing address: Lapwai, Idaho. Telephone: 31. Telegraph address: Lapwai, Idaho. Federal activities effecting school enrollments: Nez Perce Indian Reservation and Northern Idaho Indian Agency. Are any of these now active? Yes. If active, when did they become active? 1911. Average daily attendance at time of becoming active: 74. Congressman for your school district: Compton I. White. Total local and State funds expended for building since last normal year, $100,000. Remarks: March 5, 1949, a fire completely destroyed a 20-room building. Insurance money for this building was used up constructing temporary quarters. JOHN CERMAK. Mr. WIXCEY. Senator Bricker has submitted three papers pertinent to the bills with respect to Ohio schools. (The documents referred to are as follows:) (These data and statement were prepared by Walter E. Stebbins, local school administrator, Mad River Township schools, in the interests of the more than 200 communities in the United States that have suffered at the hands of the Federal Government.) Mad River Township schools, Montgomery County, Dayton, Ohio 1. Poverty in the Mad River Township schools is almost solely due to certain unfair practices of the United States Government as follows: (a) Thousands of acres of land and a part of the village of Riverside have been added to Wright Field and thereby removed from the tax registers. Through Government acquisition, the district has lost $1,111,230 in taxable property in recent years. (b) Soon after the beginning of World War II, 1,100 tax-free housing units were constructed within the district. Taxes for operation of the schools or for school-building construction cannot be levied against this property. (c) Experimental activities at Wright Field with accompanying dangers and noise have tended to discourage all but extremely low-cost construction of homes in the township. Over 700 families reside in trailers. 2. These forces have combined in creating the present deplorable conditions listed below: (a) School population has increased from 836 in 1939 to 2,895 in 1948, making it necessary to lease all available space in this area and to limit 800 children to half-day sessions. (b) The district is in need of at least 20 additional classrooms to place all elementary pupils in decent circumstances for the full schoolday. Furthermore, 400 high-school students are required to attend school in an adjoining district at a tuition cost of $170 per student per year ($70,000 annual expenditure). The district needs a complete high-school unit to house these students within the township. Such a program will be impossible without outside assistance since the district has already voted for construction the maximum allowable by law in Ohio. (c) Of 46 classrooms presently used, only 26 are board of education owned. Others are rented or leased. Many of these are poorly lighted and heated. 3. Amount of taxable property per pupil based upon school census: 1941, $3,327; 1945, $1,974; 1947, $1,637. As a matter of comparison, one adjoining district had $6,751 in taxable property per pupil in 1947. The Government of the United States frowns upon acts of aggression all over the world, yet continues to perpetrate them at home. REPRESENTATION WITHOUT TAXATION Almost 200 years ago the colonists settled somewhat definitely the fact that "taxation without representation" is wrong, and down through the years we have accepted that principle as we have accepted election day and the Fourth of July. Yes, we believe that "taxation without representation" is wrong. But how about "representation without taxation"? Is it not equally wrong; an evil to be frowned upon as not being in agreement with our sound American sense of justice? In several hundred communities throughout our Nation, local economy has been wrecked, because “representation without taxation" as a policy, has been established and condoned by the United States Government. Through the operation of this principle, a local community loses its autonomy under the guise of the exercise of the right of eminent domain. What a multitude of sins are covered by that term "right of eminent domain". Strange as it may seem, while our Government frowns upon acts of aggression all over the world, it continues to perpetrate them at home. Let us take as an example a small community adjoining a Federal installation. The community had built a school building in 1940 and voted bonds to finance it. The next year the Federal Government bought thousands of acres of land and paid the land owners a fair price, but it paid none of the bonded debt against such lands. That debt was passed back upon the remainder of the community. The same year 1,100 federally owned housing units were built in this community to house families connected with the Government installation. These housing units were tax-exempt because they belonged to the Federal Government, and, therefore, no taxes could be levied upon them either to build or to operate a school to accommodate the 900 students they contributed. The occupants of Federal housing may, however, go to the polls and vote taxes upon the farms and privately owned homes of the community to support the school program. This, gentlemen, is "representation without taxation", and to make it possible, the Government of the United States committed upon the local community an act of aggression. There are two ways to right this wrong; either put the Federal property on the tax register, or subsidize the local community and help it build its schoolhouses and other community facilities and maintain them. A deep underlying principle is involved in this problem-a philosophy of government-an issue involving the integrity of our Democracy. It is a problem that needs the careful and earnest consideration of our most capable legislators. They will recognize that any intrusion upon the rights of the people is worthy of immediate attention, that we cannot have a free nation while oppression exists in any of its parts. Effect of Federal activity on Ohio schools in defense areas (Schools affected: Bath Township, Osborn; Beaver Creek, Brooklyn Village, Cleveland; Butler Township; Franklin; Kings Mills; Miamisburg; Mad River Township, Dayton; Northridge) Enrollments, last normal year, September 1940 (total). Enrollments, September 1948 (total)_ Increase in enrollment (91.7 percent) Enrollment due to Federal activity, September 1940 Enrollment due to Federal activity, September 1948 Percent of increase due to Federal activity (percent). Total assessed valuation, 1948. 6 percent bond limit.... Bonds voted and used to meet need (83 percent federally caused). Need which must be met by Federal Government if these pupils are Property removed from tax duplicate by Federal acquisition 7,516 14, 412 6, 896 540 5, 765 83 $63, 430, 411 3,805, 825 3, 240, 825 565, 000 3,250,000 565, 000 2,685,000 24, 325, 000 1, 459, 500 Mr. WIXCEY. Senator Ferguson has forwarded a telegram addressed to him by Mr. H. O. Johnson, superintendent, Livonia Township Schools. (The document referred to is as follows:) Mr. EARL B. WIXCEY, UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND PUBLIC WELFARE, June 3, 1949. Clerk, Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, Únited States Senate, Washington, D. C. DEAR MR. WIXCEY: Attached is a telegram and a memo from Senator Ferguson in connection with the outline of circumstances at Livonia Township (Wayne County), Mich., on S. 287. Senator Ferguson would like the telegram made a part of the record of the hearings on S. 287. |