pressed. Many took advantage of the 

 increased taxing powers and property 

 taxes in large portions of the state were 

 substantially increased. 



The lAA joined with other organiza- 

 tions in supporting legislation which lim- 

 its the maximum amount of property 

 taxes which may be levied to 15% to 

 25%, on the average, more than the 

 1945 maximum levy. This legislation 

 has been approved by the Governor and 

 should be of assistance in holding local 

 property tax levies within reasonable 

 bounds. . , 



STATE AID FOR SCHOOLS 



The question of the amount of state 

 support for schools was one of the most 

 controversial of the session. The pres- 

 sure of increased teacher salaries and 

 rising costs caused schools to look to the 

 state for increased assistance. The 

 School Finance and Tax Commission rec- 

 ommended substantial increases in state 

 aid. 



The Association favored reasonable in- 

 creases both in the emergency and as 

 a permanent program. However, the 

 Association believed that the increases 

 should be primarily for the assistance of 

 needy schools, that is, for those requir- 

 ing equalization aid. 



The Association supported emergency 

 legislation which provided for paying 

 1946 state aid claims on the basis of 

 150%. This would have required an 

 additional $9,000,000, two-thirds of 

 which would have been used downstate. 

 Much of this money would have gone 

 to the districts requiring equalization aid. 

 However, this bill failed to pass and in 

 lieu thereof legislation granting a flat 

 amount of $6 per pupil was passed. This 

 requires about $5,500,000 additional 

 money. 



The School Finance and Tax Ojmmis- 

 sion recommended that flat grants for 

 elementary pupils (that is, the amount 

 per pupil that goes to all school dis- 

 tricts) be increased from $19 to $25 per 

 pupil and that the flat grants for high 

 schools be increased from $4 to $10 per 

 pupil. 



The Commission recommended that 

 the equalization aid to needy districts be 

 increased to a basis of $120 for both 

 elementary and high schools. In com- 

 puting equalization aid, if the local 

 school tax levy of 25c on the full value 

 plus the amount of the flat grant does 

 not produce $80 per pupil for elementary 

 schools or $90 per pupil for high schools, 

 then the state now contributes an addi- 

 tional amount sufficient to assure the dis- 

 trict $80 per elementary pupil or $90 

 per high school pupil, as the case may be, 

 in computing equalization aid). 



After a bitter struggle, on the closing 

 night of the session legislation was 



passed which raised the flat grants from 

 $19 to $22 for elementary pupils and 

 from $4 to $7 for high school pupils. 

 The equalization aid to needy districts 

 was increased from $80 to $90 per pupil 

 for elementary schools and from $90 to 

 $100 per pupil for high schools. 



Total appropriations for schools ap- 

 proximated $85,000,000 including ap- 

 propriations for pupil transportation, 

 handicapped children, the school lunch 

 program and similar purposes. 



COUNTY SCHOOL SURVEYS 



Legislation was enacted extending the 

 time for filing the tentative reports of 

 the county school survey committees from 

 June 1 to Dec. 1, 1947 and the time for 

 filing their final reports from Jan. 1 to 

 June 1, 1948. The legislature also 

 appropriated sufficient monies to pro- 

 vide the county school survey committees 

 with the full amount of money author- 

 ized in the original legislation, for the 

 expenses of these committees. 



Legislation also passed which will per- 

 mit the counties which did not vote for 

 school surveys in 1945 to vote on the 

 question of conducting a school survey 

 in their respective counties. School board 

 members in these nine counties will vote 

 this Fall upon the question of conducting 

 a school survey. ■, 



WITHHOLDING STATE AID 



The lAA and other organizations 

 joined in sponsoring legislation designed 

 to assist county school survey committees 



and local people in furthering the school 

 reorganization program now under way. 

 Based on the assumption that the state is 

 not obligated to encourage the continu- 

 ance of small, inefficient grade and high 

 schools, legislation was passed requiring 

 the state to withhold state aid from ele- 

 mentary schools having fewer than ten 

 (now seven) pupils in average daily at- 

 tendance after June 30, 1949, 12 pupils 

 after June 30, 1951 and 15 pupils after 

 June 30, 1953. 



Also high schools with fewer than 

 nine pupils per grade in average daily 

 attendance will not be eligible for state 

 aid after June 30, 1951. Exceptions may 

 be granted in case where the county su- 

 perintendent and state superintendent of 

 public instruction find that such require- 

 ments will cause undue hardsiiip. 



COMMUNITY UNIT DISTRICTS 



In response to requests from many 

 school survey committees that legislation 

 be enacted to permit the establishment of 

 12 grade unit district with one election, 

 legislation was enacted for this purpose. 



Upon petition to the county super- 

 intendent, the question of organizing a 

 1 2 grade unit district is submitted to tfie 

 voters in the territory involved. In or- 

 der to carry, a favorable vote is required 

 in both the rural territory and in the 

 urban territory included in the proposed 

 district. 



If established, this unit district will 



■ supersede a// other elementary or high 



school districts or parts thereof in the 



(Continued on page 21) 



SEPTEMBER. 1947 



