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Ann Arbor's Per Capita

Ann Arbor's Per Capita image
Parent Issue
Day
17
Month
February
Year
1897
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Robert E. Bunker, a gentleman froni Muskegon, lms been iignring out the per capita oost of instructiou in the public schools, and the results of his figures is given in this table : East Saginaw Í29.98 Detroit 2Ï.58 West Bay City 23.01 Kalamazoo 22.50 Jackeon, So.l 21.83 Ypsilanti - 21.70 Ann Arbor- - 21.30 Menomimee 21.14 Pontiac 19.90 Grand Rapids 1988 Manislee 19.34 Bay City 19.48 Jackson.No. 17 18 93 Battle Cre-k - 18.86 Muskegon 18.ñ Lanslng 18.63 Of these cities he claims that Bay City, East Saginaw and Muskegon furnish f ree text books. Well, so does Aun Arbor in fact, for any cfaild whose parents are unable to pay for books, is furnished books and supplies f ree of cost. It is to be hoped that Mr. Bunker bas beeu perfectly fair in niaking up his table. But how he figures out the per capita for Ann Arbor at $21.30 is not easy to see. The total expenses, according to the report of last year, was $59,333.02, and the number of school children 3,054, which, according to our arithmetic would leave $19.42 as the per capita. But last year there were some extraordinary expenses for permanent improvements, which it is unjust to charge up to the cost per capita of that year. For instance the new heating building and plant $6,581.01 ; the addition to the third ward school building, $3,275.00. Xhen there were bonds and interest paid of $4,924.55. And included in the expenditures is $489.71 for the library, and $500 for the librarian's salary. This is a public not a school library, and the funds for its anee comes trom nnes in j asnees courts and from dog tax, so that of course it is Dot a legitímate school expenditure, although taken charge of by the school board. To that should be added $498.49 put into other permanent irnprovements, whichuiakesatotalof $15,617.76; subtract that amount from the total expenditure, and we have $43,881.26 as the actnal expense of running the schools last year. That suin divided by the number of school children, leaves only $14.36 as the actual cost per capita. You see that it makès a big difference just how these things are figured.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Courier