Newspaper Page Text
■*L S f D °o/ er ; '0,V7 r M; T I M /V JT o' J r J ; * J t H 1 1 I ■î Mi Pm TREO "2 INN .. Mffi_ MONTANA'S 0NCF o ^JEWIDE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER W - il 1 ll-r-r r IWt n r HE1 £|\, MONTANA, MARCH 20, 1953 _ CL -J_!___ Vol. XIV—No. 16 Five Cents Per Copy « SCHOOL FOUNDATION PROGRAM STATUS FOR NEXT BIENNIUM MORE FULLY EXPLAINED In recent days many questions have been asked regarding the status of the public school foundation pro gram for the next biennium as a result of action by the 33rd Legisla tive Assembly. The increase in foundation sched ules, while not sufficient to meet rising costs and increasing enroll ment, represents a considerable im provement over what was proposed in weakening amendments by Rep. O'Connor. Mrs. Reed's house educa tion committee, in line with requests by school people, proposed an aver age increase of 19 per cent in the program. As finally approved by the assembly, an increase of approxi mately 9 per cent was put into the law. This increase applies only to the next biennium as a result of house approval of a time-limiting amendment by Rep. Omholt. Herewith in greater detail is the background behind the introduction of HB 112, the fight to save its con tents, and how it finally emerged from the legislative mill, as written up at our request by one thoroughly conversant with the needs of Montana elementary and secondary schools.— EDITOR. After two years of study by a com mittee of the Montana School Board's Association, and leading educators in this State, it was deemed necessary to the continuance of a sound edu cational program in Montana, that the Foundation Program schedule, designed in 1947, would have to be increased in order to meet increased costs and enrollments in the public schools of the State, and to provide proper equalization. A bill was prepared by the School Board Association, and endorsed by the Montana Education Association, the American Federation of Teach ers and others, which provided for an average increase of 19 per cent, ranging from 10 per cent to 30 per cent in different sized schools, mak ing a total over-all increase for the State of $4,058,941. This does not mean that the legislature was requested for an additional appropriation of $4,058,941, but rather that the schedule for financial support of the school districts, which is borne approximately one-third by the districts, one-third by the county and one-third by the state, would be increased from the present to tal of $21,338,853 to $25,397.79. During the 1952-53 school year, the local districts had to "cough up" a total of $2,630,000 in special levies, beyond and above the Founda tion Program as proposed in 1947, and enacted into law in 1949. This was also in addition to the 30 per cent permissive levy above the Foundation Program allowed by the 1951 session. This obviously indi cates that the Foundation Program schedule was unrealistic, and in need of adjustment. The original proposal of the house education committee in introducing House Bill 112 would have provided for meeting the needs of almost all of the school districts in the State without the necessity of voting spe cial levies above the Foundation Program. O'CONNOR AMENDMENT WOULD HAVE NULLIFIED INTENT OF HB 112 The "O'Connor Amendment would have cut the proposed in crease from $4,058,000 (21 to 25 per cent increase) to $1,147,000 (5 per cent increase), practically nulli fying the purpose of the original House Bill 112, and continuing the necessity for special levies in many of the poorer school districts, and ' • completely disregarding the fact that the schools are faced with further in creased costs and enrollments. The timely action of Mrs. Reed, Missoula, Mr. Smith, Lewis & Clark, Mr. Reider, Jefferson, and others, of returning the HB 112 to the com mittee* before the O'Connor amend ments were stampeded through, made it possible for the committee to compromise on the $2,124,000 (9.9 per cent increase) plus the 30 per cent permissive levy provision of 1951 to be kept in effect. It seems to be the maximum that O'Connor and his cohorts would accept. It should be noted that the $2,124,000 is still below the $2,630,000 special levies voted in 1952. Not content with the damage done by the House, Senator Moss, Chair man of the Senate Education Com mittee took another slash. His amendment would have provided that the permissive levy above the Foundation Program could be only ninety per cent of the thirty per cent allowed by the 1951 session. The first conference committee be came deadlocked with Reed, McEl main and Cotton refusing to accept the Moss amendment, and Moss, Tobin of Silver Bow, and Anderson of Chouteau refusing to accept the House version. The second confer ence committee finally compromised, on the 6th day of the session, on 93 per cent of 30 per cent for per missive levy above the Foundation Program. This further reduced the spending power of the'school districts by about $600,000. The net result will be that al most every school district that voted a special levy in 1952 will have to vote a special levy in 1953. Many people seem to be confused by the so-called $5,500,000 oil money. This is distributed on a per capita basis. The rural school dis tricts with the smaller enrollments will not have much carry over for the next year's budget. Also, the $5,500,000 year's budget, and had little or no pertinence to the deliberations of the legislature on «House Bill 112. If the schools had had this was included in this $5,500,000 to apply against this year's budget the deficit would have had to have been made up by greatly increased local tax levies, or greatly increased appropriation from the General Fund of the State to the School Equalization fund. *The roll call published in VOICE, February 20, under article "You Can't Argue With the Stork, ferred to the motion by education committee chairman Mrs. Reed to refer HB 112 back to committee in order to save the badly needed in crease in the foundation program from the hatchetwork of Rep. O'Con nor of Carbon. This same roll call will appear in the composite legis lative box score that will appear in next week's VOICE. re CROWDED SCHOOLS GET FEDERAL ASSISTANCE Commissioner Earl McGrath of the U. S. Office of Education announced that school districts in areas affect ed by federal activities received $315.7 million from the Federal gov ernment for the fiscal year which ended last June 30. "Through these Congressionally authorized funds," McGrath said, "the Federal government seeks to meet its share of responsibility for the edu cation of thousands of children in communities affected by defense pro duction and military activities. Congress recently voted $24 mil • ' ? Plans For Regional Farmer- Labor Institutes Completed -v Last minute details have been worked out for at least two' of three regional Farmer-Labor Institutes scheduled for this next week in three Montana cities, Anaconda, Havre, and Great Falls. Programs of the two institutes, Anaconda and Great Falls, which have reached this office, are for the most part very simi lar and will have the same panel leaders. The Anaconda Institute, gets underway in the AOH hall in the 300 block of Commercial Ave nue tomorrow, Saturday, March 21, is under the joint sponsorship of Anaconda Smeltermen's Local, the Anaconda Central Labor Council, and the Anaconda Teachers' Union. Clive Farlin of the Smeltermen, is institute chairman, Walter Riley of central labor is vice chairman, and Miss Kathleen McGuire of the teach ers is institute secretary. Other mem bers of the committee are Ed Kelly, John Mogus, Charles McLean, Walter Dooley, Ted Arensmeyer, Eileen Mur phy and Bob Glynn. SIMILAR JOINT AFFAIR IN GREAT FALLS Great Falls will be having its sec ond annual regional institute at the Montana Farmers Union state office building on March 28-29. Sponsors are Cascade County centi'al labor or ganizations, AFL, Montana Farmers Union, and Great Falls Smeltermen. A. J. Duley, ot the trades and labor assembly, is again institute chairman, and Leonard Kenfield of MFU is secretary. Other committee members are Walter Davidson, Pete Fontana, Earl Tucker, Fred Smith, Leo Stewart, Esther Curtis, Mary Williams, and Chris Denning. Ex officio members are John Dusak, president Cascade County Trades and Labor Assembly, and Richard Shipman, acting president of Mon tana Farmers Union. At all three institutes, Hayes Beall of Co-operative Health Fed eration of America, Chicago, will lead a panel on "Health Problems with Emphasis on Industrial Health," and "Co-operative Health and Wel fare Plans." Beall, a graduate of Yale University, is executive secre tary of Co-op Health. He is an ex pert on union health and welfare plans. At Anaconda, G. D. Carlyle Thomp son, head of Montana Department of Health, will speak on health prob lems at the state level. Dr. W. L. Beal, Anaconda, and member of state WINS BROUN AWARD FOR VIC REINEMER OF CIRCLE RECENT EDITORIAL CIRCLE—Vic Reinemer, former resident of Circle and graduate of the school of journalism at Montana State University, has won special commendation of the Heywood Broun Memorial committee for an editor ial Reinemer wrote for the Char lotte, N. C., News. Reinemer's editorial commented on methods of congressional inves tigating bodies with particular ref erence to testimony given by ex Communist Harvey Matusow. Matusow stirred up considerable controversy in Montana when he made several speeches during the general election campaign last fall.—GREAT FALLS TRIBUNE. * VOICE readers will recall having read this excellent analysis of con gressional investigations by Vic Rein emer, which was published in VOICE of January 9. lion in supplemental appropriations for use during the year ending June 30 to help schools in federally-af fected areas. which# board of health, will discuss health problems in the smelter city. LABOR'S ROLE IN WORLD AFFAIRS Another panel common to all three institutes will be the one on "Interna tional Affairs," with emphasis on labor's role in world matters, will be led by Joe Mire of Madison,, Wis. Mr. Mire, formerly education director for State, County and Municipal Em ployes, AFL, is now executive secre tary of Inter-University Labor Edu cation Committee. In this capacity he works with universities and labor unions in arranging institutes and other educational programs. He has lived in Great Britain and is well posted on European labor movements and the general area of international i-elations. NATURAL RESOURCES Two Montana attorneys will head up natural resources panels at the three institutes. Justice R. V. Bot tomly of the State Supreme Court, will discuss resources from the state and national viewpoint. Charles V. I Huppe, Helena attorney, will talk 1 STATE BOARD OUTLINES 1952 INCOME TAX PAYING PROCEDURE More than 32,000 State income tax returns have been filed with the State Board of Equalization at Hel ena since January 1, so states A. E. Simon, chairman, Sam D. Goza and C. A. Robinson, members. The tax paid was $935,500. The total number of returns filed last year was 150, 000. This would indicate that 20% of the total number of returns to be filed this year have already been received. and expense* It also enables tax payers to make inquiries about doubt ful questions before the final dos ing date arrives for filing returns. The Board states that the daily j mail is filled with letters from tax payers making inquiries about income tax questions. This is a healthy sign indicating that taxpayers are taking plenty of time to prepare their re turns so that errors and omissions The early preparation of returns affords an opportunity to recheck each item to see that the returns balance with the records of income will be avoided. The legislature just closed enacted a law which permits medical expense deductions, with certain limitations. This bill does not permit any medi cal expense deductions for 1952; Husband and wife filing joint ly may claim a personal exemp tion credit of $2,000. If they file separately the credit is divided equally between them.' The per sonal exemption for a single per is $1,000. A credit of $300 son may be claimed as a deduction for each dependent. The income of all dependents claimed must be includ ed in the return of the parent. Fractional year returns are re quired for those who resided in the state for only a fractional part of the year. The $1,000 and $2,000 per sonal exemption credit must be re duced on a fractional basis. The penalty for filing late re turns is 5%, but not less than $2.00, plus 1% per month. Many delinquent about resources from the taxpayer's viewpoint. OTHER PANELS Starting half-day panel at Ana conda tomorrow will be an evaluation of the 33i'd Legislative Assembly. Participants will be Sens. Chan Et tien of Granite and Don Valiton, Powell, and Reps. John Emmons, Deer Lodge, and Bob Marsenich, Silver Bow. Charles V. Huppe will be panel moderator. Herbert Kroeker, Montana State University, Missoula will summarize discussions of the Anaconda institute. PROBLEMS OF THE AGED An important workshop at the Great Falls institute will concern it self with problems of the aged, and legislative problems. This panel will be conducted by James S. Umber, president Montana State Federation ( Foundation, stitute will be held the middle of next week. of Labor, and chairman of the state wide Montana Farmer-Labor Institute committee. Other speakers at Great Falls will include: Dr. Carl Kraenzel, Montana State College, and John Harris, Mon tana State University. All three institutes are being joint ly sponsored by labor and farm or ganizations in co-operation with Mon tana State University and the Ford The Havre two-day regional in taxpayers believe that the law per mits the Board to omit the collec tion of penalties. This is a mistaken ed idea. The collection of penalties is mandatory on the Board. The present income tax law was adopted in 1933. All taxpayers are presumed to know about the tax laws of the State. Anyone in doubt should write the Board or contact one of the representatives in the field offices. The Board is not re quired to sit on every man's door step and tell him when he is re quired to file a return, nor is it required to furnish every resident with a blank form, so that his at tention may be called to the in-^ come tax laws. As a matter of cour tesy forms have been mailed to each taxpayer who filed 1951 returns. The Board is prepared to furnish blanks to all taxpayers upon request. The Board states that the of fices at Butte, Billings, Great Falls and Missoula will be open continu ously until after April 15. Auditor Nutter will be at the Court house in Glendive March 16 and 17, at the Coui'thouse in Miles City March 18 through 21, at the Courthouse in Roundup March 23 through March 26 and at the City Hall in Laurel March 27 and 28. Auditor Chivers will be at the City Hall in Whitefish March 18 through March 21 and at the City Hall in Kalispell March 23 through March 27. Auditor Ashworth will be at the City Hall in Livingston March 16 through March 21, at the Courthouse in Bozeman March 23 and 24 and at the Courthouse in Lewistown March 25 through March 28. Auditor Redpath will be at the Montana Hotel in Anaconda through March 16 and from April 1 through April 15. He will be at the Court house in Havre March 23 through March 28. *This is supposed to be an induce ment? ? ?