SCHOOL COMMITTEES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 32, 1 November 1917, Page 9

SCHOOL COMMITTEES

THEIR ALLOWANCES

INCREASES DECIDED UPON

The question of increasing the mono w,y allowances 1.0 echool committees hn« occupied a.good deal of attention, lately, and. such is considered to bo tho urgency ot the matter that Iho Minister of Education him boon vailed upon. At yesterday's meeting of the .Wellington iSduration Board the secretary (Mr. <J. L, Mnwart) presented tho followiijg- randum:--"For some timo school committees hart roen drawing attention to Iho fact thai Iμ ficalo of allowances based on tho eighth schedule to tho Education. Act i= inadequate, and haw pointed out thai '■ is quite impossible for them to dis cnargo fully tho duties imposed on thenunder Iho regulations. Tho demand foi increased allowances is not confined lc [he Wellington district, but ie general throughout the Dominion. In revising tho position it appears that tho .present allowances are insufficient to'mcef present-day requirements in thn matter ot cleaning, sanitation, fuel, etc., and 1 am herein submitting for the board's consideration a new scale of payments whicl provides approximately for a 15 per cent the total cost, or, roughly, *'oU additional per annum, beyond what is now received from tho' Government jine basis on which each committee's allowance is calculated has also been careluily considered, and thorn seems to b< do doubt that nn alteration in principle is desirable, inasmuch ae any scheme based , solely on. attendance, bucli as the one now in force, cannot bo absolutely equitablo in Its operation. As a workins basis towards the framing of a new scheme, it was decided to divide school committees expenses under three main headings, allocating under each ono tin amount considered necessary to meet all requirements. The three main headings decided upon were:-(a) Cleaning, (b) fuel, W general expenses. In connection, witli the cleaning allowanco it wag decided HIM the occupied floor spaco of a school building would bo Iho fairest basis on which to calculate the payment under tnis head,,irrespective of tho number of children m attendance., 'In tho ease of fuel 'it was decided to allocate a certain sum for each classroom. J.O cover tho cost of general expenses, i.e., minor repairs, stationery, inks, "halt, etc. as defined by tho Government regulations, it was decided that a capitation want would most satisfactorily meet the case. The proposed new scheme worked out on tho abovo basis is f iollows.-For every 100 square feet of Boor epaco contained in the school winding (minimum grant JU), 17s. G<l per iOl ' CMh classroom in the school, ~i Ms. Capitation grant on -average ittendanco of the preceding year: 1 to fWffi , head; Ml to 250, .Cl 5; plus for won child in excess of 100, 2s : 251 and wer £m ; plus for each child in excess Jl &>U, ,18. "In cases where gravitation or eeptic«W»K e board -,, the B ran t "hould Iμ ™<" ; V 1! 111 , 11 P ercen ta?o of the . °l eiclusive of the 3ost of buildings. Mr. Stewart announced that the extra SK?"!! to > P ald lmdor «>e scheme was Ustrict ' POL ' annum for th 6 whole

Tho board approved of the new ecale, bl g nfer; e . tol,ei,akionthat