The Price of Education in 1903
Walla Walla's school district votes to levy a five-mill tax to cover rising costs for sites, buildings, and teacher salaries.
In addition to the state apportionment, it will require $20,000 for the support of the various schools of School District No. 1 next year. The amount was fixed at a meeting of the board of education September 25 and a copy of the resolutions adopted was filed with the board of county commissioners yesterday. The amount of taxable property in the district as returned this year is $4,047,598.40 and to raise the amount required by the district, a levy of five mills will probably be fixed. The resolution includes funds for the purchase of school house sites, the erection and furnishing of school buildings, the payment of interest upon all bonds, and the creation of a sinking fund.
“The amount of taxable property in the district as returned this year is $4,047,598.40.”
Education funding remains a perennial battleground in Washington. This story highlights the transition from agrarian tax bases to the institutionalized property levies that continue to shape the geography and equity of Walla Walla schools today.
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