area of our country. It is, for the most part, a new problem for, although
the trend toward centralization of this authority and this responsibility
has been evident for many years, the great acceleration of this trend has
come about only within the past few years. Within the memory of some
of us here, local school districts bore virtually the entire responsibility
not only for operating, but also for financing the public schools. Grad-
ually through the years we have seen this authority and this responsi-
bility moving away from local communities toward Annapolis, here in
Maryland, toward Washington for the country as a whole. So that,
today, in Maryland, your State government has assumed a greater share
of the burden of operating the public schools than ever before in history.
There is no indication that this trend will be halted, in fact, there is
evidence that it will become more pronounced.

You know, of course, of the strong movement for greater participation
by the federal government in the overall program of public education.

Last June, in carrying out the wishes of the General Assembly as
expressed in a resolution adopted at the regular session, I, together with
the President of the Senate, appointed a commission to restudy and re-
evaluate the financing of public schools in Maryland. This joint resolu-
tion pointed out that in 1947 basic changes were made in the financial
arrangements for the public school system, these changes including an
increase in the amount of State aid, an increase in the salaries of teachers
and an alteration of the equalization formula. Since that time, it was
noted, there has been no comparable restudy and re-evaluation, with
the result that existing formulae and figures in all probability have
become outmoded as a result of the great economic and social changes
which have occurred during the past few years. During the decade of the
50's, and extending into the present decade, many proposals have been
offered for changing these relationships.

We have seen plans for expanded State aid, for increased salaries,
for changes in the formulae for the equalization fund and for those
shared expenses which are paid through the cooperation of the State
and its several political subdivisions.

It would be idle for me to speculate on the outcome of the studies
which this commission is making, but I would certainly hazard the guess
that many changes in the existing system will be recommended. But
whatever changes are effected in the financial relationship, I hope and I
believe that every effort will be made to concentrate as much of the
authority as possible in the local communities. Most Marylanders, in
my opinion, believe that public education fares best when the authority

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