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DELEGATE WHEATLEY: I yield three
minutes, Mr. Chairman, to Delegate Vecera.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Vecera.
DELEGATE VECERA: Mr. Chairman
and fellow delegates, we have to have this
constitution curtail the democratic involve-
ment of our people through the various
means. The judiciary has been curtailed
and taken from the people. The legisla-
tive has been reduced in size so that the
rural counties no longer have a voice in
the government. The executive has been
stripped of some of its responsibility.
I say to you that we have an opportunity,
whether we defeat it or not, at least we are
making our point, we have an opportunity
in this particular section in which the peo-
ple, the local counties have a right to elect
as they see fit by referendum procedure
the method of electing or selecting their
school board.
I think it is imperative that we retain
some of the significant aspects of a demo-
cratic society. I think we have eroded too
much in the present draft of this consti-
tution and think we ought to retain some
of the principles that made our country
great. I do not think this section that we
are advocating will harm anything what-
soever and might in these turbulent times
of education have some beneficial effects.
Education is not the same as it was in
1867, as it was under the old Constitution.
It has changed drastically. Unless we meet
the times, unless we change with the times,
we are going to have turmoil and chaos in
our hands in the educational field as is
demonstrated throughout the nation.
Baltimore City gives great evidence that
it desires and calls for a change. Some of
the urban areas will do the same. I do not
think there will be any danger in this par-
ticular amendment. I hope you will defeat
the amendment and go for the majority
on section 5.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Lord.
DELEGATE LORD: I will yield three
minutes to Delegate Hanson.
DELEGATE HANSON: Mr. Chairman,
I rise in support of the amendment. I think
Delegate Moser has stated well the prob-
lems that are contained in this section and
so has Delegate Maurer.
I think that there is no need for this
kind of a section in the state constitution.
The General Assembly has now the power
to regulate this problem by law insofar as
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that power is granted by this constitution.
It does nothing more than do what already
can be done by the General Assembly. Be-
yond that there are some severe problems
that I think exist within the section.
One of these is the question of fiscal au-
thority of the school boards. Some time
ago when we were talking about the local
government article, we talked about the
problems of providing an independent fiscal
base or taxing power, if you will, for inter-
governmental authorities or other kinds of
special districts. It seems to me that in-
herent within this section is the possibility
that the General Assembly might by law,
or a local government might by charter, if
indeed under this section it could by
charter, which is uncertain, permit a school
board to become a special purpose taxing
district.
This, it would seem to me, would be in-
consistent with the general tenor of the
constitution we are writing and, in addi-
tion, it would be extremely bad public
policy because it seems to me we should
have only one taxing authority within each
jurisdiction, that being the general gov-
ernment and as important as education is,
it should not have independent taxing au-
thority. It seems to me that the admonition
which has been made that war is too im-
portant to be left to generals ought also to
apply to the field of education in which
I have spent my entire adult life. Educa-
tion is too important to be left to educa-
tors. It seems to me that we should leave
the educational policy of this State to the
General Assembly. I am not at all con-
vinced that the last word in wisdom in
educational organization has yet been
spoken. If so, I somewhere missed hearing
it and I believe that we should permit the
General Assembly the flexibility to reflect
upon wisdom as it evolves and establish
the organization that it believes needs to
be established for the effective administra-
tion of the school system of the State and
the effective administration of the schools
at the local level.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Wheatley.
DELEGATE WHEATLEY: How much
time is remaining, Mr. Chairman?
THE CHAIRMAN: You have about nine
minutes; a little less, about eight and a
half.
DELEGATE WHEATLEY: I yield at
this time two minutes to Delegate Robie.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Kathleen
Robie.
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