books for poor chil Sec. 57. The district board may purchase, at the expense of the Purchase of district, such school books as may be necessary for the use of children admitted by them to the district school free of charge, dren. and they shall include the amount of such purchases, and the amount which would have been payable for fuel and teachers' wages by persons exempted from the payment thereof, together with any sums on the district rate-bills which could not be collected, in their report to the supervisor or supervisors, to be assessed as aforesaid. They shall also prescribe the text books to be used in the school; but text books, once adopted, shall not be changed within two years, except by the consent of a majority of the voters at some regular meeting. They shall have the general care of the school, and may establish all needful regulations for its management. of poor persons from tuition. Sec. 58. Said board shall exempt from the payment of teach- Exemption ers' wages, and from providing fuel for the use of the district, all such persons residing therein as in their opinion ought to payment of be exempted, and shall certify such exemptions to the director; and the children of such persons shall be admitted to the district school free of charge during the time of such exemption. (Section 57.) 1. The text books purchased for indigent children are the property of the district, and should be taken care of by the district board, when not in use. (See section 65.) 2. The duty to prescribe text books is imperative, and its prompt performance is demanded by the best interests of the district. The district boards will find a list of recommended books in the latter part of this volume. 3. The board may add a new text book to the list, in any branch not provided for in the list first prescribed. Text books should be provided for all common branches, including, if needed, natural philosophy, physiology and algebra. 4. No pupil can claim to receive instruction in any other text book than those prescribed by the district board; nor is the teacher at liberty to introduce any new text book without the action of the board. (Section 58.) 1. The district board should exercise a wise liberality in exempting from the payment of rate-bills, all whose circumstances will justify such exemption. It is not necessary that a person be a pauper to entitle him to relief District board. District port taxes voted by district,etc. DISTRICT BOARD. Sec. 55. The moderator, director and assessor shall constitute the district board. Sec. 56. Said board shall, between the first Monday in Sepboard to re- tember and the second Monday of October, in each year, make out and deliver to the supervisor of each township in which any part of the district is situated, a report in writing under their hands, of all taxes voted by the district during the preceding year, and of all taxes which said board is authorized to impose, to be levied on the taxable property of the district. (Section 55.) 1. In graded or high school districts, generally called union school districts, the district board, as provided by the law passed February, 1859, consists of six trustees. 2. The statutes prescribe that "all words purporting to give a joint authority to three or more public officers or other persons, shall be construed as giving such authority to a majority of such officers or other persons, unless it shall be otherwise expressly declared in the law giving the authority." Comp. Laws, chapter 1, section 3, page 88. A majority of the district board may therefore exercise the powers of the board; but each member has a right to be consulted, unless he shall be absent from the district when any action must be taken. (Section 56.) 1. The district board must include in their report the taxes voted at any special meeting during the year; but no tax should be reported till it is finally passed upon. If the meeting that voted it is adjourned, to meet at some later day, the tax should not be reported till after the adjourned meeting is held, provided the same is not beyond the said second Monday in October, unless the voters specially direct it to be reported. 2. The taxes which the district board is authorized to impose, are first, the amounts of rate-bills for fuel and tuition of persons exempted by the board from payment; second, the amounts uncollected on rate-bills, and third, the amounts expended in the purchase of text books for exempted persons. poor chil Sec. 57. The district board may purchase, at the expense of the Purchase of district, such school books as may be necessary for the use of books for children admitted by them to the district school free of charge, dren. and they shall include the amount of such purchases, and the amount which would have been payable for fuel and teachers' wages by persons exempted from the payment thereof, together with any sums on the district rate-bills which could not be collected, in their report to the supervisor or supervisors, to be assessed as aforesaid. They shall also prescribe the text books to be used in the school; but text books, once adopted, shall not be changed within two years, except by the consent of a majority of the voters at some regular meeting. They shall have the general care of the school, and may establish all needful regulations for its management. of poor per tuition. Sec. 58. Said board shall exempt from the payment of teach- Exemption ers' wages, and from providing fuel for the use of the district, sons from all such persons residing therein as in their opinion ought to payment of be exempted, and shall certify such exemptions to the director; and the children of such persons shall be admitted to the district school free of charge during the time of such exemption. (Section 57.) 1. The text books purchased for indigent children are the property of the district, and should be taken care of by the district board, when not in use. (See section 65.) 2. The duty to prescribe text books is imperative, and its prompt performance is demanded by the best interests of the district. The district boards will find a list of recommended books in the latter part of this volume. 3. The board may add a new text book to the list, in any branch not provided for in the list first prescribed. Text books should be provided for all common branches, including, if needed, natural philosophy, physiology and algebra. 4. No pupil can claim to receive instruction in any other text book than those prescribed by the district board; nor is the teacher at liberty to introduce any new text book without the action of the board. (Section 58.) 1. The district board should exercise a wise liberality in exempting from the payment of rate-bills, all whose circumstances will justify such exemption. It is not necessary that a person be a pauper to entitle him to relief District board may admit non pils and ex Said board may also admit to the district school non-resident pupils, and may determine the rates of tuition of such pupils, resident pu- and collect the same; and they may authorize or order the suspel unruly pension or expulsion from the school, whenever, in their judgment, the interests of the school demand it, of any pupil guilty of gross misdemeanor or persistent disobedience. pupils. Sec. 59. They shall purchase or lease a site for a school-house, from rate-bills. In cases of laboring men with large families to educate, the claim of the children for education lies as much upon society as upon the parent; since society will be as much benefited by their education as the parent will. It is but just to give such children free access to the public school. The board may in their discretion exempt from rate-bills a portion of the children of such family, on condition the parent will pay for the others. The proportion of rate-bills which would have been due from exempted children must never be added to the ratebills of others, but must be raised by a tax on the property of the district. 2. Non-resident pupils are those whose parents or guardians are not residents of the district. Such pupils do not become resident by boarding in the district while attending school. A citizen of the district employing temporarily a minor whose parents or guardians reside out of the district, should not report such minor in the school census, and cannot claim to send him as a resident pupil to school. 3. When a district board decide to admit non-residents to the school, they should fix at once upon the rate of tuition, that it may be announced to such pupils on entering the school. 4. The board may authorize the teacher to suspend or expel incorrigible pupils, in his discretion. An expelled pupil cannot return to the school the same term without the consent of the board. It has been decided by the legal tribunals that a person of depraved and infamous character, as a prostitute, may be forbidden the school, even though guiltless of any offense against the rules of the school. (Section 59.) 1. In case the site designated cannot be purchased for the price the district offers, and in case a good and purchase or house. as shall have been designated by the district, in the corporate Board shall name thereof, and shall build, hire or purchase such school- hire site for house out of the fund provided for that purpose, and make sale school of any site or other property of the district, when lawfully directed by the qualified voters at an annual or special meeting: Provided, That the district shall not in any case build a stone or brick school-house upon any site, without having first obtained a title in fee to the same, or a lease for ninety-nine years; and also that they shall not in any case build a frame, school-house on any site for which they have not a title in fee, or a lease for fifty years, without securing the privilege of removing the said school house when lawfully directed so to do by the qualified voters of the district, at any annual or special meeting: Provided also, That the qualified voters of the district may appoint a building committee, to take charge of the work of building such school-house. ply school Sec. 60. The district board shall apply and pay over all Board to ap school moneys belonging to the district, in accordance with the moneys. provisions of law regulating the same, as may be directed by the district; but no school moneys apportioned to any district valid title cannot be obtained for any reason, the law passed February 7, 1855, provides for calling a jury to determine on a price. (See section 154, &c.) 2. It is a well settled principle of law that public officers cannot use their trusts for their own benefit. The district. board cannot sell a site or school-house to themselves. The legal voters, however, in regular meeting may direct the sale to be made to any member of the board. (Section 60.) 1. The practice of some districts in employinga teacher, and getting him inspected some time after commencing his school, is entirely illegal and wrong, being calculated to defeat the very end and purpose of all inspection. The language of the law is plain and decisive, and school inspectors should see it enforced. 2. If through any necessity, a teacher begins a school before getting a certificate, the time thus taught before receiving a certificate cannot be counted as any part of the three months' school required to be taught by a qualified teacher. When such teacher receives a certificate, a new contract should be |