Make sale.

at a district meeting, in the corporate name thereof, and shall build, hire or purchase such school house, as the voters of the district, in a district meeting, shall have agreed upon, out of the funds provided for that purpose, and make sale of any school house site, or other property of the district, and, if necessary, Execute a convey execute a conveyance of the same, in the name of their office, when lawfully directed by the voters of such district, at any regular or special meeting, and shall carry into effect all lawful orders of the district.

ance.

Have care school house.

SEC. 2. The district board shall have the care and keeping of the school house, and other property belonging to the district. They shall have power to make such rules and regulations relating to the district library, as they may deem proper, and to apAppoint librari- point some suitable person to act as librarian, and to take charge of the school apparatus belonging to the district.

an.

Admit scholars.

Hire teachers.

Contract filed.
Provide what.

SEO. 3. The district board shall have power to admit scholars from adjoining districts.

SEC. 4. The district board in each district shall contract with and hire qualified teachers, for and in the name of the district, which contract shall be in writing, and shall specify the wages per week or month, as agreed upon by the parties, and such contract shall be filed in the district clerk's office.

SEC. 5. The district board shall provide the necessary appendages for the school house during the time a school is taught thereKeep account of in, and shall keep an accurate account of all expenses thus incurred, and present the same for allowance at any regular district meeting,

expenses.

School free.

What shall be taught.

Vacancy.

SEC. 6. The district schools established under the provisions of this act shall, at all times, be equally free and accessible to all the children resident therein, over five and under the age of twenty-one years, subject to such regulations as the district board in each may prescribe.

SEC. 7. In every school district there shall be taught orthography, reading, writing, English grammar, geography and arithmetic, if desired, during the time the school shall be kept, and such other branches of education as may be determined by the District board.

SEC. 8. If a vacancy should occur in the district board, in any district, the county superintendent shall appoint some suitable person to fill such vacancy.

ARTICLE V.

NEW DISTRICTS.

SEC. 1. When a new district is formed, in whole or in part,

formed.

from one or more districts possessing a school house, or entitled New district to other property, the county superintendent, at the time of forming such new district, shall ascertain and determine the proportion of the value of such school house or other property justly due to said new district; such proportion, when ascertained, shall be collected by the district board of the district, retaining the school house, or other property, upon the taxable property of the district, in the same manner as if the same had been authorized by a vote of the district, for building a school house, and, when collected, shall be paid to the treasurer of the new district, to be applied towards procuring a school house for such district. SEC. 2. If, in the formation or alteration of a school district, Any person agany person or persons shall feel aggrieved, such person or persons may appeal to the board of county commissioners, who shall confer with the county superintendent, and their action shall be final.

grieved.

necessary in two or more counties.

SEC. 3. When it shall become necessary to form a school dis- If school district trict, lying partly in two or more counties, the county superintendent of the counties in which the said tract of country shall be situated, when application shall be made, in writing, by five householders, shall, if by them deemed necessary, meet and proceed to lay off, and form the same into a school district, and shall file the proper papers in their respective offices, and such district shall be organized as other school districts.

ARTICLE VI.

DISTRICT TAXES.

what property.

SEO. 1. All taxes raised and collected in any school district, Taxes assessed on for any of the purposes authorized in this act, shall be assessed on the same kind of property as taxes for county purposes are assessed.

names of persons liable.

SEC. 2. The clerk of the school district, in making out any tax Clerk enter lists, shall enter therein the names of all persons liable to pay a school district tax in such district, the amount of personal property to be taxed to each such person, and a description of all taxable real estate in the district, distinguishing that owned by non-residents of the district, and, he shall set opposite to each description of taxable property, the valuation of the same, and the amount of tax charged upon such property, and to each person respectively, or tract of land owned by non residents; and such description and valuation of taxable property shall be ascertained, as far as possible, from the last assessment roll of the county.

District Board shall apportion taxes when.

Warrant annexed be under hand of olerk.

Collect tax in forty days.

May collect by distress.

If not paid.

County treasurer, in making out delinquent rolls,

SEC. 3. Whenever any real estate, in any school district, shall not have been separately valued in the assessment roll of the county, and the value of such real estate cannot be definitely ascertained from such assessment roll, the district board of such district shall estimate the value of the same, and apportion the taxes thereon.

SEC. 4. The warrant annexed to any tax list shall be under the hand of the clerk of the district, and shall command the treasurer of such district to collect, from each of the persons and corporations named in said tax list, and of the owners of the real estate described therein, the several sums set opposite the persons and corporations so named, and to the several tracts of land owned by non-residents, within forty days from the date thereof, and within twenty days from the date of such warrants, to personally demand such tax of the persons charged therewith; and that, if any tax shall not be paid within ten days thereafter, to collect the same by distress and sale of property, in the same manner as county taxes; and the said treasurer shall execute the said warrant, and return the same to the clerk, at the expiration of the time limited therein for the collection of such tax list.

SEC. 5. If any tax on real estate, in any tax list delivered to the treasurer of any district, shall remain unpaid at the time he is required by law to return his warrant to the clerk of the district, such treasurer shall make out and deliver to the county clerk, a statement, in writing, containing a description of the lots and pieces of land upon which such taxes remain unpaid, together with the amount of tax assessed to each, and he shall make and subscribe an affidavit to such statement, that the taxes mentioned in such statament remain unpaid; and the county clerk, upon delivery to him of such statement, shall give a certificate to the county treasurer, and, also, to the district treasurer, of the amount of the taxes so remaining unpaid, which certificate shall be deposited by the district treasurer with the district clerk, and shall be filed with such clerk.

SEC. 6. The county treasurer shall, in making out the annual shall add interest. delinquent assessment roll next thereafter, enter such unpaid taxes, and interest thereon, at the rate of twenty per cent., in a separate column therein, opposite to the description of the land upon which the taxes remain unpaid; and such taxes shall be collected in the same manner that county taxes are collected, and, when collected, shall be paid over to the district treasurer.

Warrants may be executed where.

SEC. 7. The warrant issued by the clerk of any school district, for the collection of any district tax authorized by any of the pro

1

visions of this act, may be executed any where within the limits of the county, and such warrants shall have the like force and effect as a warrant issued for the collection of county taxes; and the treasurer of the district, to whom any such warrants may be Treasurer possess delivered for the collection of a tax list, shall possess the like like powers in the execution of the same as are provided by law for the collection of county taxes.

what powers.

money
when.

SEC. 8. Whenever any error may be discovered in any district Board may order tax list, the district board may order any money which may have been improperly collected on such tax list, to be refunded, and may authorize the clerk of the district to amend and correct such error, in said tax list.

ant, may charge and collect of owner.

SEC. 9. Whenever any district tax, lawfully assessed, shall be Tax paid by tenpaid by any person on account of any real estate whereof he is only a tenant, such tenant may charge and collect of the owner of such estate, the amount of tax so paid by him, unless some agreement to the contrary shall have been made by the tenant. SEC. 10. It shall be the duty of the county clerk of each county, Clerk make out as soon as the annual assessment roll shall be completed in each property. year, to make out for each district in such county, a description of all taxable property therein, with the valuations affixed thereto, as the same shall appear in the last assessment roll, which shall

list of taxable

be certified by him and delivered to the clerk of each school dis- Certify to same. trict in the county.

ARTICLE VII.

GRADED SCHOOLS.

how founded.

SEC. 1. Whenever the inhabitants of two or more school dis- Graded schools tricts may wish to unite for the purpose of establishing a graded school, in which instruction shall be given in the higher branches of education, the clerks of the several districts shall, upon written application of five voters of the respective districts, call a meeting of the voters of such districts, at some convenient place, by posting up written notices thereof, in like manner as provided for calling district meetings; and, if a majority of the voters of each of the two or more districts shall vote to unite for the purpose herein stated, they shall, at that meeting, or at an adjourned meeting, elect a board of directors, consisting of a director, clerk and treasurer.

all

SEC. 2. The board of directors provided in the preceding sec- Dirpowers. tion, shall, in all matters relating to the graded schools, possess all the powers and discharge all the like duties of the district board of directors, as prescribed in this act.

possess

Union district

entitled to school funds.

District may levy taxes governed by law.

Clerk district report.

Clerk district report to county superintendent.

Treasurer district to perform what duties.

Public schools of any city, town or village, receive school funds.

Single district have graded schools.

School fund distributed annually.

SEC. 3. The union district, thus formed, shall be entitled to an equitable share of the school funds, to be drawn from the treasurer of each district so uniting, in proportion to the number of children attending the said graded school, for each district.

SEC. 4. The said union district may levy taxes for the purpose of purchasing a building, or furnishing proper buildings for the accommodation of the school, or for the purpose of defraying necessary expenses and paying teachers, but shall be governed, in all respects, by the law herein provided for levying and collecting district taxes.

SEC. 5. The clerk of the union district shall report, in writing, to the treasurer of each school district uniting in the union district, the number of scholars attending the graded school from his district, their sex, and the branches studied; and the said district treasurer shall apportion the amount of school money due the union district, and pay the same over to the treasurer of the union district, on order of the clerk and director thereof.

SEC. 6. The clerk of the union district shall make a report to the County Superintendent of Public Instruction, and discharge all the duties of clerk, in like manner as clerk of the district.

SEC. 7. The treasurer of the union district shall perform all the duties of treasurer, as prescribed in this act, in like manner as the district treasurer.

SEC. 8. The public schools of any city, town or village, which may be regulated by special law, set forth in the charter of such city, town or village, shall be entitled to receive their proportion of the public school fund; Provided, The clerk of the board of education in such city, town or village, shall make due report within the time and manner prescribed in this act, to the County Superintendent of Public Instruction.

SEC. 9. Any single district shall possess power to establish graded schools, subject to the provisions of this article in like manner as two or more districts united.

ARTICLE VIII.

THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE INCOME OF THE SCHOOL FUND.

SEC. 1. The income of the State school fund, and the annual taxes collected by the State for the support of schools, which shall be received, up to the first day of January of each year, shall be distributed annually, between the first day of February and the first day of March, in each year, among the several counties of the State, from which reports have been received by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, in proportion to