school board

(549) § 5954. SEC. 2. A board to be known as the County county school board is hereby created, which shall have charge created, and control of all matters pertaining to the organization, powers. equipment and maintenance of such schools, except as other

how filled.

wise provided by law. Said board shall consist of five mem- of whom hers, one of whom shall be the county commissioner of schools composed. of the county or district in which the school is located. The other members of the board shall be elected by the board of supervisors, one for one year, one for two years, one for three years and one for four years, and thereafter one member of the board shall be elected annually for the full term of four years from the date of the expiration of the term about to become vacant, but no member of the board of supervisors shall be eligible. Vacancies existing in the board from what- Vacancies, ever cause, except in the case of the county commissioner, shall be filled by appointment made by the chairman of the board of supervisors, if the board of supervisors is not in session when such vacancy occurs. If the board of supervisors is in session, vacancies shall be filled by election by said board for the unexpired term. Appointments made by the chairman of the board of supervisors, as hereinbefore specified, shall be for the period of time until the next regular meeting of the board of supervisors. Each person appointed or created Oath, where a member of the county school board shall, within ten days after the notice of such appointment, take and subscribe an oath, to support the constitution of the United States and the constitution of Michigan, and honestly, faithfully and impartially to discharge his duties as a member of said board, to the best of his ability, which oath shall be filed in the office of the county clerk. He shall also, within the same time, file Bond. a bond in such sum as may be fixed by the board of supervisors, which bond shall be filed in the office of the county clerk. Within fifteen days, after the appointment of said board, the Organization members thereof shall meet and organize by electing one of of board. their number as president. The county commissioner of schools shall be ex-officio secretary of the said board. The board hereafter created shall prescribe the duties of the several officers except as fixed by law.

filed.

unite in es

(550) § 5955. SEC. 3. Whenever two or more counties when two or unite in establishing such a school, the provisions of section more counties two of this act shall apply to the organization of the county tablishing. school board, and to filling vacancies therein: Provided, Proviso. That the county commissioner of the county in which the school is located shall be a member of the board and ex-officio its secretary; and two members shall also be elected from each county by the board of supervisors thereof, one for one year and one for two years, and thereafter one member of the board shall be elected annually in each county for the full term of two years, but no member of the county board of supervisors shall be eligible. (551) 5956. SEC. 4. Whenever two or more counties County school shall unite in establishing and maintaining a school under board to apthe provisions of this act, the county school board herein pro- penses.

portion ex

Tax levy.

Treasurer of board, duties.

Instruction to be given.

School to have land.

School to be free.

"Special classes."

vided shall, on or before the first day of October in each year, determine the amount of money necessary for the equipment and maintenance of said school for the ensuing year, which said amount they shall apportion among the counties in proportion to the assessed valuation of each county as last fixed by the state board of equalization and shall report their estimate and apportionment to the county clerk of each county, who shall lay said report before the board of supervisors at its annual meeting. The amount so apportioned to each county shall be levied by the board of supervisors of such county, as a portion of the county tax for the ensuing year, for the support of the said school.

(552) § 5957. SEC. 5. The county. The county treasurer of the county in which said school is located shall be ex-officio treasurer of said board; all moneys appropriated and expended under the provisions of this act shall be expended by the county school board and shall be paid by the said county treasurer on orders issued by said board or in counties having a board of county auditors, by such auditors, and all moneys received by said board shall be paid to the said county treasurer for the fund of the county school board.

(553) § 5958. SEC. 6. In the county schools of agriculture and domestic economy organized under the provisions of this act, instruction shall be given in the elements of agriculture including instruction concerning the soil, the plant life, and the animal life of the farm; a system of farm accounts shall also be taught; instructions shall also be given in manual training and domestic economy and such other related subjects as may be prescribed.

(554) 5959. § SEC. 7. Each such school shall have connected with it a tract of land suitable for purposes of experiment and demonstration, of not less than ten acres in area. (555) § 5960. SEC. 8. The schools organized under the provisions of this act shall be free to the inhabitants of the county or counties contributing to their support, who shall be qualified to pursue the course of study as prescribed by the school board. Whenever students of advanced age desire admission to the school during the winter months in sufficient number to warrant the organization of special classes for their instruction, such classes shall be organized and continued for such time as their attendance may make necessary. (556) SEC. 9. The state superintendent of pubent of public lic instruction shall give such information and assistance and establish such requirements as may seem necessary for the proper organization and maintenance of such schools, and, with the advice of the president of the Michigan state agricultural college, determine the qualifications required of teachers employed in such schools: Provided, That no person shall be eligible to a position as superintendent of any school established under this act, who is not a graduate of a state college of agriculture. The state superintendent of public instruction shall have the general supervision of all schools estab

Superintend

instruction, duty of.

Proviso.

lished under this act; shall from time to time inspect the same, make such recommendations relating to their management as he may deem necessary, and make such report thereon to said schools as shall give full information concerning their number, character and efficiency.

placed upon approved list.

report.

(557) § 5962. SEC. 10. Any school established under Schools, when the provisions of this act, whose course of study and the qualifications of whose teachers have been approved by the superintendent of public instruction and the president of the Michigan state agricultural college, and which shall have expended at least twenty thousand dollars in buildings and equipment, and shall have acquired title to at least eighty acres of land to be used in connection with said school, may, upon application, be placed upon the approved list of county schools of agriculture, manual training and domestic economy. A school once entered upon said list may remain listed and be entitled to state aid so long as the scope and character of its work are maintained in such manner as to meet the approval of the superintendent of public instruction. On the first day Annual in July of each year the secretary of each county school board maintaining a school on the approved list shall report to the superintendent of public instruction, setting forth the facts relative to the cost of maintaining the school, the character of the work done, the number and names of teachers employed, and if more than one county contributes to the support of such school, the amount so contributed by each county and such other matters as may be required by the county school board or the said superintendent. Upon the receipt of such report, if it shall appear that the school has been maintained in a satisfactory manner for a period of not less than eight months during the year, closing on the thirtieth day of the preceding June, the said superintendent shall make a certificate to that effect and file it with the auditor general. Upon receiving such certificate, the auditor general shall Amount draw his warrant payable to the treasurer of the county maintaining such school for a sum equal to two-thirds the amount actually expended for maintaining such school during the year: Provided, That the total sum so apportioned Proviso. shall not exceed four thousand dollars to any one school in any one year: Provided further, That any such school receiv- Further ing state aid shall be free to the inhabitants of the state on such terms as may be provided by said board and the superintendent of public instruction. When more than one county has contributed to the support of the school, the auditor general shall draw his warrant payable to the treasurer of each county for such portion of the state aid as the amount contributed by his county is part of the total amount contributed by all the counties for the support of the school for the preceding year. The auditor general shall annually, be- Tax clause. ginning in the year nineteen hundred thirteen, include and apportion in the state tax such sum as shall have been so paid.

drawn.

proviso.

Establishment of.

Site.

Rural agricultural school, referendum,

etc.

Contiguous districts.

When question submitted.

Polls.

An Act to provide for the establishment of rural agricultural schools by consolidating three or more rural school districts, and for the consolidating of three or more schools in any township district; for the organization of school districts in certain cases; for teaching agriculture, manual training and home economics therein, and providing state aid for the maintenance thereof. (a)

[Act 226, P. A. 1917.]

The People of the State of Michigan enact:

(558) SECTION 1. Three or more rural schools which have been or may hereafter be consolidated and in which the teaching of agriculture, manual training and home economics shall or may be established as part of the regular courses of study, shall be known as rural agricultural schools and shall be entitled to state aid for the maintenance thereof, if built, equipped, and managed as provided for in this act.

(559) SEC. 2. Such rural agricultural schools shall have a site of not less than five acres of ground except where the obtaining of such site is not feasible, in which case the superintendent of public instruction may approve a smaller site, and shall have a corps of teachers consisting of one principal, or superintendent, and two or more teachers who are engaged to teach during not less than nine months in any one year.

Am. 1921, Act 97.

(560) SEC. 3. Whenever the county commissioner of schools shall be presented with petitions signed by fifty per cent of the legal school electors of each of three or more contiguous rural school districts, having a total assessed valuation of at least one million dollars, or a total area of not less than twenty-four government sections of land, to establish a rural agricultural school by consolidating the territory of said districts, the county commissioner of schools shall cause to be submitted the question of consolidating said territory to form a rural agricultural school by the consolidating of the territory of said rural school districts, or whenever the district board of any township school district deems it advisable to establish a rural agricultural school within said township school district, by complying with the provisions of this act. Contiguous rural school districts shall be any group of rural school districts having continuous territory, but shall not be construed to include only those districts with one common point of contact. The question of establishing a rural agricultural school shall be submitted to the qualified school electors at a special meeting held for such purpose, notice thereof being given not less than twenty days prior to the time of holding such meeting by posting three or more notices in each district affected. The polls shall be open at least seven hours, and the voting shall be by ballot. The county commissioner of schools in the consolidating of rural school districts shall determine the form of ballot to be used and (a) Title am. 1919, Act 81; 1921, Act 97.

lished in

district.

election,

the hour at which the polls shall be open, which hour shall be stated in the notice. If a majority of the qualified school electors present and voting at a special meeting shall vote in favor of the establishing of a rural agricultural school, it shall be established by the county commissioner of schools. as herein provided. When the school board of any township When estab school district shall be presented with a petition or petitions township signed by a majority of the legal school electors of said town- school ship school district, it shall establish a rural agricultural school. A township school district as used in this act shall mean any township school district operating under a special act, or the graded law' as well as those operating under the general law: Provided, That if the school districts to be con- Proviso. solidated are located in more than one county, it shall be the duty of the county commissioners of schools of these counties to designate one of their number to call the elections provided for in sections three and four of this act. In case the county commissioners of schools cannot agree as to which one of them shall call the said elections, the superintendent of public instruction shall designate the county commissioner whose duty it shall be to call the elections herein designated. The consolidation of the rural districts shall become effective Consolidawhenever the county commissioner of schools shall receive tions, when effective. notice of the affirmative vote of three or more contiguous rural school districts as herein provided. Whenever the Special county commissioner of schools shall be presented with peti- when called. tions requiring the submission of the question of the establishing of a rural agricultural school as provided in this section, he shall within twenty days cause to be called a special election for all the school districts represented by such petitions for such purpose. He shall designate the place where the Ballots, who election shall be held for all the districts voting as a unit to prepare. and prepare and have printed the necessary ballots. He shall designate one of the township boards of the township in which the territory is situated to conduct said election, and it shall be the duty of said township board to conduct such election. The conducting of the election and the canvass of the votes conduct of except as herein provided shall be in the same manner as at elections. township elections, or as far as the laws governing the same are applicable, and when said laws are not applicable the township board shall prescribe the manner in which such election shall be conducted and the canvass made. sult of said election shall be certified by said election board to certified. the county commissioner of schools herein designated. The township board designated to conduct said election and such other inspectors of election and members thereof as would be required under the general election laws shall receive the same compensation for conducting said election as it would. if it were conducting a township election. The expense of Expense of conducting such election shall be determined by the town- election. ship board according to the provisions hereof and apportioned equally among the several school districts voting upon the

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