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manner hereinafter provided be discontinued and their territory organized into one county rural school district to be known as the county rural school district of. . . . . . . . . . County, Nebraska. Whenever twenty-five per cent of the number of school electors in the school districts organized under Article III, Chapter 71, Revised Statutes of Nebraska for 1913 within any county, shall petition the board of county commissioners or supervisors to call an election to determine whether said districts shall be discontinued and their territory organized into one county rural school district, an election shall be called by said commissioners or supervisors for that purpose. Provided, that any district including an incorporated village shall be excluded from the county rural high school districts upon petition presented to the county board of commissioners or supervisors, signed by a majority of the school electors of such district.

Sec. 2. The board of county commissioners or supervisors shall set a date for said election, said date except as otherwise specified shall not be less than thirty (30) nor more than sixty (60) days subsequent to the filing of the petition for calling said election. The board shall also designate and provide convenient polling places and the boundary lines of the precincts which each polling place will serve, and set the time during which the polls shall remain open, which polls shall remain open for at least four (4) hours between the hours of eight A. M. and eight P. M. The board shall cause the county clerk to notify the school directors of each district affected, of said election, its purpose, and the time and places for voting with the boundary lines of cach voting precinct. They shall also cause the county clerk to publish said notice in the official paper of the county, and one or two other papers if they deem it advisable.

The qualified school electors shall vote by ballot for or against the establishment of the county rural school district.

The ballot shall be a separate ballot and substantially in the following form:

"For the discontinuance of all school districts in.. county organized under Article III, Chapter 71, Revised Statutes of Nebraska for 1913, and the organization of their territory into one county rural school district."

"For the discontinuance of all school districts in

county organized under Article III, Chapter 71, Revised Statutes of Nebraska for 1913, and the organization of their territory into one county rural school district."

"No

The electors favoring the establishment of such county rural school district shall mark the square after "yes," those opposed to the establishment of such county rural school district in the Square after "No."

Before an elector shall be entitled to vote at said election he

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or she if challenged shall be required to swear that he or she has resided in the territory affected by said election for at least forty (40) days previous to said election and that he or she is otherwise a duly qualified school elector. Such special election shall be conducted in all respects and the returns and canvass made as in general elections, except as herein otherwise provided.

Sec. 3. If a majority of the votes cast on the proposition are in favor of the organization of such county rural school district the county board at the first meeting after the canvass of the vote shall by an order duly entered upon their records declare the fact of the discontinuance of all school districts in the county organized under Article III, Chapter 71, Revised Statutes of Nebraska for 1913, and the organization of their territory into a county rural school district to be known as the county rural school district of..... county, in Nebraska, said discontinuance and said organization to be effective at 12 o'clock noon of the first Monday in July next after the adoption of this plan. At the same meeting of the board of county commissioners or supervisors, they shall also call a special election in the county rural school district to be held on the second Monday in June, succeeding the adoption of the plan, said election to be held for the purpose of electing members of the county district board of education; said election to be held according to the provisions of this act designating the method of nominating and electing members of the county board of education, provided that in connection with said special election the county clerk and the county board of supervisors or commissioners shall act in lieu of the secretary of the board of education or in lieu of the county board of education respectively as specified in this act.

Sec. 4. Every school district established in accordance with and under the provisions of this article shall be and is hereby constituted a corporation, vested with all such corporate powers expressly given by general statutes to corporations, as may be necessary to secure to the people the advantages of a general and uniform system of public education; and all powers and privileges now conferred by law on school districts, not contrary to the provisions of this act, are hereby conferred on such county rural school districts. School electors mentioned in this act shall have such qualifications as are set forth in Article II, Section 34, Chapter 71, Revised Statutes of Nebraska for 1913.

Sec. 5. School therein shall be free. In each district, subject to the provisions of this chapter, the public schools shall be free to all children between the ages of five and twenty-one years. All public schools and school property therein shall be under the direction and control of the board of education and the subdistrict board.

Sec. 6. Board of Education. In all county rural school districts there shall be a board of education consisting of five members elected at large from and by the qualified school electors therein,

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who shall be vested with the corporate powers of the district and who shall represent the school corporation in all legal actions. Provided that at the time of calling the first election for the election of school board members, the county board of commissioners or supervisors shall divide the district into five wards as nearly equal as possible, geographically, and the board of education members, shall be residents of separate wards.

Sec. 7. Members of board-how elected. There shall be elected in each county rural school district on the second Monday in June, succeeding the adoption of the plan, one board member from school ward No. 1 for a term of two years, one board member from school ward No. 2, for a term of two years, one board member from school ward No. 3 for a term of four years, one board member from school ward No. 4 for a term of four years, and one board member from school ward No. 5 for a term of six years; and at the expiration of their respective terms of office and regularly thereafter on the second Monday in June their several successors shall be elected for a term of six years each, and all officers so elected shall hold their offices until their successors are elected or appointed and qualified.

Sec. 8. Must qualify.-Members of the board of education shall qualify previous to and take their seats at the first regular meeting which shall be the first Monday in July next after their election, and shall serve until their successors are duly elected and qualified.

Sec. 9. Oath of office. Each member of the board of education upon assuming the office shall take and subscribe to an oath or affirmation to support the constitution of the United States and the State of Nebraska and faithfully to perform the duties of his office. The oath shall be filed in the office of the county clerk who shall immediately notify the state superintendent of the names and addresses of all officers so elected and qualified.

Sec. 10. Organization.—The boards of education at the first regular meeting in July of each year, shall organize by the election of a president and vice-president, whose terms of office shall be for two years, and until their successors are elected and qualified. All property of every description belonging to any school district within the new county rural school district at the same time shall assume and be held liable for all unpaid bonded and unbonded indebtedness of the several districts whose terri·tory has been organized into said county rural school district.

Sec. 11. Regular meetings.—The regular meeting of the board of education shall be at least quarterly—on the first Mondays of the months of July, October, January and April and of such other months as they may by rule determine. Special meetings subject to such limitations as may be imposed by a majority vote of the qualified school electors at any regular annual school meeting, may be held from time to time by giving at least five

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days' written notice to all members of the board and of the subdistrict boards. Three members shall constitute a quorum.

Sec. 12. Duties of officers. It shall be the duty of the president of the board of education to preside at all meetings, appoint all standing committees, to contersign all warrants drawn upon the treasurer and to perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the board. The vice-president shall perform all the duties of the president in case of his absence or disability.

Sec. 13. Treasurer. The county treasurer shall be ex-officio treasurer of the county school district. It shall be the duty of the treasurer to take charge of the school district funds arising from tax collections and from other sources, as provided by the statutes of Nebraska, and to place the same in the proper account upon his books and to pay out the same only upon warrants issued in accordance with the law. He shall attend meetings of the board when requested to do so, and shall at the beginning of each quarter furnish a statement showing the collections of the previous quarter, the amounts paid out and the balance in the various funds in his charge or on deposit, together with other information which may be reasonably required by the board with regard to the school funds in his possession.

Sec. 14. Prohibition of school officers.-No school officer shall be employed to teach nor to draw public money as a regular employee of the board during the period of his services as said school officer.

Sec. 15. Vacancies. The board of education is hereby required to fill any vacancy that may occur through non-residence or any other cause, until the next election of members of the board; provided, that any vacancy occurring previous to the annual school election having an unexpired term, shall be filled for such unexpired term at the first school election thereafter.

Sec. 16. General powers. The powers of the board of education of county school districts shall be as follows:

(a) The establishment of a uniform and efficient system of public schools, the maintenance and general management of the same.

(b) The preparation of an annual budget of all expenses required in said district during the fiscal year and the certification of the same to the board of county commissioners or supervisors, which thereupon levy a tax to defray the same on all taxable property within the county school district; provided that the tax levied for general school purposes shall not exceed in any one year twenty-five mills on the dollar of assessed valuation in said school district, in addition to the tax levied for buildings and equipment (exclusive of the bond tax) which shall not exceed in any one year five (5) mills on the assessed valuation in said district, the proceeds of such taxes and all other funds accruing to the general fund of said county rural school district shall be ex

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pended by the county school board for the general expenses of maintaining schools within the district in such manner as in its judgment will secure the best results, provided, no unusual expenditures shall be made unless it shall first be approved by the county superintendent.

(c) Said county school board may also purchase and hold real estate for school purposes, or sell the same, locate, build and maintain, in repair, necessary school buildings and insure the same or establish an insurance fund in lieu thereof.

(d) Prescribe and change boundaries of local subdistricts which shall determine attendance at particular schools, equip buildings, rooms and grounds for efficient work; purchase all necessary apparatus, supplies, stationery, texts, reference and other works, and shall furnish the same free for the use of all pupils and teachers in their schools.

Sec. 17. The qualified voters of every new subdistrict, when assembled pursuant to legal notice, and all existing subdistricts at their annual meetings, which shall be held on the second Monday in June each year, shall elect by ballot from the qualified voters of such district a moderator for three years, a director for two years, and a trustee for one year; and at the expiration of their respective terms of office, and regularly thereafter their several successors shall be elected for the term of three years, each, and all officers so elected shall hold their offices until their successors are elected or appointed, and qualified: Provided, that when the county rural school district is organized the director and moderator of the old district organized under subdivision 3 shall assume the office of director and moderator of the new subdistricts, and the treasurer of the old district shall assume the office of trustee of the new subdistricts and such officers shall hold these offices until the expiration of the terms for which they were elected under the old system.

Sec. 18. The local subdistrict board shall be the board of control for the subdistrict. They shall recommend and supervise repairs and improvements of buildings and grounds; elect teachers, be custodians of buildings and grounds and other property, and in a general way represent the people of their district, with the right to be heard at any session of the county board of education. The subdivision director shall take the school census in the subdistrict, report the children of school age not attending school, report the teachers elected by district board, and make all other necessary reports to the county board of education and send copies of the same to the county superintendent. He shall post notices of school election when so directed by the county board and preside at all subdistrict meetings.

Sec. 19. Nominations for school offices.-Candidates for the county school board may be nominated by filing with the county superintendent of education, not earlier than the fifteenth day