SCHOOL DISTRICT.

What is a School District?

How many school districts in your Town?

How

many school districts in your County? How many school districts in New York State?

What are the names of the Officers in a school district?

I. Trustee or trustees; or a board of education.
II. Clerk.

III. Collector.

IV. Librarian.

V. Treasurer (if so voted by district meeting).

What is the number of officials holding the same office at the same time?

I. One or three Trustees, as a district decides. If a Board of Education, it may not be less than three nor more than nine.

II. One Clerk.

III. One Collector.

IV. One Librarian.

What are the names of those districts in which there is a board of education?

Union Free School Districts.

What is the term of office of each?

I. If there be only one trustee, his term is one year. II. If there be three trustees, the term is 3 years, one being elected each year; if the board of education con

sists of six or nine members, the term is 3 years, one third of the number being elected each year.

III. Clerk, collector, and librarian, each hold the office for one year.

Who are eligible to school offices in this State?

All voters, except as follows: No school commissioner or supervisor is eligible to the office of trustee, nor can either be a member of any board of education within his district or town; and no trustee can hold the office of district clerk, collector, or librarian.

DUTIES.

TRUSTEES.

I. To hold and to keep district property for the use of the school.

II. To hire and pay a qualified teacher or teachers, and maintain a school for at least 32 weeks during the school year.

III. To make to the school commissioner an annual report on the first day of August in each year.

IV. To make out all district tax-lists and issue a warrant for their collection, etc., etc.

NOTE. For detailed account of their duties, see Bardeen's Handbook for School Trustees".

CLERK.

I. To record the proceedings of the district.

II. To give notice according to law of annual and special meetings.

III. To notify each person elected or appointed to office, and also to report their names and post-office addresses to the town clerk.

IV. To notify the trustees of every resignation accepted by the supervisor.

V. To keep and preserve all books, records, and papers belonging to his office, and to deliver the same. to his successor, etc., etc.

COLLECTOR.

I. To collect all district taxes made out by trustees and placed in his hands.

II. To pay out the money as directed by their order.

NOTE. He must give to the trustee a bond for the faithful performance of his duties in collecting and paying over all moneys so collected.

LIBRARIAN.

To have charge and supervision of the school district library.

SALARY.

What is the Salary of these officers, and how paid?

The collector alone is entitled to pay. He receives 1 per cent on all moneys collected during the first 14 days. after advertising; after that time, 5 per cent.

How shall we find hereafter that officers are paid?

Some are paid a salary; some by the day; some by a fee; some by a per cent.

What is meant by a Salary? a Fee? a Per Cent?

NUMBER OF TRUSTEES.

How can a school district having three trustees Change to one trustee?

By adopting a resolution at any annual meeting, that the district shall have a sole trustee; when the terms of those in office shall have expired, the district shall elect a trustee annually.

Can a district having a sole trustee Change Back and legally elect three?

Yes. It may adopt a resolution by a two-thirds vote of all the legal voters present thereat, at an annual meeting, to have three trustees instead of one. It will then proceed to elect one for one year, one for two years, and one for three years, and thereafter one annually for a term of three years.

SCHOOL MEETINGS.

When does the annual School Meeting take place?

I. On the first Tuesday in August.

II. If a district contains three-hundred or more children of school age, the meeting for the election of school district officers must be held on the Wednesday following the first Tuesday in August, in each year, between the hours of 12 o'clock, noon, and 4 o'clock in the afternoon, at the principal school-house in the district, or at such other place as the trustee designates.

How are Special school meetings called?

By the trustees. The clerk or some other person, if the office be vacant or he refuses to act, must serve a notice upon each qualified voter at school district meeting, at least 5 days before the day of the meeting. Said notice must state the purpose for which it is called, and no other business can be transacted.

The inhabitants of any district may, by a resolution at an annual meeting, prescribe some other mode for calling special meetings, which shall continue in force until rescinded or modified at a subsequent annual meeting.

VOTERS AT SCHOOL MEETINGS.

What are the Qualifications for voting at school meetings?

Every person, man or woman, (a) of 21 years of age, (b) who has resided in the district for the preceeding 30 days, (c) a citizen of the United States; and (1) who owns or hires or holds under contract to purchase real property in such district liable to taxation for school purposes, or (2) who is a parent of a child of school age that has attended the district school at least 8 weeks within one year preceding; or (3) who has permanently residing with him or her any such child; or (4) who owns and was assessed on the last preceeding assessment roll of the town exceeding $50 of personal property, exclusive of such as is exempt from execution, and no other, shall be entitled to vote at any school meeting, and may vote upon all questions brought before the meeting, including propositions to raise money by tax.

NOTE.-The voter must have all the qualifications (a), (b), (c) and one of the qualifications (1), (2), (3), (4). An alien is no longer permitted to vote. VACANCIES IN SCHOOL DISTRICT OFFICES.

How are Vacancies in school offices filled?

I. The office of trustee may be filled (a) within 30 days by the district, by an election; (b) after 30 days by appointment by the School Commissioner.

II. Vacancies may be filled in the offices of clerk, collector, or librarian by appointment by the trustee.

SOME GENERAL PROVISIONS.

I. No relative of any one of the trustees can be legally engaged to teach in a district school, without the approval of two-thirds of the voters of the school district, or in a union school without a two-thirds vote of the board of education.