ent of Public Instruction is elected triennially, on the first Tuesday in April, by joint ballot of the Legislature, and enters immediately upon the duties of his office. The salary of this officer is $2,500. His deputy receives $1,500. In addition he is allowed $1,800 for clerk hire. This officer is charged with the following general duties: To decide all questions relating to the Common Schools, which may be brought before him, on appeal; to prepare forms for the subordinate school officers, and direct as to the time and manner of their reports; to visit and superintend the institutions for the Blind, and the Deaf and Dumb, and other similar institutions; to provide for the education of the Indian children in the State, in conformity to the act of 1856; "to visit and inspect, so often as may be practicable, such and so many of the Common Schools and Academies as he may deem expedient"; to make an annual apportionment of the School moneys; to remove subordinate officers for incompetency; and to report annually to the Legislature the condition of the schools in the State, "with such recommendations and suggestions as he may deem suitable."

He may at his option, on suitable evidence, grant certificates of qualification to teachers under his hand and seal of office, which certificates are valid anywhere within the State, until revoked by the Superintendent.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction is ex officio a member of the Board of Regents of the University, and chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Regents of the State Normal School.

SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS.

In the year 1856, the office of Town Superintendent of Schools was abolished, and their chief duties devolved upon the School Commissioners. The act provided that the first incumbents to hold office till January 1, 1858should be chosen by the Boards of Supervisors. The election of their successors is by the people, or, in the words of the statute, "At the annual general election to be held in the year 1857, and every third year thereafter, there shall be elected on a separate ballot, to be indorsed 'School Commissioner,' in the several Assembly districts, and in the sections of single Assembly districts," - called School Commissioner districts,-"a School Commissioner for such district or section."

The number of School Commissioners in the State is 113. The following statement gives the duties of the Commissioner.

1. To visit and examine all the schools in his jurisdiction, and counsel with the trustees and other officers. 2. To examine and license teachers. 3. To annul certificates, upon proof of the incompetency of the holders. 4. To organize and conduct, at least once in each year, in his own district, or in conjunction with his associate (if there are two Commissioners in the county), a Teachers' Institute, to be held for the term of ten working days. And 5. To do all in his power to advance the interests of sound education in his district.

SUPERVISORS OF TOWNS.

These officers are ex officiis constituted school officers by the act of 1856, and are charged with the custody and disbursement of the school moneys, on the order of the trustees of school districts, according to the apportionment made by the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the School Commissioners. They also perform certain minor local duties.

TRUSTEES OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

Each organized School District in the State has a board of three trustees, one of whom is elected annually. They hold office, respectively, for the term of three years. They are chosen by the voters in the district, and are charged with the employment of teachers and the general management of the School.

STATISTICS RELATING TO PUBLIC EDUCATION IN NEW YORK FOR THE YEAR 1857.

Capital of the Common School Fund, September 30, 1856,

Revenue,

$2,491,916.14 155,000.00

Capital of U. S. Dep. Fund applicable to the support of Schools, 4,014,520.71

The amounts appropriated for the support of Common Schools, in 1857, were as follows:

In 1856, the total cost of supporting the Common Schools

in the State was Number of volumes in School District Libraries,

Value of real and personal property in the State in 1856, $1,429,817,122.24

$3,544,587.62 1,418,100

COMMON SCHOOLS.

HISTORY OF THE YEAR.

A proper exhibition of the workings of the present school system must, to be exact, ante-date the year just closed (1857) by nearly seven months, commencing at the time the School Commissioners took office, June 3, 1857.

In 1847 the office of County Superintendent was abolished, and the supervision of the schools, examination of teachers, apportionment and disbursement of the School Funds, were intrusted to one man in each town, who was expected to devote only a few days in the year to this duty, and received for each day's service the sum of $ 1.25. As this was paid by the town, on the recognition of the Board of Supervisors, it need not be wondered that the office was, in many instances, a sinecure, and the supervision of the schools was much neglected.

The inauguration of the present system was the commencement of a new era. The duties imposed upon the Commissioners were peculiarly burdensome, from the disorder and chaos that had so long reigned, and from which order was to be evolved before any direct measures could be taken for building up a new system. For a number of years, no very reliable statistics had been received at the department in Albany. Many thousands of dollars of the school moneys had been squandered or pocketed by irresponsible officers, and the apportionments were made on the most erroneous statements. A single instance in point, in 1854-55, one town received the pro rata apportionment for eight non-existing districts.

These and kindred evils have been remedied, and the reports received from the School Commissioners are reliable. The money is now disbursed under the protection of heavy bonds, and by the most trustworthy of the public servants, the Supervisors.

The School Commissioners, who are required to devote their whole time to the schools, and the duties of their office, have inaugurated many very salutary reforms. The salaries of teachers have advanced at least twenty per cent; an improved style of school architecture is beginning to obtain; while the Teachers' Institutes and Associations, which are organized in nearly every county, are doing much to elevate the grade of instruction, and disseminate a healthy influence in behalf of popular education.

Not less than 10,000 teachers have in some way or other participated in the advantages of these organizations, during the past year.

UNION FREE SCHOOLS.

In 1853, an act for the establishment of Union Free Schools was passed, whereby any school district, or any two or more adjoining districts, are allowed, under certain restrictions, to organize under the provisions of the act, vacating the ratebill (by which the expenses of maintaining schools over and above the amount of public money, under the general law, are defrayed), and taxing the property of the district by direct vote, organizing a Board of Education, &c. In short, by this act, such districts can organize their schools on nearly the same independent basis as obtains in our cities.

The number of Union Free Schools in the State is about 50. They are the nearest approach to free schools allowed in the State under general statute.