ANNUAL SCHOOL DISTRICT MEETING.

ed, &c.

SEC. 5. There shall be held in each school district, on the 2d Monday in April of each year, a meeting of the District meettax-payers and householders of such district, publicity of ings how callthe time and place of which shall be given by the district clerk, by posting up notices in at least three public places within the district, ten days before the time of such meeting; and the meeting so called, shall be held at the school house, or, if there [be] none, then at such place as the directors shall designate. At such annual meeting, the voters, the same being householders or resident tax-payers in the district, including aliens who have declared their intention of becoming citizens, shall organize by the appointment of a chairman, and the district clerk shall act as Secretary, or, in his absence, a Secretary pro tempore shall be appointed; and the voters present shall transact all business of the district not otherwise provided for by law; shall elect, by ballot, the several district officers; shall determine, by vote, upon the erection or purchase of a school house, or the purchase or lease of ground on which to erect such house, and how the money shall be raised for such purchase; shall determine what amount of tax shall be levied by the directors for such purpose, and shall determine the amount which shall be levied for the purchase of books, for the school district library. That upon the organization of a new district, a meeting of the voters in such district, for the above specified purposes, shall be immediately called by posting up, ten days prior to such meeting, in at least three public places within the district, notices, signed by five voters resident in such new district, specifying the time and place of such meeting. That special meetings of the voters may be called in any district, Special meetings may be by the directors, by giving twenty days notice, which notice called, and shall state especially the object or objects of such meeting, how. and the voters shall have power to transact at such meeting the business only which is set forth in the notice, and no tax shall be levied by such special meeting unless the notice shall state specifically that such tax is proposed to be levied, and the object of the tax. That if the district clerk shall fail or neglect to give the required notice for the annual district meeting on the 2d Monday in April, then it shall be lawful to call such meeting at any subsequent time between the second Monday in April and the third Friday in September, by. giving the notice required by this section.

SCHOOL DISTRICT OFFICERS.

SEC. 6. That the officers of each school district, except where otherwise provided by special law, shall consist of a board of three directors, a clerk, and a treasurer. In all districts already organized, there shall, at each annual district meeting, be elected one director, who shall serve for three

District

officers.

Vacancies therein.

ken within

years, and one clerk and one treasurer, who shall each serve for one year, and until their successors are elected and qualified. If a vacancy occurs in the office of director from any cause, the township clerk, upon being notified of the fact by the district clerk, shall appoint a director to serve until the next annual district meeting; and if a vacancy occurs in the office of clerk or treasurer, the board of directors shall appoint such officer or officers until the next annual district meeting. Upon the organization of a new district, the voters qualified to vote at district elections shall vote for three directors, one to serve for one year, or until the next regular district meeting, one for two years, and one for three years, specifying the time on each ballot, and the individual receiving the highest number of votes for a term, shall be declared elected for such term; and thereafter, annually, such district shall elect but one director.

SEC. 7. That within ten days after their election, the directors, clerk and treasurer, shall meet and take an oath or Oath to be ta- affirmation faithfully to discharge the duties of the offices to which they are elected, and to promote the interests of education in their district, which oath may be administered by one of the directors.

ten days.

Duties of Directors.

DIRECTORS-THEIR DUTIES AND POWERS.

SEC. 8. That the board of directors and their successors in office, in each district, shall be a body politic and corporate, in law, with power to contract and be contracted with, sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded in any court of law or equity in the State; be capable of receiving any gift, grant, donation, or devise, made to and for the use of the district; receive a deed or conveyance or lease for any land or lot whereon to erect a school house or houses, which deed may be made to such directors and their successors in office, or to the district, which land shall be held for the sole use of the district; shall examine the books and accounts of the district treasurer, shall order the payment of all moneys that shall come into, or that may be in the district or township treasury for the use of the district, and shall, at or before the annual district meeting in each year, examine the annual account of the district treasurer, and cause the same to be recorded by the district clerk, if approved. Any two of said directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, and have power to divide their district into sub-districts, to repair and keep in order the school house or houses in the district, to rent or lease school rooms whenever the necessity of the district requires it, to provide fuel for the school or schools, to purchase the necessary maps and apparatuses for the schools; and for the necessary repairs, fuel, maps, and apparatus, said directors are authorized to levy a tax on the taxable property of the district to any amount not exceeding in any one year fifty dollars, and for the payment

of rent of school rooms, such an amount annually as shall meet such liability. They shall cause to be assessed and collected all taxes authorized by the voters at the annual district meeting, for purchasing or erecting school houses, for school house sites, and for other purposes; shall select sites for school houses and purchase the same, contract for the erection of school houses and provide furniture for the same; shall establish one or more schools, employ a sufficient number of teachers, male or female, and sign all orders for the compensation of such teachers; shall faithfully appropriate and expend, in the support of such school or schools, all moneys belonging to the district for that purpose; shall determine how and when such moneys shall be expended, and apportion the same to such parts of the year as the convenience of the district may require; shall establish from time to time such regulations as they may think proper for the government of the schools, not inconsistent with the regulations provided by law; shall adopt rules and regulations for the use and safe-keeping of the district library; and shall perform, from time to time, all such other lawful acts as may be required of them by any district meeting, or as may be necessary to carry into effect the laws regulating common schools.

Useless school

houses to be

SEC. 9. That whenever by reason of a division of districts, any school house or lot shall be so situated as not to accommodate any district, the directors of the district where the sold. same is located shall, after giving thirty days notice by posting up three notices within the district, sell the same to the highest bidder, for cash, or on a credit, with ample security, not to exceed one year from the day of sale, and the avails of such sale shall be by the directors apportioned to the territory composing the original district, according to the population at the time of sale; and that from any other cause the directors of any district may, upon the vote of a majority of those entitled to vote at school district meetings in such district, authorizing them to that effect, sell and convey any school house and lot in such district, in the same manner and upon the same terms as is herein before provided; provided, that no sale shall take place under the provisions of this section, until a site for another school house, if such be necessary for the convenience of the district, shall have been secured.

SEC. 10. That whenever any tax is levied in any school district, pursuant to a vote of such district, or by order of the Taxes levied. directors, said directors shall cause public notice to be given by the clerk, of the period within which such tax shall become due and payable to the district treasurer, and the time so specified shall not be less than thirty days from and after such notice.

Distre to keep rec ords, &c.

His duties continued.

Annual enu

taken.

DISTRICT CLERK.

SEC. 11. That it shall be the duty of the clerk of each school district, to keep, in a book of records for the district, a full account of the proceedings of all district meetings, and a faithful record of the official transactions of the directors, and certify the same by his official signature; to report, in writing, to the annual district meeting, a summary of the official proceedings of the directors during the year, showing how many schools have been taught, and for what length of time, how many male and how many female teachers have been employed, and the amount of salary paid each, the amount of district tax assessed during the year, and for what purposes, the number of school houses built, the cost of the same, and the number and cost of books purchased during the year for the district library, and the total number of volumes in such library; a copy of which report he shall deliver to the township clerk within twenty days after the district meeting. He shall furnish, at the expense of the district, each teacher with a book in which to keep a record of the school; shall countersign all orders on the district treasury; shall act as district librarian, and expend, under the direction of the directors, all moneys raised for the purchase of library books; and perform all other duties required by law, and not herein specified; and at the end of his official term, deliver over to his successor in office, all books, papers, and other property in his possession belonging to the district.

SEC. 12. That whenever any district tax shall be ordered by a vote of the district, or by the directors thereof, the district clerk shall, within twenty days after such tax has been ordered, make out and furnish to the auditor of the county, an alphabetical list of all persons owning taxable property in the district, stating, where the district line divides a tract of land, the number of acres of such tract lying in the district; and said auditor shall immediately furnish an abstract of such taxable property, excluding the property of black and mulatto persons, upon which the clerk shall assess the amount of tax required, andplace said duplicate in the hands of the district treasurer for collection; and he may charge for preparing said duplicate, where the amount assessed does not exceed one hundred dollars, two per cent. on the amount of taxes, and where it exceeds one hundred dollars, one per cent., which shall be paid out of the tax. Any clerk failing to perform or cause to be performed, the duties required by this section, shall be liable to the district for the amount of tax voted or ordered to be levied.

SEC. 13. That the clerk of each school district shall, anmeration to be nually, between the first and twentieth day of October, take, or cause to be taken, an enumeration of all the unmarried white youth in such district, between the ages of four and twenty-one years, resident within said district on the first day of October, designating the number of males and females, and not including such as are temporarily within the

district, who shall be returned in the district where they have a legal residence; and on or before the first day of November next ensuing, said clerk shall deposit with the township clerk, an accurate copy of such enumeration; and for the services required by this section, the district clerk shall be allowed, out of any moneys in the district treasury, the sum of one dollar.

SEC. 14. That where a district is composed of parts of two Enumeration or more townships, the clerk of such district shall return the in divided dstricts, how enumeration of youth in the several parts of said district, to returned. the clerk of the township in which such youth reside. That if any district shall be partly situated in the Virginia Military District, the United States Military District, the Western Reserve, or in an original surveyed township, or fractional township to which belongs any of section sixteen, or other lands in lieu thereof, or any other lands for the use of schools, or any interest on the proceeds of such school lands, the district clerk shall, in taking the enumeration of youth in the district, return separately those residing in the Virginia Military district, or United States Military District,or Western Reserve, or original surveyed township or fractional township to which belongs any school lands or interest on the proceeds of school lands.

for losses re

SEC. 15. That the district clerk shall be responsible for Clerk to be all losses sustained by the district by reason of his failure to responsible take, or cause to be taken, the enumeration of youth at the glting from time and in the manner provided for in the foregoing sec- his neglect of tions, and the amount shall be collected from such clerk by duty. the directors, in an action of debt, in the name and for the use of the district, before any Justice of the Peace within the township where such clerk resides, or other competent au thority.

DISTRICT TREASURER.

SEC. 16. That the district treasurer of each school dis- Treasurer to trict, shall, previous to entering upon the duties of his office, give bond. give bond and security, to be approved by the district directors, for the faithful disbursement of all moneys belonging to the district which may come into his hands, which bond shall be made payable to the district, and when forfeited, it shall be the duty of the clerk, by order of the directors, to sue for and collect the same for the use of the district, before any Justice of the Peace within the township where such treasurer resides, or other competent authority; and at the expiration of his term of office, such treasurer shall hand over to his successor, all moneys, books, papers, and other property in his possession and belonging to the district, taking therefor a receipt, a copy of which he shall deposit with the district clerk within ten days thereafter.

SEC. 17. That the treasurer shall pay out, on the written When Treasorder of the directors, or any two of them, countersigned by urer to pay out

-G. L

money, &c.