clerk, and in the absence of either or both of said officers, the members of the board present at any meeting shall appoint from their number such officer or officers pro tem.

meetings-make

tax list

SEC. 13. It shall be the duty of the trustees of every school district, to call special meetings of the district whenever they shall deem it necessary and proper. To Call special make out a tax list of every district or sub-district tax, containing the names of the taxable inhabitants in the district, and the amount of tax payable by each inhabitant, set opposite his name. To annex to such tax list a warrant directed to the treasurer of the district, for the collection of the same. To sub-divide their respective districts into sub-districts, and alter the same from time to time, as provided in this act, and to do everything necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act, not made the duty of any other officer.

SEC. 14. It shall be the duty of the trustees at their Settle with treasmeeting on the last Tuesday of March in each year, urer-estimate First, to make a settlement with the treasurer of the dis- school expenses trict, and having ascertained the balance between him and the district, shall certify the same on the treasurer's book. Second, to prepare a statement of their doings as trustees within the past year, showing the amount of money received by the treasurer for school purposes within the year, and the amount by them expended, and for what purposes, together with all existing contracts and liabilities. Third,-to ascertain by estimate, or otherwise, the amount of public money probably available for school expenses during the coming year, and the amount over and above such public money necessary for the support of schools within such coming year, and submit such statement and estimates to the ensuing town meeting.

SEC. 15. The trustees shall employ teachers and pro- Employment of vide fuel for schools in each sub-district in the town for teachers-provis the same length of time in each sub-district, and for cor-ion for fuel responding terms, as nearly as may be, which shall not be less than three months in each year.

made

SEC. 16. All contracts with teachers shall be in writing, signed by the chairman of the Trustees and by the Contracts-how teacher, and no contract shall bind the district to the payment of the wages of any teacher which is not in wri ting, and signed by the teacher holding at the time of signing such contract, a certificate of examination and

ing teachers

valid license to teach a common school, signed by the su perintendent of schools for the town in which the school is situated.

SEC. 17. The board of trustees shall pay the wages of teachers hired by them, and other school expenses, out Manner of pay of the school moneys belonging to the district, by their order upon the treasurer, signed by the chairman and attested by the clerk, and every such order shall state the service or consideration for which it is drawn, and the person or persons rendering such service or consideration.

No public money to be paid unll

censed teachers

SEC. 18. No public money shall be paid for the support of any school, the teacher of which is not, during the time of teaching, licensed by the superintendent of the district in which such school is taught; and no board of trustees shall contract for the support of schools to extend more than four months after the expiration of their term of office.

SEC. 19. The board of trustees in each district shall within eighteen days after their election, and at any other To appoint Dis- time in case of vacancy, appoint a superintendent of trict Superinten- schools in the district for the current year, and until a successor is appointed and qualified, and shall give him notice thereof within three days.

dent

Superintendent

SEC. 20. The district superintendent of common schools shall within eight days after notice of his apto file acceptance pointment, file in the office of the clerk of the district, his oath that he will faithfully discharge the duties of his office according to law and the best of his ability, and a neglect to file such oath shall be deemed a refusal to

intendent

serve.

SEC. 21. It shall be the duty of the district superintendent to attend on the last Saturday of April and OcDuties of Super tober in each year, at the place of holding the last annual town meeting, from the hour of ten o'clock a. M., until four o'clock P. M. of such days, for the public examination of all persons offering themselves for examination as teachers, and may on application and at the cost of the applicant, examine teachers at any other time and place.

SEC. 22. It shall be the duty of the district superintendent to examine teachers touching their moral character, learning and ability to teach reading, writing, English grammar, including orthography, arithmetic, ge

ography, history and such other branches as may from subject on which time to time be prescribed by the State Normal Board to be examined of Instruction, and to such as upon examination shall appear to be well qualified in all those respects, he shall grant his certificate of such examination and license to teach any common school in the district for one year, and during any school term commenced within such year unless revoked as hereinafter provided.

Power to re-ex

SEC. 23. The district superintendent may cite to reexamination any person holding a license and under a amine teachers contract to teach any common school in the district, and being satisfied upon such re-examination or otherwise that such person is not of good moral character or has not sufficient learning and ability to teach a common school, or if such person shall refuse or neglect to attend upon such re-examination the superintendent shall revoke the license held by such person, filing in the office of the district clerk a statement, that he has made such revocation, and shall deliver a copy thereof to the person whose license is revoked, and another to one of the trustees of the district, and such revokation shall take effect and be in force from and after the filing of such statement as aforesaid, and the teacher's contract with the district shall become void therefrom, Provided, however, That the wages of the teacher for the time taught and at the contract price or rate shall be paid on or before the time at which it would have been due had the contract been continued in force.

Visitation of

SEC. 24. The district superintendent shall visit each school in the district, spending therein at least one day schools within each school term. At such visitations he shall examine into the condition of such schools in respect to government, management, methods of teaching, the progress made by the scholars, and the text books used, and when necessary direct the school exercises, introduce methods of management and instruction, and direct the classification of scholars.

SEC. 25. The district superintendent shall be entitled to receive for each examination of a teacher examined Compensation by him at any time other than the regular times prescribed for public examination, except for re-examinations, the sum of fifty cents to be paid by the teacher in advance, and for all other services rendered by him, he shall

Euperintendent's

book

receive the same per diem compensation as township of ficers are entitled to.

SEC. 26. The district superintendent shall keep in a book to be furnished by the State Superintendent and to be delivered to his successor in office, a record of business done by him, showing the name of each person examined by him, the date of granting or revoking any license and the name of the teacher whose license is granted or revoked, and shall make such reports as the State Superintendent may require of him from time to time.

SEC. 27. The legal voters of any school district in anAnnual meeting nual town meeting assembled, shall consider the statement and estimate herein provided to be submitted to them by the trustees of the district and may by their vote direct the trustees to levy a tax upon the taxable property in the district, for the amount recommended to be raised for the support of schools, or they may by their vote at such time increase or diminish the time proposed for the school terms in the year, and estimate and direct the levy of a tax as aforesaid, sufficient, with the available public school money of the district to support such schools. Provided, That there shall be provided by the trustees in each year, at least three months' school in each sub-district, and the amount necessary to defray the expenses of schools for that time over and above the public money shall be levied upon the taxable property of the district by the trustees, Provided, That no property in this State shall be assessed for more than five mills on the dollar for any one year, for school purposes, nor for more than ten mills on the dollar, for the purpose of building school houses.

Special meeting

SEC. 28. Special meetings may be held in any school district; but notices of each special meeting shall specify the business proposed to be transacted at any such meeting, and shall be given in the manner prescribed for special meetings of the town, and no business shall be transacted at any special meeting which is not clearly specified in the notice for such meeting.

SEC. 29. The district clerk shall keep a record of all the business transactions of the district, and of the board Duties of clerk of trustees. He shall make the enumeration of all persons between the ages of five and twenty one years, residing in the district on the first day of October in each year. He shall make, under oath, and return to the

county auditor, on or before the first day of November Duties of clerk in each year, a report in such form as shall be directed by the State Superintendent, showing, First, the number of months schools have been taught by licensed teachers in the several sub-districts in the town, the wa ges paid to each teacher, the amount of public money expended for the support of schools, the amount so expended, raised by tax, and the whole amount of taxes levied in the district for the support of schools. Second, The number of persons between the ages of five and twenty-one years, residing in the district on the first day of October, of each year, including in such enumeration, all of each joint sub-district, the school house of which is situated in his district, and omitting all of any joint sub-district the school house of which is situated in another district. Provided, however, That all returns of enumerations, or other reports touching joint sub-districts constituted of parts of two or more counties, upon which any apportionment of money is to be based, shall be made by the clerk of the district in which the school house is situated, in separate reports to the auditor of each of such counties, embracing in the report to the auditor of each county, the enumeration and report touching that portion of each joint sub-district situated in such county, and that the money apportioned to such enumeration and report shall be paid to the treasurer of the district in which the school house of such joint sub-district is situated.

urer-to give

SEC. 30. The treasurer of the town shall be ex-officio Duties of Treastreasurer of the school district. He shall within ten days after his election, and before he enters upon the duties of bond his office as treasurer of the district execute to the trustees thereof, and their successors in office, a bond with one or more sureties, in not less than double the amount of school money, to be received by him as a district treasurer, to be approved by the chairman, and file the same with his oath, that he will faithfully discharge the duties of his office, in the office of the district clerk within said ten days.

creased

SEC. 31. If the trustees shall at any time think the treasurer's bond insufficient, they shall require such treas- Bond may be inurer to furnish such other or further bonds as will be sufficient, to be approved and filed as above directed, and any neglect to file bonds as herein provided shall vacate the office.