OF THE

School Laws

OF THE

STATE OF FLORIDA,

WITH THE

Forms, Regulations and Instructions of the
Department of Education.

LB2529
FGB

1899

State Board of Education.

(EX-OFFICIO.)

HON. W. D. BLOXHAM, Governor, President.

HON. JOHN L. CRAWFORD, Secretary of State.

HON. WILLIAM B. LAMAR, Attorney-General.

HON. J. B. WHITFIELD, State Treasurer.

HON. WILLIAM N. SHEATS, Superintendent of Public

Instruction, Secretary.

SECTION 1. The Legislature shall provide for a uniform system of public free schools, and shall provide for the liberal Duty of Legmaintenance of the same.

SEC. 2. There shall be a Superintendent of Public Instruction, whose duties shall be prescribed by law, and whose term of office shall be four years and until the election and qualification of his successor.

islature.

Term of Supt.
Pub. Inst.

Personnel of

Education.

SEC 3. The Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney-General, State Treasurer, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall constitute a body corporate, to be known as the State Board of State Board of Education of Florida, of which the Governor shall be President, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction Secretary. This Board shall have power to remove any subordinate school officer for cause, upon notice to the incumbent; and shall have the management and investment of all Power of reState School Funds under such regulations as may be prescribed by law, and such supervision of schools of higher grades as the law shall provide.

moval.

Interest only

SEC. 4. The State School Fund, the interest of which shall be exclusively applied to the support and maintenance of to be applied. public free schools, shall be derived from the following

Sources:

Sources of

The proceeds of all lands that have been or may hereafter
be granted to the State by the United States for public school State School
purposes.

Donations to the State when the purpose is not specified.
Appropriations by the State.

The proceeds of escheated property.*

Twenty-five per cent. of the sales of public lands which are now or may hereafter be owned by the State.

*As amended in 1894.

Fund.

85429

1899.

Principal inviolate.

One Mill Tax.

tionment of

interest and

SEC. 5. The principal of the State School Fund shall remain sacred and inviolate.

SEC. 6. A special tax of one mill on the dollar of all taxable property in the State, in addition to the other means provided, shall be levied and apportioned annually for the support and maintenance of public free schools.

SEC. 7. Provision shall be made by law for the apportion-Basis of appor- ment and distribution of the interest on the State School Fund and all other means provided, including the special tax for the One Mill Tax support and maintenance of public free schools, among the several counties of the State in proportion to the average attendance upon schools in the said counties respectively.*

(as amended in 1894).

Tax.

SEC. 8. Each county shall be required to assess and collect County School annually for the support of public free schools therein, a tax of not less than three mills nor more than five mills on the dollar on all taxable property in the same.

derived and

SEC. 9. The County School Fund shall consist, in addition, to the tax provided for in section eight of this Article, of the County School Fund; whence proportion of the interest of the State School Fund and of how disbursed the one mill State tax apportioned to the county; all capitation taxes collected within the county; and shall be disbursed by the County Board of Public Instruction solely for the maintenance and support of public free schools.

(as amended in 1894).

Provisions for School Districts.

School Trustees.

District Tax.

Town or city may be a School District.

Disbursement of District Fund.

SEC. 10. The Legislature may provide for the division of any county or counties into convenient school districts; and for the election bi-ennially of three school trustees, who shall hold their office for two years, and who shall have the supervision of all the schools within the district; and for the levying and collection of a district school tax, for the exclusive use of public free schools, within the district, whenever a majority of the qualified electors thereof that pay a tax on real or personal property shall vote in favor of such levy; Provided, That any tax authorized by this section shall not exceed three mills on the dollar in any one year on the taxable property of the district.

SEC. 11. Any incorporated town or city may constitute a School District. The fund raised by section ten may be expended in the district where levied for building or repairing school houses, for the purpose of school libraries and textbooks, for salaries of teachers, or for other educational purposes, so that the distribution among all the schools of the district be equitable.

*As amended in 1894.

SCHOOL LAWS.

LIBRAR

OF THE

UNIVERSITY

CALIFORNIA

7

1899.

SEC. 12. White and colored children shall not be taught in the same school, but impartial provision shall be made for Separate

both.

schools for ne

groes.

on School Fund.

SEC. 13. No law shall be enacted authorizing the diversion or the lending of any county or district school funds, or the ap- Prohibitions propriation of any part of the permanent or available school fund to any other than school purposes; nor shall the same, or any part thereof, be appropriated to or used for the support of any sectarian school.

Schools.

SEC. 14. The Legislature at its first session shall provide for the establishment, maintenance and management of such Nor- Normal mal Schools, not to exceed two, as the interests of public education may demand.

SEC. 15. The compensation of all county school officers shall be paid from the school fund of their respective counties, and all other county officers receiving stated salaries shall be paid from the general funds of their respective counties.

Compensation of school of

ficers.

ARTICLE IV.

SEC. 25. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall have supervision of all matters pertaining to public instruction; the supervision of State buildings devoted to educational purposes, and perform such other duties as the Legislature may provide by law.

Shall make

SEC. 27. * * [He] shall make a full report of his official acts, of the receipts and expenditures of his office, and of the report. requirements of the same, to the Governor at the beginning of each regular session of the Legislature, or whenever the Governor shall require it. Such * * [report] shall be laid before the Legislature by the Governor at the beginning of Abbr. Sec. 27, each regular session thereof. Either house of the Legislature Art. IV., Const. may at any time call upon [him] for information re

*

quired by it.