Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

Sec. 1. That in the event of a majority of the votes cast at an election to be held on the fourth Tuesday in May, one thousand nine hundred and seven, in Black Fork district, be in favor thereof, the following described territory, in the county of Tucker, shall after the result of such election is ascertained and declared, be the independent school district of Parsons, to-wit: Beginning at a large red oak called for in the old corporation survey, north 50 west 67 poles and 8 links to a stone on the north bank of Sugar Camp run, 1 pole and 3 links south of the Clover Run Co's railroad, reference point north 4 west 7 links to a large white oak; thence south 483 east 24 poles and 15 links to a small maple with two oak and birch pointers standing on shelving bank north of county road; thence south 62 east 12 poles and 12 links to the Western Maryland Railway Co's lookout sign; thence crossing Shaffer's fork, south 47 east to a stone on the bank of said

river in John Peter's field, reference point north 24 east 3 poles to a small poplar on the bank of the river; thence north 81 east 250 poles and 10 links to a stone west of the county road and at right angles to the southeast corner of the cemetery fence, 8 poles and 19 links, reference point south 75 east 2 poles and 10 links to a large chestnut standing east of the county road; thence north 27 east 21 poles to the north east corner of the cemetery fence; thence continuing with the same bearing 42 east, reversed of the east side of the cemetery lot to the Black Fork river; thence with the meanders of the said river to the head gates of the sluice dam; thence crossing Black Fork river to the east abutment of the Western Maryland railway bridge across said river; thence crossing said river to the west abutment of the county bridge; thence down the river with its meanders to two small white oaks called for in

the old survey of the Parsons corporation; thence with the old corporation line reversed, south 75 west 1903 poles to a stone against the bank about 4 poles north of a drain; thence south 23 east 126 poles to a beech with poplar, gum and two chestnut pointers; thence south 5 east 97 poles to the beginning. Sec. 2. The board of education of said district shall consist of three members, who, to be eligible to election as such members of said board shall have paid either directly or indirectly, for the preceding year, in such territory, taxes on either personal or real property or both, of the assessed value of at least five hundred dollars, who shall be elected by the qualified voters, resident therein and shall be vested with the same rights and exercise the same powers, perform the same duties, receive the same compensation and be governed by the same laws that boards of education otherwise than those of independent districts are governed by, except in so far as changed by the provisions of this act; and in the event of the establishment of Parsons independent school district, a board of education shall be elected on the third Tuesday of June, one thousand nine hundred and seven, who shall serve until their successors are elected and qualified, except that one member shall be elected for one year, one for two years and one for three years, and their terms of office shall begin on the first day of July following election; and after the said first election, one member shall be elected annually on the third Tuesday in June; after the first election all subsequent elections shall be held in said district at such place or places as may be designated by the board of such district, and after two weeks' notice published in all the newspapers published in said district, and by officers to be appointed by the board of education; the election to be held on the fourth Tuesday in May, and third Tuesday in June, one thousand nine hundred and seven, shall be conducted by commissioners to be appointed by the county court of Tucker county, and shall be at the usual voting places in the territory wherein such election is required to be held.

Sec. 3. At the first meeting of the board, which is hereby required to be held in July of each year, or as soon thereafter as practicable, the board shall organize by electing one of their number president; and shall also elect a secretary, who may or may not be a member of the board, who shall perform the same duties and

shall be allowed the same compensation as secretaries of other boards of education.

Sec. 4. The said board shall have exclusive control of all schools within said district; shall have power to make all necessary rules and regulations for the government of the schools of the district; for the admission of pupils therein and for the exclusion of pupils whose attendance would be dangerous to the health or detrimental to the morals or discipline of the school; they may prescribe a uniform list of text books for the use of the schools in the district, but such list to conform to those provided by general law, and may furnish books and stationery for indigent children in attendance at the schools; they may furnish all necessary apparatus and books for the use of the schools, and incur all other necessary expenses to make the system efficient for the purpose for which it was established and pay the same from the building fund of the district.

Sec. 5. The board of education shall have power to establish within the district such schools, including a high school, by such name as may be prescribed by said board, as may in their judgment, be best for the interest of the district, and may issue bonds to raise sufficient funds wherewith to establish such high school; but no such high school shall be established, nor shall any bonds be issued till the question of the establishment of such high school and of the issuance of such bonds, be first submitted to the legal voters of the district at some election for school officers in said district, and a two-thirds vote of the voters voting be cast in favor of the establishment of such high school and the issuance of such · bonds.

The branches to be taught in the high school and other schools in the district, shall be such as prescribed by the board of education; the schools of the district shall be subject to such grading as the board may direct; the said high school shall be open to all pupils in the district, but no pupil shall be entitled to enter it until the principal of the schools within the district shall have satised himself that the said pupil has made due proficiency in the branches in the other schools of the district.

Sec. 6. Admissions to the various schools in the district shall be gratuitous to all white children, wards and apprentices, or actual residents within the district between the ages of six and twenty-one years; provided, that the admission of pupils, who are non

residents of the district, may be allowed to attend the schools of the district upon payment in advance of such tuition as the board of education may prescribe.

Sec. 7. The sheriff, in the collection and disbursements of the funds raised by the said district for school purposes, shall receive the same commissions, make the same settlements and require the same vouchers in making disbursements of funds, as required by the general law in dealing with other boards of education in the same matters.

Sec. 8. Annually, on the first Monday of July, or as soon thereafter as circumstances will allow, the board shall appoint a principal of the schools for the district, and fix his salary at a sum not to exceed one hundred dollars per month for the school term. And such principal, in addition to his general supervision over the schools of the district, shall perform such other duties as required by this act, and shall also be required by the board to teach at least one room of one of the schools of the district; he shall be liable to removal by the board for any of the causes and in the same manner as provided by general law for the removal of teachers employed to teach in the public schools of this state; and in the event of his removal the board shall fill the vacancy for the unexpired term. It shall be the duty of the principal to make such report to the board of education, of the character and condition of the schools of the district, as shall enable the secretary to make his required report to the county superintendent. The principal shall not receive directly or indirectly any gift, emolument or reward for his influence in recommending the use of any book, apparatus or furniture of any kind whatever in the schools of the district. For any violation of this provision he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be fined not less than twenty-five dollars, nor more than one hundred dollars.

Sec. 9. On the first Monday in August, or as soon thereafter as practicable in each year, the said board of education shall meet and employ the necessary number of teachers for the different schools and rooms in the district, including an assistant principal, which assistant principal shall aid the principal in his duties and shall also teach a room in one of the schools of the district, whose salary shall not exceed seventy-five dollars per month for the school term, and shall hold a number one grade of teachers' certificate under a general examination; all other teachers in the differ

ent rooms and schools of the district shall be paid in accordance with the grade of certificate held by them, but in no case to exceed fifty dollars per month for number one grade, except that the teachers of the primary grade may be paid at the rate not to exceed sixty dollars per month for a number one grade; and all teachers employed may be removed by the board for the same cause and in the same manner as provided for removal of teachers by general law. All appointments of teachers shall be in writing and filed with the secretary.

Sec. 10. It shall be the duty of the board of education to provide by purchase, condemnation, leasing, building or otherwise, school houses and grounds, furniture, fixtures and appendages, and keep the same in good order and repair, and to supply the school houses with fuel, lights and other things necessary for their comfort and convenience; to pay the principal and interest on any bonds issued under the provisions of this act, and all other necessary expense incurred in the district in connection with the schools not chargeable to the teachers' fund. For the purposes mentioned in this section, the board of education shall annually levy a tax on the property taxable in said district, not to exceed in any one year ten cents on every hundred dollars valuation thereof, according to the latest assessment of the same for county and state purposes; the proceeds of the taxes so levied, of school houses and sites sold, of all donations, devises and bequests applicable to the purposes mentioned in this section, shall constitute a special fund to be called the "building fund," to be appropriated expressly for the purposes named in this section.

Sec. 11. In addition to the levy named in the preceding section, the board of education shall, for the purposes of the schools of the district, annually levy such tax on the taxable property of the district, as will from the money received from the state for the support of free schools, be sufficient to keep the schools in operation not less than six months nor more than ten months in the year; provided, that the said tax shall not exceed in any one year the rate of twenty-five cents on each hundred dollars valuation, according to the latest available assessment for county and state purposes; the proceeds of this levy together with the money received from the state as aforesaid, shall constitute a special fund to be called the "teachers' fund," and no part thereof shall be used