Sec. 1217. The common schools of the State, and such high and normal schools as may be established and maintained by the State shall be under the management of a State board of Board of edu- education, which shall consist of the superintendent of public education and of one member to be appointed from each congressional district in the State, and two from the State at large in the manner hereinafter provided.

cation.

Act 1869, p. 175; Act 1870, No. 6, p. 12; Act 1878, No. 86, p. 78; Act 1874, No. 123, p. 217.

Sec. 1218. No person shall be eligible as a member of the said board who shall not have attained the age of thirty years. as a member. and shall have been one year a citizen of the State.

Who eligible

Sec. 1219. The members of said board shall hold their office Term of office, for the term of four years and until their successors are ap pointed and qualified.

After the first appointment under this act the board shall be divided as nearly as practicable into two equal classes, and the

seats of the first class shall be vacated after the expiration of two years; and one-half of the board shall be appointed every two years thereafter.

Sec. 1220. The first session of the board of education shall First session. be held at the seat of government, on the first Monday of March next ensuing, or as soon thereafter as practicable, after which the board may fix the time and place of meetings.

ent president

Sec. 1221. The superintendent of public education shall be Superintendex officio president and the executive officer of the board.

of board.

Sec. 1222. The board shall have power to make all needful Powers. rules and regulations for the government of schools, and for the examination and superintendence of teachers, in pursuance of the laws of the State, on such subjects made and provided, which rules and regulations shall be binding upon all officers of the public schools.

Sec. 1223. The members of the board of education, except the State superintendent of education, shall each receive a salary Salaries. of one thousand dollars per annum, payable quarterly upon the warrant of the board, approved by the president.

Sec. 1224. A majority of the board, shall constitute a quorum quorum, for the transaction of business; but no rule or regulation for

the

government of common schools, or of high or normal schools shall pass without the concurrence of a majority of all the members of the board, which shall be expressed by the yeas and nays.

held from

teachers not

complying with rules.

They shall recommend a uniform series of text-books for use Text-books, in all the common schools and the normal schools of the State. Sec. 1225. The State board of education shall have power to direct and cause the district director, treasurer, or any other Payment withschool officer within the State, to withhold from any officer or teacher, any part of the public school fund, until such officer or teacher shall have complied with all the provisions of this act, relating to his, her or their duties, and such rules and regulations as the board may prescribe, not inconsistent with the provisions of this act, and the State board may forbid the payment of any part of the public school fund to any district to which the school or schools have not been kept in accordance to law, or in which no schools have been for six months during the year next preceding the demand for payment, and the State board may direct all public school money thus withheld forfeited; and the amount so forfeited shall be paid into the treasury of the State, to be appropriated for the benefit of the common school

fund.

ors,

Sec. 1226. The State board of education shall appoint for the city of New Orleans, a board of school directors of nine School directmembers, and for each other incorporated city, town or village in the State, a board of school directors, of not less than three nor more than five members, who shall exercise all the powers and duties herein conferred upon district boards of directors, and shall hold their offices for two years, and until their successors shall be duly elected and qualified according to law;

Provided.

of members of board.

Provided, That in the city of New Orleans the board of school directors shall appoint for each ward a board of district direc tors, who shall have the same powers and discharge the same duties hereinbefore conferred upon boards of district directors in this State, and shall hold their office for two years, and until their successors shall be duly elected and qualified as hereinafter provided.

Sec. 1227. Immediately upon the passage of this act it shall Appointment be the duty of the governor to nominate and by and with the advice and consent of the senate, appoint seven members of the State board of education, one from each congressional district in the State, and two from the State at large, who, with the superintendent of public education, shall constitute the State board of education created by this act.

Sec. 1228. An office shall be provided for the State superin Office of super- tendent of public education, at the seat of government, in which

intendent.

Meetings of division superintendents.

he shall file all papers, reports and public documents transmitted to him by the division superintendents of the several divisions, each year separately, and hold the same in readiness to be exhibited to the governor, or to a committee from either house of the general assembly, or to the State board of education, at any time when required, and shall require to be kept a fair record of all matters pertaining to his office.

Sec. 1229. The State superintendent of public education Duty of super-shall be charged with the general supervision of all the division superintendents, and all the common, high or normal schools of the State; and he shall see that the school system is, as early as practicable, carried into effect, and put in uniform operation. Sec. 1230. With a general view to these special duties, he shall meet the division superintendents of each congressional district at least once in each year, at such time and place as he may appoint, giving due notice of such meeting; and it is hereby made the duty of the said division superintendents to attend each meeting, the object of which shall be to accumulate valuable facts relative to common schools, to compare views, discuss principles, and in general to listen to all communications and suggestions, and enter into all discussions relative to the compensation of teachers, their qualifications, branches taught, method of instruction, text-books, division libraries, apparatus, and all other matters embraced in the common system.

Schools to be visited.

Distribution of documents.

Sec. 1231. He shall visit such schools as he may have it in his power to do, and witness the manner in which they are conducted.

Sec. 1232. The superintendent of public education shall cause as many copies of this act, and all other school acts in force, with the forms, regulations and instructions herein contemplated thereto annexed, to be from time to time printed and distributed among the division superintendents as he shall deem expedient, directing the latter to distribute the same among several school divisions of the State. He shall also prepare, and

the

cause to be distributed to the several division superintendents, a form of certificate in blank, to be granted to teachers; also, all other blank forms necessary to be used in carrying out this act, and all other acts.

of school chil

Sec. 1233. He shall annually on the first day of January, report to the auditor of the State the number of persons in Annual report each parish of the State between the ages of six and twenty- dren. one years.

eral assembly.

Sec. 1234. He shall make a report to the general assembly Report to genand the State board of education, at each session thereof, which shall embrace

schools and

First.-A statement of the condition of the common school divisions therein, the number of schools in the State, the num- Statement of ber of scholars between six and twenty-one years of age, and scholars. also the number in each parish who have attended school the previous year, as returned by the several division superintendents, the number of books in the division libraries, and the value of all apparatus in the schools.

Second.-Such plans as he may have matured for the man- Plans for imagement and improvement of the common school fund, and for provement. the better and more perfect organization and efficiency of com

mon schools.

Third. All such matters and things relating to his office, Other matters. and to the common schools, as he shall deem expedient to com

municate.

Fourth. He shall cause his report to be printed, and shall Private report. present five hundred copies thereof to each body, on or before the second day of their session, for distribution.

stitutes.

Sec. 1235. Whenever reasonable assurance shall be given by the division superintendent of any division to the superintendent of public education, that a number of not less than thirty teachers desire to assemble for the purpose of holding a teachers' Teachers' ininstitute in said division, to remain in session for a period of not less than six working days, he shall appoint such time and place for said meeting and such lectures as the said teachers shall suggest, and shall give due notice thereof, and for the purpose of defraying the expenses of said institutes there is hereby appropriated out of any moneys in the State treasury not otherwise appropriated, a sum not exceeding fifty dollars annually, for one such institute in each division held as aforesaid, which the said superintendent of public education shall immediately transmit to the division superintendent in whose division the institute shall be held, who shall pay out the same as the institute shall direct; Provided, that a like sum shall be contributed by the Provided. district.

Sec. 1236. On the first Monday of March, eighteen hundred and sixty-nine (1869), or as soon thereafter as practicable, there shall be appointed by the State board of education, one person of literary and scientific attainments, and of skill and experi- Superintendence in the art of teaching, to be superintendent of schools in in Orleans.

ent of schools