LEGAL the legal voters and what may be done at one of these assemblies? Any person of either sex over twenty-one years of age, who owns either real estate in the district or personal property that was taxed in his name at the last assessment, or who has school children in the district, is entitled to vote. All matters that come before the district at the annual meeting are connected with education. The most important power is the right to fix the amount of school tax. In a school district, as well as anywhere else in the state organization, the power PUR- to take money is guarded with great care. POSES DIS SCHOOL OF THE The district, at the annual meeting, elects TRICT three officers to represent it. These three, moderator, director, and treasurer, form a kind of committee known as the school board. The moderator presides at all meetings of the district, the treasurer cares for all money, and the director acts as a secretary for the district. They are best known as the district school board, BOARD of which the director is the most important officer. He is a sort of manager. The board looks after all things immediately connected with the school, such as hiring teachers, buyand ing supplies, grading the school, and carDuties ing for the school building. Another important duty lately (1891) given to the board is the purchase and care of school books.1 The power to own property belongs to all kinds of legal persons or corporations. Powers Care of 1 Consolidated Statutes, 1891 §§ 3758-3767. "District school boards, HIGH TRICTS Not all school districts are of the same grade. When a district has more than one hundred and fifty school children between the ages of five and twenty-one, it may become a high school district, if a majority of the voters so decide at the annual meeting, This change increases to six the number on the school board, which anDIS- nually elects from its members a moderator, director and treasurer. A district of this kind may vote to establish a high school. Every city, sometimes with surrounding land attached, forms a school district. Cities having from 1,500 to 10,000 inhabitants have a board SCHOOL of six trustees, like the high school district, TRICTS but they are elected in a different manner. There is no "annual meeting" in a city, and the members of the board are chosen at the regular election. In cities of the first class' nine members are elected for terms of three years. Metropolitan cities have school boards of fifteen members, of whom five are chosen each CITY DIS Boards year. When the board of a city organizes, it elects a president, vice-president and secretary. A city school board itself estimates the amount of the school tax, while in the high Tax school and country districts the voters, instead of the board, fix the amount of the tax. and boards of trustees of high school districts, and boards of education in cities of the first and second class, are hereby empowered and it is made their duty to purchase all text-books necessary for the schools of such district." A board may make contracts with publishers for a terin of years, not over five, to purchase books at the lowest price at which they are sold. Parents can purchase books from the board at cost, A local dealer may be designated to handle the books, with some increase in price on account of handling and transportation. 1 For classes of cities, see p. 83, Note. SUGGESTIVE TOPICS AND QUESTIONS. 1. Make a Map of your own school district. 2. Look up derivation of word corporation in a dictionary. 3. Is there more reason why women should be allowed to vote on school matters than on other subjects? 4. What advantages and disadvantages arising from a school district owning all books used in a school? REVIEW. How are school districts formed? Why are they not uniform in size? When and where is the annual meeting of the school district held? What is done at the annual meeting? Who may vote at a school meeting? Who fixes the amount of school tax in a district? What grades of school districts are there? What kind of a school district has a board of six? Of nine? Of fifteen? What is the difference between city districts and others? What officers are elected to represent the school board? State the duties of each. When may school districts have a high school? How does the organization of a high school district affect the school board? How are the members of a city school board elected? What is the use of a school district? How far may a school district extend in one direction? Who forms the new districts? Is a school district a corporation? What is a corporation? What is the difference between a district corporation and a railroad corporation? A railroad corporation and a municipal corporation? If a school district furnish text-books, should it also furnish clothing? Can a school district be compelled to furnish books, if only a few people desire it? If a railroad crosses a school district, does that fact bring any more money into the school fund? CHAPTER III.-CITIES AND VILLAGES. Scattered about over the State are more than three hundred cities and villages. These, too, are legal persons. Since the term municipal is applied to such collections of people, they may also be called municipal corporations. The PAL classes' of these are determined for the MUNICI CORPO TIONS RA- most part by population. Yet there is much freedom of choice. A thickly not have to form any settled community does such organization at all. try district, governed as and being a corporation, perhaps, only as a school district. A village or city may constitute an entire school district. In that case it is both a school corporation for education and a municipal corporation for government and administration. The school district of the city is often larger than the municipality, some of the adjacent land being added. The law-making part of a village consists of a 1 Inhabitants required for each class: 1-Village. Consolidated Statutes, 1891, §§ 2861-2963. (a) 200 to 1,500. (b) Over 1,500, if adopted by the people. 2.-Cities of Second Class. Statutes, §§ 2721-2859. (a) 1,000-25,000. (Session Laws, 1885, p. 156.) (b) 5,000-25,000. 3.-Cities of First Class. Statutes, §§ 2483-2720. (a) 10,000 to 25,000. (b) 25,000 to 100,000. 4.-Metropolitan Cities. Statutes, §§ 2308-2482. 80,000 or over. board of five trustees elected annually. The chairman of this board somewhat resembles the mayor of a city. The powers of the board extend to all subjects connected with preserving THE VIL LAGE the peace and good order of the village, but they include also the appointment of officers that are usually elected in cities. Among these are clerk and treasurer. Violations of the ordinances of the village, as well as of the laws of the State, are tried before a justice of the peace belonging to the precinct in which the village is. Trials before this officer will be studied as a part of the county. Thus the village really has no separate judicial department. Likewise in the election of county and state officers and in the collection of taxes, it is a mere district of the county.' THE Cities of the several classes have some features in common. A city always has a mayor, who is chief officer and executive head. The body CITY that makes the laws is in all cases the council, although it varies in number and power. It is usually made up of two members from each ward or district of the city. Wards have nine wards, and Metropolitan cities smaller cities from 1 Village Organization: 1.-Board of Trustees: (a) Number, five; (b) elected by voters; (c) officers are (1) chairman and (2) clerk, who is city clerk; (d) powers are very numerous, and extend to all matters connected with the welfare of the village. (Consolidated Statutes, 1891. §§2867, 2892-2900); these include taxation, and licensing or prohibiting selling and giving away liquor. 2.-Village Officers. (a) clerk; (b) treasurer; (c) overseers of streets; (d) marshal. All appointed by board of trustees. Terms, one year. Salaries, $150 to $300. Also a board of health of three members appointed by the board of trustees, term, one year. No salary. |