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2. TEACHERS.

Certificates-Employment and duties-Institutes.

Certificates. The county school commissioner shall examine all applicants for license to teach in his county and may invite such persons as he may think proper to assist therein. Applicants shall be examined upon orthography, reading, writing, English grammar, geography, arithmetic, the science and practice of teaching, and physiology and hygiene, with special reference to the effects of alcoholic drinks and narcotics. Said examinations shall be held throughout the State on days fixed by the State school commissioner, who shall also prepare questions therefor, and shall supply the county school commissioner with printed instructions as to grading applicants on a uniform basis, and shall fix the lowest standard for each grade of licenses; and no applicant shall be examined on any other day than those so designated, except where the county board shall order a special examination for good reasons and to meet some special emergency. The county school commissioner shall prepare questions for such special examinations, and licenses granted thereunder shall be valid only until the next examination ordered by the State school commissioner and in the county where issued. Upon the report and recommendation of the county school commissioner the county board shall grant to the applicants licenses of the first, second, or third grade, according to the grade attained, provided they shall have attained at least the lowest grade mark fixed by the State school commissioner for that grade, and there shall be satisfactory evidence (submitted in writing with examination papers) of good moral character. First-grade licenses shall continue in force three years; second grade, two, and third grade, one, in the county where issued. They may be validated in other counties by indorsement of respective county school commissioners. Graduates of colleges are not exempt (since 1899) from such county examinations. The county school commissioner may revoke licenses for incompetency, immorality, cruelty to pupils, or neglect of duty, which revocation shall constitute a dismissal of such teacher, but he may appeal to State school commissioner. Forgery of a license constitutes a felony.

After passing upon the examination papers as hereinbefore provided, if, in the opinion of the county school commissioner, any of them exhibit unusual merit he shall forward same to the State school commissioner, together with his certificate of the good moral and professional character of the applicant; and if the State school commissioner deem said papers to exhibit sufficient merit he shall issue a permanent teacher's license to the applicant, which license shall be revocable only by the State school commissioner for cause.

Employment and duties.-County boards employ teachers. Contracts must be in writing, signed in duplicate. Subdistrict trustees, if any, recommend applicants to county board (which see). Teachers may enter into a supplemental contract with patrons to teach a private elementary school in connection with the common school and to embrace the period allowed by law for the said public term if approved by county board. Teachers shall file with the county school commissioner at the expiration of each term a full report of the whole number of scholars admitted to the school during said term, distinguishing between male and female and colored and white, together with the names of all, the entire and average attendance, branches taught, number studying each branch, and such other statistics as the county or State school commissioner may require; and until such report has been prepared, sworn to, and filed the county school commissioner shall not audit said teacher's salary account. No teacher shall receive pay for any pupil who is allowed to use any other than the prescribed text-books (which see, also Studies, under Schools). County boards may pay teachers fixed salaries or else according to enrollment or attendance. Teachers shall be paid monthly.

Institutes.-The State school commissioner is authorized to organize and establish a county teachers' institute in each county to hold a one-week session in June, July, August, or such other month as he may deem expedient. He may combine the said annual sessions of two or more of such institutes. He shall prepare programmes and syllabi of courses and require county school commissioners, as part of their official duty, to conduct same. He may require all teachers to attend such institutes held in the county of their residence, and county school commissioners and boards may assess and collect fines from members of such institutes for tardiness or absence without good cause, which funds thus collected shall be used in purchasing teachers' libraries for the counties in which collected.

Separate institutes shall be held for white and colored teachers, and not exceeding $25 may be paid from the educational fund of each county per annum for the purpose of securing the services of an expert in conducting the week's session of the institute of said county, such expert to be selected by the county school commissioner and board of education. Institutes shall be held at the county seat or other place selected by the county school commissioner.

3. SCHOOLS.

Attendance-Studies-Text-books—Manual training-Evening schools—Build

ings and grounds.

Attendance.-Admission to all schools of the State shall be gratuitous to all children between the ages of 6 and 18 years residing in the several subdistricts, respectively. Colored and white children shall not attend the same school, and no teacher receiving both in the same school shall receive any compensation out of the common school fund. Children residing in one subdistrict may, in special cases, by permission of the county board, attend school in another subdistrict, and when a school is located near a county line children from the adjoining county may attend, if convenience requires, by concurrent permission of both county boards, and in such cases the teacher shall make out two accounts, one against each county board, in proportion to the number of children in the school from each county.

t Studies.-County boards shall prescribe what text-books and books of reference shall be used. (See Text-books.) The Bible shall not be excluded from the common or public schools of the State. Boards shall not introduce any text or miscellaneous book of a sectarian or sectional character, and shall provide for the teaching of physiology and hygiene with special reference to alcoholic drinks and narcotics. (For general branches taught see Teachers-Certificates.) Text-books.-County (or city) boards of education, in order to prevent excessive rates of charges for school books, may purchase directly from the publishers such books as may be adopted for their schools, and shall supply same to patrons and pupils at cost, or at such an advance as shall cover cost of handling. The board may make such contract with a local merchant or other person, whom they may require to give bond. Pupils, parents, or guardians about to move to another county wherein different books are used may sell their school books to the county at such discount as may cover wear and tear. The boards may arrange to rent books to pupils at just and proper fees and make all proper rules to insure payment of such fees and proper care of books. Copies of all contracts for text-books must be filed with the State board of education within ten days. No county board may change or renew any contract for such books before the expiration of five years without first giving sixty days' notice by newspaper advertisement and sixy days' notice to the publisher party to such contract, and then only by a three-fourths vote of the members of such board in session.

Manual training.-County boards shall have power to organize one or more manual labor schools in each county on such a plan as shall be self-sustaining, which plan shall first be submitted to and approved by the State board of education.

Evening schools.—County boards may establish, at such places as they deem proper within the limits of their jurisdiction, a suitable number of evening schools for the instruction of such youth over 12 years of age as are prevented by their daily avocations from attending day schools.

Buildings and grounds.-County boards shall have power to purchase, lease, or rent school sites; build, repair, or rent schoolhouses; purchase maps, globes, school furniture, and other such things as are necessary for efficient schools; and said boards are vested with the title, care, and custody of all schoolhouses, sites, libraries, apparatus, or other property belonging to the several subdistricts in their respective counties, with all power to control the same as they think will best subserve the interests of public schools. When in the opinion of the board any schoolhouse site has become unnecessary or inconvenient, they may sell the same, such conveyance to be executed by the president or secretary of the board. Boards may provide for the building of schoolhouses either by labor on the part of the citizens or by a tax on the property of the subdistrict. The State school commissioner, through the several county commissioners, shall cause the public schools of the State to observe arbor day as superin

tendents and teachers may think best in order to show the pupils the value and beauty of forestry by practical tree planting on school, church, and other public lots, lawns, and highways.

4. FINANCES,

Common school fund-Apportionment-County tax.

Common school fund.-The sources from which the common school fund is derived are as follows: Poll tax; special tax on shows and exhibitions; all tax on the sale of spirituous and malt liquors; dividends upon the stock of the State in the Bank of the State of Georgia, Bank of Augusta, Georgia Railroad and Banking Company; one-half of the proceeds of the Western and Atlantic Railroad, or one-half of the net earnings of said railroad under any change of policy which the State may adopt concerning same; all endowments, devises, gifts, and bequests made or hereafter to be made to the State or State board of education; the proceeds of any commutation tax for military service; all taxes which may be assessed on such domestic animals as from their nature and habits are destructive to other property; all money received by the agricultural department of the State for the inspection of oils and fertilizers in excess of the expenses of said department; the net amount arising from the hire of convicts; money accruing from the lease of oyster lands; such other sums as the legislature may raise from time to time by taxation for educational purposes; fines for illegal granting of diplomas by medical colleges; fines for the sale of rejected illuminating oil or fluids, or for wrongful use of branded vessels for illuminating oil or fluids, payable to the school fund in the county where prosecution is made, as is also one-half of fines for cruelty to animals; gaming contracts-money recovered after six months goes to public school fund of county in which suit is entered; property not returned but assessed-overplus above amount due and costs, goes to educational fund, subject to claim of true owner within four years.

Apportionment.-On the first day of each month the State treasurer shall place to the credit of each county in the State on his books its proportion of the common school fund in the treasury, such proportion to be determined by the State school commissioner, comptroller-general, and treasurer, based upon the scholastic population. Each county school commissioner shall transmit to the State school commissioner an itemized statement of the various sums due and unpaid on the first day of each month by the county board, and when said statements shall have been approved by the State school commissioner, the governor shall issue his warrants upon the treasurer for all funds standing to the credit of each county, or for such part thereof as may be needed to cover said itemized statement, and the treasurer shall draw his check in favor of each county, school commissioner accordingly.

County tar.-In any county where a school system is not in existence, or where the common school fund is not sufficient for the support of same, whenever two successive grand juries shall so recommend, an election shall be held to determine whether a local tax shall be collected for school purposes. If twothirds of the lawful votes cast at such election shall be in favor of such local taxation, the county board of education shall levy an ad valorem tax not to exceed one-fourth of 1 per cent upon all the taxable property, and the tax collector shall collect the same from year to year as other taxes are collected.

ILLINOIS.

1. ORGANIZATION OF THE SYSTEM.

State superintendent-County superintendent-Township school trustees-District board of directors-City and village boards of education.

The State superintendent.-There shall be elected every four years a State superintendent of public instruction, who shall hold his office for four years. He shall take the oath of office, and shall give bond in the penalty of $25,000 with securities, conditioned for the prompt discharge of his duties as superintendent and for the faithful application and disposition, according to law, of all school moneys that may come into his hands by virtue of his office. His salary shall

be fixed by law as a salary for the services required under the provisions of this act or other law that may be passed. All necessary contingent expenses for books, postage, and stationery pertaining to his office shall be audited and paid by the State as the salary and contingent expenses of other officers are paid. It shall be his duty to keep an office at the seat of government of the State; to file all papers, reports, and public documents transmitted to him by the school officers of the several counties each year separately; to keep and preserve all other public documents, papers, and books relating to the schools coming into his hands as superintendent, and to hold the same in readiness to be exhibited to the governor or to any committee of either house of the general assembly; to keep a fair record of all matters pertaining to the business of his office; to pay without delay all money which may come into his hands by virtue of his office to the officer or person entitled to receive the same in the legal manner; to counsel and advise in such manner as he may deem best, with experienced and practical school-teachers, as to the best manner of conducting common schools; to supervise all the common and public schools in the State; to be the general adviser and assistant of county superintendents of the schools of the State; to address circular letters to county superintendents from time to time, as he shall deem for the interests of schools, giving advice as to the best manner of conducting schools, constructing and furnishing schoolhouses, and examining and procuring competent teachers; to report to the governor the condition of the schools, their number for each preceding year by counties, the number taught exclusively by men and exclusively by women, the number taught by men and women at same time and at different periods, the attendance, the number of persons under 21 years of age, and the number 12 to 21 years that are unable to read and write, the amount of township and county funds, the amount of the interest of the State or common-school fund, and of the interest of the township and county fund annually paid out, the amount raised by an ad valorem tax, the amount annually expended for schools, the number of schoolhouses, their kind and condition, the number of townships and parts of townships in each county, the number and description of books and apparatus purchased for the use of schools and school libraries, the price paid therefor, the total amount purchased and what quantity and how distributed, the number and condition of the libraries, together with such other information and suggestions as he may deem important in relation to the school laws, schools, and the means of promoting education throughout the State, which report shall be laid before the general assembly at each regular session; to make such regulations as may be necessary and expedient to carry into effect the provisions of the school law; to be the legal adviser of all school officers, and when requested by a school officer to give his opinion in writing upon any question arising under the school laws; to hear appeals from county superintendents, they having certified to a written statement of the facts in issue; to grant State certificates to such teachers as may be found worthy to receive them; to be ex officio a member of the board of trustees of the University of Illinois, of the Southern Normal University, of the State board of education, and to act as secretary thereof, of the Northern Illinois State Normal School, of the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, of the Western Illinois State Normal School, of the State library board, of the Natural History Museum, of the Lincoln Monument, of the Lincoln Homestead; to report to the general assembly at its regular session the condition and expenditures of the Normal University, and such other information as the State board or the general assembly shall direct; and finally, to visit such of the charitable institutions of the State as are educational and to examine their facilities for instruction, and to prescribe forms for such reports as he may desire from the superintendents thereof. He shall be vested with the following powers: To direct and cause the county superintendent of any county, directors or boards of trustees or township treasurer, or other school officer, to withhold from any officer, township, district, or teacher any part of the common school or township or other school fund until such person or corporation shall have made all schedules, reports, and returns required of him by this act, and until such persons or bodies, unless excused by him, shall have executed and filed ali official bonds and accounted for all common school or township or other school funds which have theretofore come into his hands; to require county superintendents to furnish him the information he desires to embody in his report to the general assembly, and

a See Teachers-Preliminary training.

to require at any time from the township board a report on the condition of schools under its care, and to determine what statistics local officers shali report to county superintendents; to authorize county superintendents to procure such assistance as may be necessary to conduct county institutes; to grant permission to boards of education or boards of directors to establish classes for deaf and for crippled children in their respective schools, and to appoint teachers for such classes in said schools; to require annual reports from the authorities of incorporated towns, townships, cities, or districts having a system under special charter to the same extent as regular school officers are or may be required to make such reports; to require the president, principal, or other proper officer of every organized (whether incorporated or not) institution of learning to make a report that he may exhibit a fair and full statement of the condition of such institutions and of the educational resources of the State. He shall not be interested in the sale of any book or apparatus or furniture used or to be used in any school in the State, and for violation of this provision shall be fined not less than $25 nor more than $500, and may be imprisoned in the county jail not less than one month nor more than one year. County superintendents.-There shall be elected every four years a county superintendent of schools, who shall be sworn in and shall execute a bond with joint and several sureties for $12,000, to be increased if deemed best, conditioned on the faithful discharge of his duties. In case of vacancy the county board shall appoint a successor. He shall be provided with a suitable office. In counties of not more than 100 schools the time of the superintendent may be limited by the county board; in counties of 50 or fewer schools the limit shall not be less than 150 days in the year; in counties of 51 to 75 schools, not less than 200 days a year; in counties of 76 to 100 schools, not less than 250 days a year. He may, with the approval of the county board, employ the assistants he needs for the full discharge of his duties at a compensation fixed by the county board, but they shall be persons of attainments, versed in the principles and methods of education, familiar with public school work, and competent to visit schools. The county superintendent shall receive in full for all services rendered by him 3 per cent upon the amount of sales of school lands or sales of lands upon mortgage, or sales of real estate taken for debt, including all services therewith; 2 per cent upon all sums distributed, paid, or loaned out by them for the support of schools. For all other duties required of him by law $4 a day for each day of actual service and $1 a day for expenses for the number of days actually spent in school visitation. He shall present a sworn-to itemized statement of his per diem compensation and expenses, together with a report of all his official acts or those of his assistants, including a list of all the schools visited. It shall also be his duty to sell township-fund lands, issue certificates of purchase, report to the county board and State auditor, and the other legal duties connected therewith; to number in consecutive order the school districts in his county and to prepare a map of the county showing the same; to register applicants for admission to the State normal universities and to the University of Illinois, and to assist in the examination of the same as directed; to hold annually, under the direction of the State superintendent, an examination for State university scholarships; to visit each school in the county at least once a year, and in the performance of this duty he shall spend at least half the time given to his office, and more if practicable, in visiting ungraded schools, noting the methods and the character of instruction; to direct teachers in the science and art of teaching; to act as the official adviser and constant assistant of the school officers and teachers, carrying out the advice of the State superintendent; to conduct a teachers' institute, and to aid and encourage the formation of other teachers' meetings and to assist in their management, and in every way to improve the condition of common schools; to examine all notes, bonds, mortgages, and other evidences of indebtedness which the township treasurer holds officially; and if he finds that the papers are not in proper form or that the securities are insufficient he shall so state in writing to the board of trustees; to give notice of the election of trustee or director in default of the board's doing so; to hold meetings quarterly for the examination of teachers and to grant certificates, keeping a record of the same; to keep a just and true account of all moneys received and all moneys paid out on account of the institute fund and report to the county board; to report to the county board annually at its first regular meeting; to notify presidents of boards of trustees and clerks of school districts on or before September 30 annually of the amount of money paid by him to the township treasurer, with dates, and to receive and file, on or before the 15th day of July preceding each regular session of the general assembly and at such

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