CHARLESTON, S. C.1

The city is divided into six school districts, each embracing two wards, and at every municipal election (i. e., every four years) there is elected by the legal voters of each district one school commissioner. The six school commissioners so elected, with two appointed by the governor for the same term upon the recommendation of the board of trustees of the High School of Charleston and two others similarly appointed upon the recommendation of the board of trustees of the College of Charleston," constitute the school board of the city of Charleston.

The commissioners so elected and appointed may assemble at any time and elect a chairman, a clerk, and a superintendent of city schools, whose terms of office, duties, and compensation are prescribed by the board; but their terms of office may not exceed that of the board electing them.

Vacancies in the board caused by death, resignation, departure from the State, or refusal to qualify are filled by the board from the same wards in which they occur.

The city treasurer must annually levy and collect, at the same time as the city taxes, a tax of 1 mill on the dollar on all taxable property in the city; and the county treasurer must pay over to the city treasurer the portion of the State school taxes to which the Charleston school district is entitled, and all of said taxes are deposited in the treasury as public money, to be paid out on the warrant of the city board of school commissioners. The said moneys are to be applied to the support of the city schools and to the repairs of the city school buildings.5

The city treasurer is entitled to receive out of the school moneys $500 a year for receiving and disbursing the school fund.

The school board are empowered, and it is their duty, to determine the studies and books to be used in the city schools; to cause examinations to be made of teachers; to elect and dismiss teachers, prescribe their duties and terms of office, and to make rules for the government of the schools; to fill vacancies among their own number; to grant diplomas in the normal school department, which entitle holders to become teachers; to make an annual report to the State superintendent; to take charge of all school property belonging to or used by the city and to keep the same in order; to select by competitive examina

'Compiled from the Revised Statutes of South Carolina, 1893, sections 1091-1894. "The governor has the right to refuse to appoint commissioners nominated as above should he see fit to do so, but no governor has as yet exercised the right.

These institutions are in part supported by the city, and the city council name some of the trustees.

"The tax of 1 mill on the dollar specified by law can not be increased or reduced either by the city council or the school commissioners. It can be changed only by the legislature.

5 New school buildings are erected by the commissioners with funds raised by speeial tax, which must be authorized by the legislature in each case.

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tion such meritorious boys as desire a more liberal education and are unable to pay for the same, to recommend them to be received into the High School of Charleston, and to pay their tuition fees if admitted. Such pupils are entitled upon graduation to free honorary scholarships in the College of Charleston.

HARTFORD, CONN.1

The schools of Hartford are still conducted under general laws designed primarily for rural communities. They have no connection with the city of Hartford as such, but are affairs of the town (or township) of Hartford and of the districts into which the town is divided. There are 10 of these school districts, varying greatly in size, population, and wealth, and consequently in the efficiency and relative cost of their schools.

The town has the power to form, unite, alter, and dissolve school districts within its limits, and may abolish all school districts and itself assume control of all the schools, constituting one school district; but this consolidation may be accomplished only by the majority of the votes cast at an election duly held to decide the question. Consolidation has several times been submitted to a vote of the people and has each time been voted down by large majorities. At the last election, held in 1874, out of about 7,000 votes cast the majority against consolidation was over 2,500. The stronger districts are opposed to giving their money to aid in the support of schools in the weaker districts, and the weaker districts seem to desire to retain the direct management of their own affairs, for in only 1 out of the 10 districts did consolidation receive a majority of the votes.

The direction of the affairs of the schools is divided between (1) the legal voters of the town in town meeting assembled, (2) the selectmen of the town, who are officers with general duties, (3) the town board of school visitors, (4) the joint board of selectmen and school visitors, (5) the high-school committee, (6) the legal voters of the respective districts in district meeting, and (7) the district committees.

The powers and duties of these several bodies are not defined with sufficient precision to prevent misunderstandings and conflict of authority, as an examination of the school reports shows; but such difficulties do not appear to have been serious enough to interfere with the harmonious conduct of the schools, and have not been greater than in some other places having less complicated arrangements. They have certainly not been sufficient to cause a popular demand for a change strong enough to alter the system.

Public schools must be maintained for thirty-six weeks in each year in every school district in which the number of persons between 4 and

Authorities: Laws of Connecticut relating to schools, 1891; public acts relating to education, 1895; the several reports of the board of school visitors.

16 years of age is 50 or more, and at least thirty weeks in other districts. In said schools there shall be taught, by teachers found duly qualified by the school visitors, reading, spelling, writing, English grammar, geography, physiology, and hygiene with special reference to stimulants and narcotics, and such other studies, including training in manual arts, as may be prescribed by the board of visitors.

The schools must be open to all children over 4 years old in the respective districts without discrimination on account of race or color; but children under 5 may be excluded whenever the board of school visitors so determine. In practice, children residing in one district and attending school in another pay tuition.

THE TOWN.

High schools. The town may [and does] maintain schools of high grade, and for such purpose may purchase, hold, and convey property, build schoolhouses, lay taxes, and adopt regulations for the management of such schools. The town may choose by ballot a committee of five residents of the town who have all the powers and duties in relation to such schools that district committees have in relation to district schools. No voter may vote for more than three members of the highschool committee, and the five persons receiving the highest number of votes are elected. If the town fail to elect a high-school committee, the school visitors must appoint such committee.

The board of school visitors must prescribe rules for admission of pupils to the high school, for their studies, books, and classification; examine and certificate teachers for the same; revoke certificates of incompetent teachers, and visit the school at least twice each term.

Evening schools.—The town must establish and maintain public evening schools; the board of school visitors have supervision over them. The board of visitors must annually certify to the comptroller of the State the average number of pupils attending evening schools within the current school year and the comptroller thereupon draws his order on the State treasurer in favor of the board of visitors, for the use of schools, in the sum of $2.25 for each pupil so certified, and the State treasurer must pay the same on presentation. Evening schools to be entitled to this distribution must have been open for at least seventyfive evenings during the school year. The school visitors must report annually to the State board of education concerning evening schools. Kindergartens.-The town or any district may maintain kindergarten. schools for pupils over 3 and under 7 years of age. In Hartford the kindergartens are supported by the respective districts.

Miscellaneous provisions.―The town at its annual meeting may direct the board of school visitors to employ special teachers of music for all districts, their salaries to be paid by the town, and it may direct the school visitors to provide at the expense of the town the text-books and supplies for the use of pupils.

Women are entitled to vote at school elections and are not debarred by their sex from membership in the board of school visitors or the district committees. Separate ballot boxes must be provided for women's ballots at all elections in which they may vote.

Other business transacted by the town at town meeting is mentioned in different connections in succeeding paragraphs, especially in relation to finances.

THE SELECTMEN.

The selectmen have the management of any property pertaining to the schools and belonging to the town, and must lodge with the treasurer all bonds and securities not intrusted to others by the grantor, and all moneys which they may receive for the use of the schools.

It is the duty of the selectmen to cause the boundary lines of school districts to be entered on the records of the town; to designate the time, place, and object of holding the first meeting in any new district; to provide each schoolhouse in the town with a United States flag, to be displayed every school day when the weather will permit. The name, number, and limits of every school district must be entered on its records and on the records of the town.

The selectmen of the town define boundaries of districts when not clearly settled and define boundaries of new districts. When the selectmen can not agree, the town may appoint three indifferent persons for that purpose.

At least fifteen days' notice must be given when it is proposed to alter the boundary of any district. Appeal may be had to the superior court by any district aggrieved by any action of the town in this connection.

JOINT BOARD OF SELECTMEN AND SCHOOL VISITORS-FINANCES.

The selectmen and the school visitors must meet annually as a joint board and prepare estimates of the cost of each and all the schools for the next school year, and they must at once notify the several district committees of the amounts so fixed. These estimates must be presented to the town at the next annual town meeting, together with a report of the expenses of the last year.

The rate of taxation and the sum of money to be appropriated for schools are determined by the town in town meeting. The joint board of selectmen and school visitors must divide between the several districts each year the moneys appropriated by the town for wages of teachers, fuel, and incidental expenses, and must notify each district committee of the amounts apportioned to them.

If the amount spent in any district exceed the amount fixed upon for that district by the joint board, the said board must meet to decide whether the expense was necessary. If they decide that it was necessary, the selectmen must draw an order on the town treasurer to pay the

same; if not, the amount must be paid by the district unless the town order otherwise.

The town is not required to expend more for school purposes than is produced by a tax of 1 mill on the dollar. But the full sum must be paid to the several school districts in proportion to the number of school children in the several districts.

When the cost of the schools in any district is greater than the sum received from the town, the excess must be met by a tax laid by the district.

The joint board of selectmen and school visitors have power to appropriate money for the purchase of books and apparatus for the public school of the town. The money is expended by a committee of the school visitors; the State contributes annually $5 for each 100 pupils in the schools, to be used for the same purpose.

The moneys apportioned to Connecticut in the distribution by the United States of the surplus in 1837 was divided between the towns of the State, and forms what is known as the "town deposit fund." The principal of this fund must be kept intact and the income used solely for the support of schools.

Each district committee, or their clerk, must annually make an enumeration of all children belonging to the district, and must make return of the same to the school visitors. If the district committee fail to do this, one of the school visitors must make the enumeration.

The school visitors must examine and correct the returns and forward them to the State comptroller.

The State school moneys are divided between the districts on the basis of the enumeration, but no district may receive State money unless the school visitors certify that schools have been kept therein in accordance with law. No district may receive money from the State or town unless it has a schoolhouse satisfactory to the school visitors. No schoolhouse may be built except according to a plan approved by the school visitors and by the building committee of the district, nor at an expense greater than the sum appropriated therefor by the district.

School districts have the right of condemning land required for school purposes.

THE BOARD OF SCHOOL VISITORS.

There is for the town a board of school visitors of nine members, three of whom are elected each year in town meeting by the legal voters of the town for a term of three years. The election is by ballot, each voter being allowed to vote for two members only, the three persons receiving the highest number of votes being declared elected. In case of a tie, that person whose name is first on the greatest number of ballots is elected.

Should any vacancy occur, the remaining members of the board may fill it till the next annual election, when the ballots mast distinctly specify the vacancy to be filled.