Qualified voter, who deemed.

taxes.

act," being sections four thousand six hundred sixty-two, four thousand six hundred sixty-five, four thousand six hundred sixty-eight, four thousand six hundred sixty-nine, four thousand six hundred seventy-four, four thousand six hundred ninety-one, four thousand seven hundred forty-nine, four thou sand seven hundred fifty and four thousand seven hundred fifty-one of the Compiled Laws of eighteen hundred ninetyseven, are hereby amended to read as follows:

CHAPTER II.

SEC. 17. In all school elections every citizen of the United States of the age of twenty-one years, male or female, who owns property which is assessed for school taxes in the district, or who is the parent or legal guardian of any child of school age included in the school census of said district, and who has resided in said district three months next preVoting school ceding such election, shall be a qualified voter. On the question of voting school taxes, every citizen of the United States of the age of twenty-one years, male or female, who owns property which is assessed for school taxes in the district, and who has resided in the district, as above stated, shall be a qualified voter: Provided, That the purchaser of land upon a land contract, who actually pays the taxes upon such land and resides thereon, may vote upon all questions; and where a husband and wife own property jointly and same is assessed for school taxes in the school district, each may, if otherwise qualified, vote upon all questions including the question of raising money.

Proviso, land contracts. Husband and wife.

Powers of qualified voters at school meetings.

May appoint chairman.

May adjourn.

Elect district offieers.

Designate sites.

Direct purchase of site, etc.

SEC. 20. The qualified voters in any school district, when lawfully assembled at the first and at each annual meeting or at an adjournment thereof or at any special meeting lawfully called, except as hereinafter provided, shall have power: First, At the first meeting and at any meeting after the organization of the district, in the absence of the moderator, to appoint a chairman for the time being, and in the absence of the director, to appoint some person to act in his stead, who shall keep a minute of the proceedings of such meeting and certify the same to the director, to be by him entered in the records of the district;

Second, To adjourn from time to time as occasion may require;

Third, To elect district officers as herein provided, and to determine at what hour the annual meeting shall be held;

Fourth, To designate, as hereinafter provided, a site or such number of sites as may be desired for schoolhouses, and to change the same when necessary;

Fifth, To direct the purchasing or leasing.of a site or sites lawfully determined upon; the building, hiring or purchasing of a schoolhouse or houses, or the enlarging of a site or sites previously established;

Sixth, To vote such tax as the meeting shall deem sufficient, Vote tax for to purchase or lease a site or sites, or to build, hire, purchase building, etc. or repair a schoolhouse or houses; but the amount of taxes Limit. to be raised in any district for the purpose of purchasing or building, altering or repairing a schoolhouse or houses in the same year that any bonded indebtedness is incurred shall not exceed two hundred fifty dollars in districts containing less than ten children between the ages of five and twenty years; in districts having between ten and thirty children of like age it shall not exceed five hundred dollars; and in districts having between thirty and fifty children of like age it shall not exceed one thousand dollars; the foregoing tax when Tax, how levied and collected, together with all funds derived from accounted. bonding for the same purposes, when received by the treasurer shall be accounted for under the title of "building and repair fund:" Provided, That in addition to the amount which may Amount may be voted by the qualified voters of a district for repairs, an general fund. amount not exceeding fifty dollars in any one year may be taken from the general fund;

take from

school appa

Seventh, To vote such tax as shall be necessary for the Vote tax for following purposes: To provide the necessary appendages ratus, library, provided for by statute and all other school apparatus; to etc. establish and support a district library; to pay the premium upon any surety bond required by law to be given by any officer of such school district; to pay for the transportation of pupils to and from school; to pay for furniture, fences, care of grounds, taking of census, books for indigent children and all appurtenances to the school property; to pay for necessary record books and blanks, and to discharge any debt or liability of the district lawfully incurred for any of these purposes; the tax herein provided for, when collected and re- Tax, how ceived by the treasurer, shall be accounted for under the title accounted. of "the general fund;"

Eighth, To authorize and direct the sale of any schoolhouse, May sell site, site, building or other property belonging to the district, when etc. the same shall no longer be needed for the use of the district;

suits, etc.

Ninth, To give such directions and make such provisions To direct as they shall deem necessary in relation to the prosecution or defense of any suit or proceeding in which the district may be a party or interested;

committees.

Tenth, To appoint, as in their discretion it may be neces- Building sary, a building committee to perform such duties in supervising the work of building a schoolhouse as they may by vote direct;

school taught.

Eleventh, At the first and annual meeting only to deter- Determine mine the length of time a school shall be taught in their dis- length of time trict during the ensuing year, which shall not be less than nine months in all districts having four hundred or more children of school age, and in all districts having over thirty children and less than four hundred children, not less than

eight months, and not less than five months in all other districts on the pain of forfeiture of their share of the primary school interest fund; but in case the people do not determine the length of the school year, then the district board shall determine the same, and in case the board or the district fix the length of the school year and later in the year it is found desirable to increase the length of said school year, such action may be taken at a properly called special school meeting, or the board may take such action on petition of a maProviso, may jority of the resident qualified voters: Provided, That each school district may at an annual meeting vote to discontinue school in the district for the ensuing year and determine that the children resident therein shall be sent to another school or schools, and when such action has been taken the school board shall have authority to use any funds, except library funds, in the hands of the treasurer to pay the tuition and transportation of all such children, and if necessary vote a tax for such purpose.

discontinue

school.

Tuition and transportation.

Vacancies, how filled.

CHAPTER III.

SEC. 3. In case any one of the district offices becomes vacant, the two remaining officers shall immediately fill such vacancy; or in case two of the offices become vacant, the remaining officer shall immediately call a special meeting of the district to fill such vacancies; in case any vacancy is not filled as herein provided within twenty days after it shall have occurred, or in case all the offices in a district shall become vacant, the township board of the township to which the annual reports of such district are made shall fill such Term of office. vacancies. Any person elected or appointed to fill a vacancy in a district office shall hold such office until the next succeeding annual meeting, at which time the voters of the district shall fill such office for the unexpired portion of the term.

Who eligible to election or appointment.

Proviso,

husband and wife.

Duty of board

to vote money.

Pro

SEC. 4. Any qualified voter in a school district whose name appears upon the assessment roll and who is the owner in his own right of the property so assessed shall be eligible to election or appointment to office in such school district: vided, That where a husband and wife own property jointly, regardless of the name which appears upon the assessment roll, if otherwise qualified, each shall be eligible to election or appointment to school office.

SEC. 9. It shall be the duty of the district board to estimate and vote the amount of money necessary to be raised in addition to other school funds for the entire support of the schools, for the purposes of teachers' wages, water supply, and such other expenses as are incidental and necessary in order that the schools may be properly conducted, for deficiencies in such funds for the preceding year, if any, and for the services of

how

unused

district officers. All primary money and mill tax shall be Teachers' accounted for under the title of "Teachers' wages fund." All wages fund, taxes voted for teachers' wages, incidentals and deficiencies accounted. and services of officers, when collected and received, shall be accounted for under the title of the general fund: Provided, Proviso, That if at the close of the school year there is an unused sur- surplus. plus of one mill tax raised for that year, the board shall have authority to transfer such surplus to the general fund: Pro- Further vided further, That the tax for the services of district officers proviso. herein provided for, in districts having less than fifty children, shall not exceed twenty-five dollars, and in districts having between fifty, and one hundred children the tax shall not exceed fifty dollars. When the taxes herein provided for Taxes, how have been estimated and voted by the district board they shall reported. be reported for assessment and collection the same as other district taxes. When any tax has been estimated and voted Amount may by the district board or by the district under the provisions borrow in of law and the money is needed before it can be collected, the district board may borrow on the strength of such tax a sum not exceeding the total of such tax.

anticipation.

SEC. 25. It shall be the duty of the treasurer of each school Duty of district:

treasurer.

First, To execute to the district and file with the director, To execute within ten days after his election or appointment, a bond in bond. the full amount of money to come into his hands during each year of his term of office, as near as the same can be ascertained, with two or more sureties, each of whom shall be required to justify in writing and under oath to the amount for which he is holden in said bond; or the treasurer may furnish the bond of some surety company authorized to do business in this State. The premium on said surety bond, if pur- Premium, chased, shall be paid by the district; the form of the bond, form of bond, the penalty and sufficiency of the sureties to be subject to the approval of the moderator and director, conditioned for the faithful performance of his duties and the proper application of all moneys that shall come into his hands by virtue

of his office. Said bond shall be filed with the director, and Filing of bond. none of the books or money of the district shall be placed in the hands of the treasurer until his bond has been so approved and filed, and in case of any breach of the conditions thereof the moderator shall cause a suit to be commenced thereon in the name of the district, and any moneys collected thereon shall be paid into the township treasury subject to the order of the district officers, and shall be applied to the same purposes as the moneys lost should have been applied by the treasurer: Provided, That if the treasurer shall deposit the money Proviso, in any bank or trust company authorized to do business in depositing of this State, such deposit shall be made in his name as treas where credited. urer of the district, and any and all interest paid by such bank or company on such deposits shall be accounted for by the treasurer to the district and credited to the general fund;

funds, interest

To pay orders.

Receipts and

Second, To pay all orders of the director, when lawfully drawn and countersigned by the moderator, out of any moneys in his hands belonging to the fund upon which such orders may be drawn;

Third, To keep a book in which all moneys received and disbursements. disbursed shall be entered, the sources from which the same have been received, and the persons to whom and the objects for which the same have been paid;

Yearly report.

To appear for district.

Settlement

with board.

Altering boundaries of

districts.

Proviso, appeal.

Fourth, To present to the district board at the close of the school year a report in writing, containing a statement of all moneys received during the preceding year and of each item of disbursements made, and exhibit the voucher therefor;

Fifth, To appear for and on behalf of the district in all suits brought by or against the same when no other directions shall be given by the qualified voters in district meeting, except in suits in which he is interested adversely to the district, and in all such cases the moderator shall appear for such district if no other directions be given as aforesaid;

Sixth, At the close of his term of office to settle with the district board and deliver to his successor in office all books, vouchers, orders, documents and papers belonging to the office of treasurer, together with all district moneys remaining on hand;

Seventh, To perform such other duties as are or shall be by law required of the treasurer.

CHAPTER X.

SEC. 4. No alterations shall be made in the boundaries of graded school any graded school district without the consent of a majority of the trustees of said district, which consent shall be spread upon the record of the district, and placed on file in the office of the clerk of the township or city to which the reports of said district are made: Provided, however, That any three or more taxpaying electors having children between the ages of five and twelve years, residing one and one-half miles or more from a schoolhouse in such district, feeling themselves aggrieved by any action, order or decision of the board of trustees with reference to the alteration of said school district affecting their interests, may, at any time within sixty days from the time of such action on the part of said board of trustees, appeal from such action, order or decision of such board of school trustees to the judge of probate of the county in which such schoolhouse is situated, in the same manner, as nearly as may be, as appeals from the action of the township board, as provided by chapter nine of this act. Said appellants shall file a bond with said judge of probate, with sufficient sureties to be approved by said judge of probate, in the penal sum of not exceeding two hundred dollars in the discretion of the court, indemnifying said school district of any and all

Bond,

amount of. where filed.