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TITLE 7

Special dis

trict meetings

§6 A special district meeting shall be held whenever called by the trustees. The notice thereof shall state the purposes for which it is called, and no business shall be transacted at such special meeting, except that which is specified in the notice; and the district clerk, or, if the office be vacant, or he be sick, or absent, or shall refuse to act, a trustee or some taxable inhabitant, by order of the trustees, shall serve the notice upon each inhabitant of the district qualified to vote at district meetings, at least five days before the day of the meeting, in the manner prescribed in the second section of this title. But the inhabitants of any district may, at of giving notice any annual meeting, adopt a resolution prescribing some other mode of giving notice of special meetings, which resolution and the mode prescribed thereby shall continue in force until rescinded or modified at some subsequent annual meeting.

Annual meet ing may prescribe mode

Proceedings,

when illegal

Annual school district meeting

Proceedings, when annual meeting not held

$7 The proceedings of no district meeting, annual or special, shall be held illegal for want of a due notice to all the persons qualified to vote thereat, unless it shall appear that the omission to give such notice was wilful and fraudulent.

§8 The annual meeting of each school district shall be held on the first Tuesday of August in each year, and, unless the hour and place thereof shall have been fixed by a vote of a previous district meeting, the same shall be held in the schoolhouse at 7.30 o'clock in the evening. If a district possesses more than one schoolhouse, it shall be held in the one usually employed for that purpose, unless the trustees designate another. If the district possesses no schoolhouse, or if the schoolhouse shall be no longer accessible, then the annual meeting shall be held at such place as the trustees, or, if there be no trustee, the clerk, shall designate in the notice.

89 Whenever the time for holding the annual meeting in school districts shall pass without such meeting being held in any district, a special meeting shall thereafter be called by the trustees or by the clerk of such district for the purpose of transacting the business of the annual meeting; and if no such meeting be called by the trustees or the clerk within 20 days after such time shall have passed, the school commissioner of the commissioner district in which said school district is situated, or the Superintendent of Public Instruction may order any inhabitant of such district to give notice of such meeting in the manner provided in the second section of this title, and the officers of the district shall make to such meeting the reports required to be made at the annual meeting, subject to the same penalty in the case of neglect; and the officers. elected at such meeting shall hold their respective offices only until

TITLE 7

the next annual meeting and until their successors are elected and shall have qualified as in this act provided.

habitants

§10 Whenever any district meeting shall be duly called, it shall Duty of inbe the duty of the inhabitants qualified to vote thereat, to assemble upon call of at the time and place fixed for the meeting.

meeting

qualifications

§11 Every person of full age residing in any school district and Voters, their who has resided therein for a period of 30 days next preceding any annual or special election held therein, and a citizen of the United States, who owns or hires, or is in the possession under a contract of purchase, of real property in such school district liable to taxation for school purposes; and every such resident of such district, who is a citizen of the United States, of 21 years of age, and is the parent of a child or children of school age, some one or more of whom shall have attended the district school in said district for a period of at least eight weeks within one year preceding such school meeting; and every such person not being the parent, who shall have permanently residing with him or her a child or children of school age, some one or more of whom shall have attended the district school in said district for a period of at least eight weeks within one year preceding such school meeting; and every such resident and citizen as aforesaid, who owns any personal property, assessed on the last preceding assessment roll of the town, exceeding $50 in value, exclusive of such as is exempt from execution, and no other shall be entitled to vote at any school meeting held in such district, for all school district officers and upon all matters which may be brought before said meeting. No person shall be deemed Persons not to be ineligible to vote at any such school district meeting, by reason of sex reason of sex, who has one or more of the other qualifications required by this section.

ineligible by

thereupon

§12 If any person offering to vote at any school district meeting Challenges shall be challenged as unqualified, by any legal voter in such district, the chairman presiding at such meeting shall require the person so offering, to make the following declaration: "I do declare Declarations and affirm that I am, and have been, for the 30 days last past, an actual resident of this school district and that I am qualified to vote at this meeting." And every person making such declaration shall be permitted to vote on all questions proposed at such meeting; but if any person shall refuse to make such declaration, his or her vote shall be rejected.

etc.

§13 Any person who shall wilfully make a false declaration of Illegal voting, his or her right to vote at any such school meeting, after his or her right to vote thereat has been challenged, shall be deemed guilty of

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TITLE 7

Powers of

district meeting

Election of

district officers

Ballot box Inspectors of election

Poll list

Ballots

Declaration of result

Treasurer,

election of, how determined

Eligibility to office

Term of office

a misdemeanor. And any person not qualified to vote at any such meeting, who shall vote thereat, shall thereby forfeit $5, to be sued for by the supervisor for the benefit of the common schools of the town.

$14 The inhabitants entitled to vote, when duly assembled in any district meeting, shall have power, by a majority of the votes of those present:

I To appoint a chairman for the time being.

2 If the district clerk be absent to appoint a clerk for the time. 3 To adjourn from time to time as occasion may require.

4 To elect one or three trustees as hereinafter provided, a district clerk and a district collector, and in any district which shall so determine, as hereinafter provided, to elect a treasurer, at their first meeting, and so often as such offices or any of them become vacated, except as hereinafter provided. All district officers shall be elected by ballot. At elections of district officers, the trustees shall provide a suitable ballot box. Two inspectors of election shall be appointed in such manner as the meeting shall determine, who shall receive the votes cast, and canvass the same, and announce the result of the ballot to the chairman. A poll list containing the name of every person whose vote shall be received shall be kept by the district clerk, or the clerk for the time of the meeting. The ballots shall be written or printed, or partly written and partly printed, containing the name of the person voted for and designating the office for which each is voted for. The chairman shall declare to the meeting the result of each ballot, as announced to him by the inspectors, and the persons having the majority of votes, respectively, for the several offices, shall be elected.

5 At the first meeting, or at any subsequent annual meeting, or at any special meeting duly called for that purpose, the qualified voters of any school district are authorized to adopt by a vote of a majority of such voters present and voting, to be ascertained by taking and recording the ayes and noes, a resolution to elect a treasurer of said district, who shall be the custodian of all moneys belonging to said district, and the disbursing officer of such moneys. If such resolution shall be adopted, such voters shall thereupon elect by a ballot a treasurer for said district. No person shall be eligible to the office of treasurer unless he is a qualified voter in, and a taxable inhabitant of said district. Any person elected treasurer at any meeting other than an annual meeting, shall hold office until the next annual meeting after such election, and until his successor shall be elected or appointed, and thereafter a treasurer shall be elected at each annual meeting for the term of one year.

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and treasurer's

6 To fix the amount in which the collector and treasurer shall Collector's give bonds for the due and faithful performance of the duties of bonds their offices.

of site

ing therefor

7 To designate a site for a schoolhouse, or, with the consent Designation of the commissioner or commissioners within whose district or districts the schoolhouse lies, to designate sites for two or more schoolhouses for the district. Such designation of a site or sites Special meetfor a schoolhouse can be made only at a special meeting of the district, duly called for such purpose by a written resolution in which the proposed site shall be described by metes and bounds, and which resolution must receive the assent of a majority of the qualified voters present and voting, to be ascertained by taking and recording the ayes and noes.

and school

8 To vote a tax upon the taxable property of the district to Tax for sites purchase, lease and improve such site or sites or an addition to houses such site or sites; to hire or purchase rooms or buildings for schoolrooms or schoolhouses, or to build schoolhouses; and to keep in repair and furnish the same with necessary fuel, furniture and appendages.

pur

Tax for apparatus and

9 To vote a tax, not exceeding $25 in any one year, for the chase of maps, globes, blackboards and other school apparatus, textbooks and for the purchase of textbooks and other school necessaries for the use of poor scholars of the district.

library

10 To vote a tax for the establishment of a school library and Tax for school the maintenance thereof, or for the support of any school library already owned by said district, and for the purchase of books therefor, and such sum as they may deem necessary for the purchase of a bookcase.

deficiencies

II To vote a tax to supply a deficiency in any former tax arising Tax for from such tax being, in whole or in part, uncollectible.

property

12 To authorize the trustees to cause the schoolhouse or school- Insurance of houses, and their furniture, appendages and school apparatus to be insured by any insurance company created by or under the laws of this state.

proceedings

13 To alter, repeal and modify their proceedings, from time to Alteration of time, as occasion may require.

record book

14 To vote a tax for the purchase of a book for the purpose of Tax for recording their proceedings.

Tax to replace moneys

suits

15 To vote a tax to replace moneys of the district, lost or embezzled by district officers; and to pay the reasonable expenses in- Expenses of curred by district officers in defending suits or appeals brought against them for their official acts, or in prosecuting suits or appeals by direction of the district against other parties.

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Tax for teachers' wages

Trustees may raise moneys

Tax for judgments

for teachers' wages

levy tax without vote

16 To vote a tax to pay whatever deficiency there may be in teachers' wages after the public money apportioned to the district shall have been applied thereto; but if the inhabitants shall neglect or refuse to vote a tax for this purpose, or if they shall vote a tax which shall prove insufficient to cover such deficiency, then the trustees are authorized, and it is hereby made their duty, to raise, by district tax, any reasonable sum that may be necessary to pay the balance of teachers' wages remaining unpaid, the same as if such tax had been authorized by a vote of the inhabitants.

17 To vote a tax to pay and satisfy of record any judgment or judgments of a competent court which may have been or shall hereafter be obtained in an action against the trustees of the district for unpaid teachers' wages against the trustees of the district, where the time to appeal from said judgment or judgments shall have lapsed, or there shall be no intent to appeal on the part of such district, or the said judgment or judgments is or are or shall Trustees may be of the court of last resort; but if the inhabitants shall neglect or refuse to vote a tax for this purpose, or, if they vote a tax which shall prove insufficient to fully satisfy said judgment or judgments, then the trustees are authorized and it is hereby made their duty to raise by district tax the amount of said judgment or judgments, or the deficiency which may exist in any tax voted by said inhabitants to pay said judgment or judgments, the same as if such tax had been authorized by a vote of the inhabitants, and the trustees are hereby authorized, and it is hereby made their duty forthwith, after the expiration of 30 days from notice of any judgment or judgments having been entered against the district or the trustees thereof for unpaid teachers' wages, to call a meeting of the inhabitants of said district, who shall have power, as aforesaid, to vote a tax to pay said judgment or judgments; and in case they refuse or neglect to do so, the trustees are authorized, and it is hereby made. their duty, unless said judgment or judgments are appealed from, to raise by district tax the amount of said judgment or judgments as herein before provided.

Trustees may call meeting

Vote on expenditures of money or levy of tax

Conveyance of pupils to

18 In all propositions arising at said district meetings, involving the expenditure of money, or authorizing the levy of a tax or taxes, the vote thereon shall be by ballot, or ascertained by taking and recording the ayes and noes of such qualified voters attending and. voting at such district meetings.

119 Whenever any district shall have contracted with the school other districts authorities of any city, village or other school district for the edu1Added by section 5, chapter 264, laws of 1896; and amended by chapter 175, laws of 1903.

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