The board of superintendents of common schools, in respect to the common schools in said city, possess all the powers, and are subject to all the duties and obligations of the Superintendents of common schools in the several towns: they are to carry into effect all the ordinances and orders of the common council, in respect to common schools; and the common council may assign to said board any duty required of them, in respect to the common schools in said city. The said board are under the direction of the common council, and they have power, and it is their duty,

"1. To contract for and superintend the building, enlarging, improving, furnishing and repairing of all school-houses under the charge of said common council and the making of all repairs and improvements on and around the same. "2. To provide for the safe keeping of the district school-houses in said city.

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3. To contract with and employ all the teachers in the several districts therein.

"4. To prevent scholars resident in one district from attending a school in another district, and also to prevent scholars from going from one school to another in the same district, without having in both the above cases written permission so to do from the said board.

"5. To select such books as they shall deem most suitable to be used as class books in the schools, and to establish an uniformity in all the schools in regard to the books used therein.

"6. To visit each school as often as once in each quarter, and to report the condition of the same, with such suggestions for the improvement thereof, to the common council as they may deem advisable, which report shall be published by the common council in two of the city papers.

"7. To remove any teacher, on manifest neglect of duty, or upon his violating his contract; upon paying such teacher pro rata for the time he has been employed.

"S. To pay the wages of all the teachers by orders on the common council as commissioners of common schools, so far as the public money in their hands, or the money raised by taxes to be hercafter provided for, and the money paid over by the collector of the rate bills, shall be sufficient for the purpose.

"9. To make out rate bills for the payment of teachers and contingent expenses, against the parent or guardian of each scholar, and expense of collection of the same, (except those exempted, as hereafter to be provided for,) which shall not however exceed two dollars per quarter for each scholar; and no bill shall be made out for less time than one quarter, and to annex thereto a warrant for the collection thereof."

The common council are to appoint a collector or collectors for the purpose of collecting the rate-bills, if any are made out by the board of superintendents; said collectors are to pay over the amount thus collected to the board of superintendents, subject to their order, for payment of teachers' salaries, fuel and such contingent expenses as the common council may ordain. [Chap. 12, Laws of 1843.] Rate-bills are to be made out and levied upon the parents or guardians of children sent to the district schools, in the manner provided by law in respect to school districts, except such as shall procure a certificate of inability to pay the same from the aldermen or assistant aldermen of the ward in which such parent or guardian resides.

The common council are authorized to raise by tax upon the real and personal property of said city in the same manner as the general taxes of the city are levied and collected, such sum annually, not exceeding two hundred dollars, as may be necessary for repairs, and furniture of the school buildings and contingent expenses.

The supervisors of the county of Columbia, at their annual meeting in each year, are required to cause a sum of money equal to four times the amount of money apportioned to the city of Hudson from the common school fund, together with the collector's fees, to be raised, levied and collected in the same manner that other taxes are raised, levied and collected, and when so raised to be paid to the chamberlain for the support of common schools in said city. After the year 1853, the common council have it in their power to reduce, if they deem it expedient, the above sum to twice the amount apportioned to the city of Hudson, from the common school fund, and have recourse to the system of rate-bills as adopted in the several towns in this state, to supply deficiencies.

The board of superintendents, are, by the provisions of chap. 12 of the Laws of 1843, authorized to receive and expend in the mode herein before prescribed, all moneys intended for the support of common schools in said city; and the county treasurer, the several city collectors of taxes, as well as of rate-bills, are required to pay over directly to them all moneys intended for the benefit and support of common schools in said city which may come into their hands.

All the general laws of the state, except as modified by the special provisions herein before included, extend to and include the schools established under this act, and all the officers having charge of or in any way connected with them.

CITY OF NEW-YORK,

[The entire system of public instruction in this city being about to be re-modelled by new enactments which are pending while these sheets are going to press, it is deemed inexpedient to enter upon any specific examination of its details under the existing organization]

POUGHKEEPSIF.

[Chap. 211, Laws of 1843.]

The village of Poughkeepsie forms a permanent school district, not subject to alteration by the Town Superintendent of common schools. A board of education, consisting of twelve persons, divided into four classes, one of which is annually to be elected, have the general supervision, control and management of the schools and school property. One good and substantial school-house is to be provided by the board, containing two rooms, of sufficient capacity to accommodate not less than one hundred and twenty-five pupils, for the erection of which and the purchase of a site, the sum of three thousand dollars is specifically appropriated by law. They are also to rent five other rooms for primary schools, for which the necessary funds are provided, and are authorized, whenever they may deem it necessary to establish other primary schools, including the school of the Lancasterian School Society, with the consent of the trustees thereof: and to fix, determine, and certify the amount of money, which, when added to the money annually apportioned by the state, shall be

adequate to the support of all the schools under their superintendence-not exceeding four times the amount apportioned by the state for the preceding year. The amount so certified is to be reported by the trustees to the citizens of the village at their annual charter election, who, in their discretion, may vote the same, or any portion they may deem proper, to be levied on the taxable property of the village, by the trustees, and when collected, paid over to the treasurer of said village, to be by him disbursed, on the resolution of the board of education, duly certified. Whenever the board deem an additional school-house necessary, they are to specify that fact in their annual report, together with the proposed location of such school-house, the cost of its site, and of the building, and a plan of the latter: and the electors of the village, at the period of the annual election of the members of the board, as herein before specified, are required to vote by ballot for or against the erection of such school-house: the cost of building and furnishing of which, in case of the approval by the electors of its erection, can in no event exceed three thousand dollars; and the expense of its erection is to be defrayed by a loan, payable after the expiration of twelve years, in equal annual instalments of five hundred dollars each, by a general tax on the real and personal pro erty of the village. The board of education are invested with the general powers and duties of Town Superintendents, except as modified by the special provisions herein referred to.

The public money applicable to the village schools, is to be paid over by the Town Superintendent to the treasurer of the village.

CITY OF ROCHESTER.

[Chap. 203, Laws of 1941.] [Chap. 145, Laws of 1844.]

The several district schools organized and established according to law in this city, are under the general control of a Board of Education, consisting of two Commissioners of common schools annually elected in each of the wards of the city, on the first Tuesday of June, in the same manner with other city officers, who are vested with all the rights, powers and authority, conferred by law on Town Superintendents of common schools, in the several towns of the

state. Any vacancy in the Board may be filled by appointment by the common council. The Board are required to meet on the first Monday of each month, and as much oftener as they shall from time to time appoint, and a majority constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business. One of their number is to be appointed President, who, when present, is to preside at all meetings of the Board, and is authorized to call special meetings, whenever he may deem it expedient; and in case of his absence, the board are authorized to choose a president pro tem. They are required annually to appoint a City Superintendent of common schools, removable at pleasure by them, who is ex officio clerk of the Board, whose duty it is to attend their meetings, keep a record of their proceedings, and perform such duties as they may from time to time prescribe, and who possesses all the powers and is required to perform all the duties of County Superintendent, in reference to the schools of said city. His compensation is to be fixed by the board, and paid by the city treasurer from the funds raised for the support of common schools.

On or before the third Tuesday of July in each year, the Board of Education is required to "fix and determine and certify and report to the common council, the amount of money which, when added to the money annually apportioned to the several school districts of the said city, out of the funds belonging to the state, shall be necessary to support all the common schools in said city, and to pay the compensation of the clerk of the said Board of Education;" such amount in no case to exceed five times the amount of the last preceding state apportionment. This amount, so certified and reported by the Board of Education, together with the sum of three hundred dollars for contingent expenses, (unless the common council reduce the amount so certified and reported to an amount not less than four times the amount so apportioned by the state, which they are authorized to do,) is to be annually levied and raised by the common council, on the taxable property of the city; and together with the sum apportioned by the state, to be paid over when collected to the city treasurer, who is required from time to time to disburse the same, upon the resolution of the Board of Education, duly cer