Record of vote.

When question submitted.

Duty of clerk, etc.

Election, when called.

Proviso.

Notice.

Form of ballot.

that purpose. A record of the vote of such annual or special
meeting shall be spread upon the records of said district and
a copy of such records shall be placed on file in the office of the
clerk of the township to which the reports of said district
are made. The question of changing any organized township
into a single school district to be governed by the provisions
of this act, shall not be submitted to the qualified school
electors of said township until a petition therefor, signed by
one-fourth of the qualified school electors of such township,
requesting the submission of such proposition, shall be filed
in the office of the township clerk. Upon the receipt and filing
of such petition, it shall be the duty of the township clerk
to call a meeting of the township board and it shall be the
duty of the township board of such township to attend such.
meeting, which shall be held not more than five days after
the filing of such petition. It shall be the duty of the said
township board at such meeting to consider the said petition
with the names appearing thereon, and if it be found and
determined that one-fourth of the qualified school electors of
said township have signed the said petition requesting that
the said township of which they are residents be organized
as a single school district under the provisions of this act,
it shall be the duty of the township board to call an election
at which the question of the organization of the said town-
ship into a single school district shall be submitted to the
qualified school electors of such township. Such election shall
be called by the township board within thirty days after the
meeting of the township board at which it is determined
that the petition herein provided for is sufficient: Provided,
however, That if any such petition is determined to be suffi
cient not more than four months and not less than twenty
days prior to the annual township election, such question shall
be submitted at the annual township election. Notice of such
election, whether it be of a special or of the annual election,
shall be given by the township board by posting notices there-
of at least twenty days prior to date of said election in at
least five public places in the township and at least one no-
tice in each organized school district in the township, which
notice shall state that at such election, giving the date, the
question of the organization of the township into a single
school district shall be submitted to the qualified school elect-
ors of the township. The ballots upon which such question
shall be submitted shall be in the following form: Shall
.. (name of township) town-
ship be organized into a single school district? () Yes.
Shall ...
.... (name of

township) township be organized into a single school dis-
trict? ( ) No. Each ballot which has a cross marked in
the square to the left of the word "Yes" on any such ballot
shall be counted in favor of the organization of such town-
ship into a single school district, and each ballot which has
a cross marked in the square to the left of the word "No"

when elected.

fractional

shall be counted against the organization of such township into a single school district. Any such election shall be con- How conducted by the township board of election inspectors in the ducted. same manner in all respects and the ballots shall be taken, counted, and canvassed in the same manner that is now provided for the counting of ballots under the general election law. Whenever a majority of the qualified school electors Trustees, voting in any township votes in favor of the organization of any township into a single school district, it shall be the duty of the township board to call a township election within fifteen days, at which election the trustees for the township school district shall be elected by the qualified school electors of such township. Ten days' notice of such election shall be Notice. given by the township board by posting notices thereof in at least five public places in the township and at least one notice in each organized school district that on the day named in the notice trustees for the township school district will be elected, and it shall be the duty of the township board of election inspectors of such township to conduct such first election and perform such duties in connection therewith as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this act: Provided, That if in such township, or as a part of such town- Proviso, ship, there are fractional school districts already organized, districts. the school house of which is within the boundaries of the township, such fractional districts shall be considered a part of the township for school purposes, and qualified school electors residing anywhere in such fractional school districts shall be qualified to sign the petition for or vote upon the question of the organization of the township district: Provided fur- Further ther, That qualified school electors residing in fractional dis. proviso. tricts of the township, the schoolhouse of which is without the township, shall not be qualified to sign the petition for or vote upon the question of the organization of the township school district. The township board shall make and file, both with the county clerk and with the county commissioner of schools of the county in which such township is located, a certified copy of the above mentioned petition together with its findings and decision thereon, and when the trustees or district officers shall have been duly elected and shall have filed a written acceptance of office with the township clerk of such township and shall have complied with the general provisions of this act pertaining to the election and acceptance of school officers, the said board of education shall immediately become the custodian of all the property pertaining to the public schools of the township and shall have all the powers and privileges conferred upon school officers by the general laws of this state, and said general laws shall apply and be in force in such district in all particulars not otherwise provided for in this act: Provided, That immediately upon the organiza- Proviso. tion of the board of education herein provided for said board shall call a meeting of the officers of the school districts of the township as heretofore existing, if any, and at such meet

Board of ed

etc.

Trustees, election of.

Proviso, petition.

ing there shall be an accounting of the property, records, and funds of such districts and a settlement of the same, and the officers of the several school districts of the township as heretofore existing shall immediately thereafter turn over to the said board of education all the books, records, money, property, and other matter or material in their possession and belonging to the public schools of their respective districts to the township board of education and said board shall give to such officers proper receipts, and the secretary of said board of education shall place a full statement of such several settlements in the records of the board of education for said township.

SEC. 3. The officers of said township district shall consist ucation, term, of five trustees elected at large who shall constitute the board of education of said district and a regular term of office shall be three years. Any person in the district qualified under the general school laws to hold a school office shall be eligible to election or appointment to office in such district. At the first election held under authority of this act, the qualified electors of the township shall proceed to elect by ballot one trustee for the term of one year, two for the term of two years and two for the term of three years, and annually thereafter a successor or successors to the trustee or trustees whose term or terms of office shall expire. The term of office intended for each person shall be designated on the ballot and which said ballot shall have printed thereon the names of all candidates and the offices to be voted therefor, together with instructions as to the method of voting: Provided, That to obtain the printing of the name of any candidate for any of said offices, said candidate shall file a nomination petition with the clerk of the school board not less than thirty days before election, which petition shall be signed by not less than twenty-five nor more than one hundred qualified electors of the school district and each petition shall recite the residence and occupation of the electors signing the same, together with the date of signature. At the first election held in said township district, the township board shall act as a board of election inspectors and shall receive and canvass the votes, prepare ballots and conduct the election in the same manner as provided for in townClerk to keep ship elections held under the general law. The township clerk shall keep a record of all proceedings of said first meeting of the district and file a copy of the same in his office and turn over a copy of said proceedings to the secretary of the board of education when said board is organized. In election of trustees, the person or persons receiving the highest number of votes cast shall be declared elected and he or they shall hold office until his or their successor or successors shall have been duly elected and shall have qualified as provided in this act. In all school elections every citizen of the United States of the age of twenty-one years, male or female, who has the qualifications prescribed under the provisions of the general school law shall be a qualified voter.

Election

inspectors.

record.

challenged

SEC. 5. If any person offering to vote at a township school Oath of district meeting shall be challenged as unqualified by any elector. legal voter in such district or by the presiding officer, the chairman presiding at such meeting shall declare to the person challenged the qualifications of a voter; and if such person shall state that he is qualified and the challenge is not withdrawn, the chairman shall tender to him an oath, in substance as follows: "You do swear (or affirm) that you are a citizen of the United States, that you are an actual resident of this school district, or residing upon territory now attached to this school district, and that you possess the qualifications required for voting under the general school laws of this state," and every person taking this oath shall be permitted to vote upon all questions proposed at such meetings. If any person so challenged shall refuse to take such oath his vote shall be rejected; and any person who shall wilfully take a false oath or make a false affirmation under the provisions of this section, shall be deemed guilty of perjury. When any question is taken any other way than by ballot, a challenge immediately after the vote has been taken shall be deemed to be made when offering the vote, and treated in the same man

ner.

persons

SEC. 6. Within five days after the first election under this Notice to act the township clerk shall notify in writing the persons elected. elected as trustees of their election, and within five days thereafter said trustees so elected shall file with the township clerk a written acceptance of the office, accompanied by an affidavit properly acknowledged that such person is a qualified voter on all school questions, and such acceptances and affidavits shall be filed by the township clerk in his office. All persons elected as trustees of the township school district after said first election shall file such written acceptances and affidavits with the secretary of the board of education and they shall be made a part of the records of the district.

commissioner,

SEC. 7. The members of the board of education shall meet Meetings. on the second Monday following the first election under this act, and at such meeting the trustee whose term of office first expires shall be temporary chairman, and at this meeting the trustees shall elect from their number a president, a secretary and a treasurer, who shall severally serve in such capacity during his term of office and until his successor shall have been duly elected and qualified. Immediately upon the Notice to organization of the board the secretary shall notify the county etc. school commissioner and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, giving the name and postoffice address of each officer. A majority of the members of the board shall consti- Quorum. tute a quorum, and the board shall hold a regular meeting on the fourth Monday of each month and one on the Saturday preceding the second Monday in July, and no notice of such meetings shall be required, if the hour and place of such meetings shall have been fixed by a resolution of the board and placed upon the record book of the secretary of said

Compensation.

Proviso.

Vacancy, what deemed.

Powers, etc., of board.

Vacancies, may fill

Sites.

Proviso.

board. The trustees shall be allowed compensation for not to exceed four special meetings which may be called by the president and secretary, and the secretary shall give at least twenty-four hours' written notice to each member of the board: Provided, That the provisions hereof with reference to number of regular meetings of board and compensation of trustees shall not apply to school districts having a school population of less than three hundred. In such districts there shall be two regular meetings, one on the fourth Monday of February and one on the Saturday preceding the second Monday of July. All business which the board of education is authorized to perform shall be done at a meeting of said board, and no act shall be valid unless voted at a meeting of the board by an affirmative vote of a majority thereof and a proper record made of such vote. The minutes of all school meetings and board meetings must be signed by the secretary. SEC. 8. A school district office shall become vacant immediately upon any of the following events:

First, The death of the incumbent;

Second, His resignation;

Third, His removal from office;

Fourth, His removal from the district;

Fifth, His conviction of any infamous crime;

Sixth, His election or appointment being declared void by a competent tribunal;

Seventh, His neglect to file his acceptance of office or to give or renew any official bond according to law;

Eighth, Upon the expiration of twenty days after failure of the district to elect a successor at the annual meeting. SEC. 9. The board of education shall have the following powers and duties:

(a) To fill any vacancies that may occur in the office of trustee until the next annual meeting, and the person or persons so appointed shall file his acceptance and affidavit as hereinbefore provided;

(b) To purchase or lease in the name of the district such site or sites for schoolhouses as it may deem necessary, out of the fund provided for that purpose, and make sale of any site or other property of the district when lawfully directed to do so by the qualified voters: Provided, That the board shall not build a stone or brick schoolhouse upon any site without having first obtained a title in fee to the same or a lease for at least ninety-nine years, nor shall a frame schoolhouse be erected on any site for which the board has not secured a title in fee or a lease for at least fifty years, and in all cases where school sites are leased the board shall reserve the priv ilege of removing the school property from the site on the expiration of the lease;

(c) To estimate the amount of money necessary to be raised for buildings and sites and report same to the voters at the annual or a special meeting;