Qualification of voters. Clerk to record voters, &c. trict, or by posting the same in two or more public places in the district for five days inclusive before holding the same: Provided, that the district may, from time to time, prescribe the mode of notifying meetings, and the trustees shall conform thereto. SEC. 6. Every person residing in the district, may vote in district meetings, to the same extent and with the same restrictions as would at the time qualify him to vote in town meeting; but no person shall vote upon any question of taxation of property, or expending money raised thereby, unless he shall have paid, or be liable to pay, a portion of the tax. SEC. 7. The clerk of the district shall record the number and names of the persons voting, and on which side of the question, at the request of any qualified voter. Advanced school established by adjoining districts. SECTION 1. Any two or more adjoining primary school districts in the same or adjoining towns, may, by a concurrent vote, establish a school, for the older and more advanced children of such districts. SEC. 2. Such associating districts shall constitute a school district Such districts a for the purposes of providing a school-house, fuel, furniture, and apparatus, and for the election of a board of trustees, to consist of one member from each district, so associating, and for levying a tax for school purposes, with all the rights and privileges of a school district, so far as such school is concerned. school district. SEC. 3. The time and place for the meeting for organization of such associate district may be fixed by the school committees, and any one or more of the associating districts may delegate to the trustees of such school, the care and management of its primary school. SEC. 4. The school committee of the town or towns in which such school shall be established, shall draw an order in favor of the trustees of such school, to be paid out of the public money appropriated to each district interested in such school, in proportion to the number of scholars from each. tricts. SEC. 5. Any two or more adjoining school districts in the same Powers of contown may, by concurrent vote, with the approbation of the school solidated discommittee, unite and be consolidated into one district, for the purpose of supporting public schools, and such consolidated district shall have all the powers of a single district. SEC. 6. Such consolidated district shall be entitled to receive the Entitled to pubsame proportion of public money as such districts would receive if lic money. not united. SEC. 7. The mode of organizing such consolidated district and call- Organization. ing the first meeting thereof, shall be regulated or prescribed by the school committee, and notice thereof given as prescribed in section five of chapter forty-nine. SEC. 8. Two or more contiguous districts, or parts of districts in adjoining towns, may be formed into a joint school district by the school committees of such towns concurring therein, and all joint districts which have been or shall be formed, may by them be altered or discontinued. Consolidated districts in adjoining towns, how formed. SEC. 9. The meeting for organization of such joint district shall Meeting to orbe called by the school committees of such towns, and notice thereof ganize. shall be given as prescribed in section five of chapter forty-nine. SEC. 10. Such joint district shall have all the powers of a single Powers, &c., school district, and shall be regulated in the same manner, and shall of joint district. be subject to the supervision and management of the school committee of the town in which the school is located. public money. SEC. 11. A whole district making a portion of such joint district, Entitled to shall be entitled to its proportion of public money, in the same manner as if it had remained a single district; and when part of a district is taken to form a portion of such joint district, the school committee of the town of which such district is a part shall assign to it its reasonable proportion. SEC. 12. Whenever any two or more districts shall be consolidated, Corporate propthe new district shall own all the corporate property of the several districts. SEC. 13. Whenever a district is divided, and a portion taken from it, the funds and property, or the income and proceeds thereof, shall be divided among the several parts, in such manner as the school committee of the town, or towns, to which the districts belong, may determine. SEC. 14. Whenever a part of one district is added to another district, or part of a district owning a school-house, or other property, such part shall pay to the district or part of a district to which it is added, if demanded, such sum as the school committee may determine, towards paying for such school-house and other property. erty, how owned. Apportionment of property, if district divid ed. Contribution towards schoolhouse, &c., when. District taxes, how levied. Town assessors, to assess value of property, in what cases. Notice of assessment. When commissioner may order assessment. Errors, how corrected. Abatement of taxes, how and when made. School-houses, &c., taxes, how approved. SECTION 5. Errors in assessment, how cor- 6. Abatement of taxes, how and SECTION 7. School-house and taxes of joint districts, by whom to be approved. 8. Assessment of taxes in joint districts. SECTION 1. District taxes shall be levied on the ratable property of the district, according to its value in the town assessment then last made, unless the district shall direct such taxes to be levied according to the next town assessment; and no notice thereof shall be required to be given by the trustees. SEC. 2. The trustees of any school district, if unable to agree with the parties interested, with regard to the valuation of any property in such district, shall call upon one or more of the town assessors not interested, and not residing in the district, to assess the value of such property so situated, in the following cases, namely: When any real estate in the district is assessed in the town tax bill with real estate out of the district, so that there is no distinct or separate value upon it; when any person possessing personal property shall remove into the district after the last town assessment; when a division and apportionment of a tax shall become necessary by reason of the death of any person, or the sale of such property; when a person has invested personal property in real estate, and shall call upon the trustees to place a value thereon; and when property shall have been omitted in the town valuation. SEC. 3. The assessors shall give notice of such assessment, by posting up notices thereof for ten days next prior to such assessment, in three of the most public places in the district; and after notice is given as aforesaid, no person neglecting to appear before the assessors shall have any remedy for being overtaxed. SEC. 4. If a district tax shall be voted, assessed, and approved of, and a contract legally entered into under it, or such contract be legally entered into without such vote, assessment, or approval, and said district shall thereafter neglect or refuse to proceed to assess and collect a tax sufficient to fulfil such contract, the commissioner of public schools, after notice to and hearing of the parties, may appoint assessors to assess a tax for that purpose, and may issue a warrant to the collector of the district, or to a collector by him appointed, authorizing and requiring him to proceed and collect such tax. SEC. 5. Errors in assessing a tax may be corrected, or the tax reassessed, in such manner as may be directed or approved by the commissioner of public schools. SEC. 6. Whenever any person who has paid a tax for building or repairing a school-house in one district, shall, by alteration of the boundaries thereof, become liable to pay a tax in any other district, if such person cannot agree with the district, such abatement of the tax may be made as the school committee, or, in case of a district composed from different towns, as the commissioner of public schools, may deem just and proper. SEC. 7. Whenever a joint district shall vote to build or repair a school-house by tax, the amount of the tax and the plan and specifications of the building, and repairs, shall be approved by the school committees of the several towns, or, in case of their disagreement, by the commissioner of public schools. SEC. 8. In case of assessing a tax by a joint or associate district, if the town assessments be made upon different principles, or the rel- Assessment in ative value be not the same, the relative value and proportion shall joint districts. be ascertained by one or more persons, to be appointed by the commissioner of public schools, and the assessment shall be made accordingly. Trustees to have care of school-house, employ teach ers, SECTION 1. The trustees of school districts shall have the custody of the school-house and other district property, and shall employ one or more qualified teachers for every fifty scholars in average daily attendance. SEC. 2. The trustees shall provide school-rooms and fuel, and shall provide schoolvisit the schools twice at least during each term, and notify the com- schools, &c., mittee or superintendent of the time of opening and closing the school. rooms, visit SEC. 3. The trustees shall see that the scholars are properly sup- supply books, plied with books, and in case they are not, and the parents, guardians, or masters have been notified thereof by the teacher, shall provide the same at the expense of the district. SEC. 4. The trustees shall make out the tax bill against the person liable to pay the same, and deliver the same to the collector with a warrant by them signed annexed thereto, requiring him to collect and pay over the same to the treasurer of the district. SEC. 5. The trustees shall make returns to the school committee in manner and form prescribed by them or by the commissioner, or as may be required by law, and perform all other lawful acts required of them by the district, or necessary to carry into full effect the powers and duties of districts. SEC. 6. The trustees shall receive no compensation for services out of the money received from either the state or town appropriations, nor in any way, unless raised by tax by the district. SEC. 7. The trustees of any school district may allow scholars from without the district, or without the state, to attend the public schools of such district, upon the payment of such sums for tuition as the trustees may determine, provided that such attendance and tuition shall be approved by the school committee. SEC. 8. Whenever a town shall not be divided into school districts, make tax bills, issue warrants, make returns to school committee, receive no comcept, &c., pensation ex admit scholars from without district, when. School commit- or whenever public schools shall be provided without reference to such division, the school committee may exercise the powers provided in the preceding section hereof, to be exercised by trustees. tee similarly empowered, when. Tuition money. Such attendance, where reckoned. SEC. 9. All moneys received for tuition as hereinbefore provided, shall be paid into the district or town treasury, as the case may be, and shall be used for school purposes only. SEC. 10. No attendance upon the public schools authorized by the three preceding sections, shall be reckoned in determining the average attendance, for the purpose of regulating the distribution of school money, but such average attendance shall be returned to the district or town where such scholars reside, and be there reckoned with the average attendance of the school of the proper town or district. Officers. Meetings, when held; quorum. Committee CHAPTER 53. OF THE POWERS AND DUTIES OF SCHOOL COMMITTEES. SECTION 1. Chairman and clerk, how chosen 2. Stated meetings, when held, and 3. Committee may alter and discon- 4. To locate all school-houses. 6. Appeals, how taken. 7. Committee to examine teachers, 8. To visit schools, when and how 9. To make rules and regulations for 10. May suspend pupils. 11. Committee to manage schools, if SECTION 12. Apportionment of the town's share of sixty-three thousand dollars. 13. Of twenty-seven thousand dollars. 14. Of registry tax and other funds. 15. Notice of apportionments to be given to trustees. 16. Orders on town treasurer, in what 17. Orders, to whom payable. 20. Reports to town, when to be made. 22. Change in school-books, how made. SECTION 1. The school committee of each town shall choose a chairman and clerk, either of whom may sign any orders or official papers, and may be removed at the pleasure of said committee. SEC. 2. The school committee shall hold at least four stated meetings, viz: on the second Monday of January, April, July, and October, in every year, and as much oftener as the state of the schools shall require. A majority of the number elected shall constitute a quorum, unless the committee consist of more than six, when four shall be a quorum, but any number may adjourn. SEC. 3. The school committee may alter and discontinue school may alter, &c., districts, and shall settle their boundaries when undefined or disputed; districts, but no new district shall be formed with less than forty children, be |