Form of the Annual Report of the Commissioners of Common

Schools.

To the Superintendent of Common Schools of the state of New-York. We, the commissioners of common schools of the town of in the county of

in conformity to the statute in relation to common schools, do Report: That the number of entire school districts in our town, organized according to law, is [eight] and that the number of parts of school districts in said town, is [five] that the number of entire districts from which the necessary reports have been made for the present year, within the time limited by law, is [eight] and that the number of parts of districts from which such reports have been made, is [five]. That from the said reports, the following is a just and true abstract, viz. :

And we, the said commissioners, do further certify and report, that the whole amount of money received by us, or our predecessors in office, for the use of common schools, during the year ending on the date of this report, and since the date of the last report, for our town, is $ of which sum the part received from the county treasurer is $ the part from the town collector is $ [and if there be any other source from which any part has been received, here state it particularly.] That the said sum of money has been expended in paying teachers duly appointed and approved, in all respects according to law. That the school books most in use in the common schools in our town, are the following, viz.: [here specify the principal books used.]*

*It is desirable to aseertain the whole number of children instructed in the state; and for this purpose, commissioners are requested to state the number of scholars taught in private schools in their town, from the best information they have.

In making the abstract of the reports from parts of districts, the commissioners should only include those taught, and those between five and sixteen, in that part of the distric lying in their own town.

[The above report must be made and transmitted to the county clerk, between the first day of July and the first day of October in each year. The columns of figures should be added up by the commissioners. The county clerk, between the first of October and the first of December, should transmit to the superintendent of common schools, a report containing a list of the towns in his county, distinguishing the towns from which the necessary reports have been made to him, together with a certified copy of all such re ports.]

Form of Proceedings of Commissioners in relation to Forming and Altering School Districts.

[In altering districts, the commissioners must be notified, and hold a meeting.] "The commissioners of common schools of the town of having met at the house of in said town, in pursuance of previous notice to each of the commissioners, do hereby adopt the following resolution in relation to the division of said town into school districts, viz.:

"Resolved unanimously, [or by a major part of the commissioners, as the case may be] that district No. 1 shall consist of lots No. 1, 2, 3, and 4; district No. 2, of lots No. 5, 6, &c. [here the boundaries of the districts should be fully set forth; and where the district is described by giving the names of inhabitants, the addition should be made, of the land occupied by the several persons named. This will prevent cavil in case the occupancy is changed. Where an individual is transferred from one district to another, the resolution ought to express whether it was done with or without his consent; as this fact is material in case he claims an exemption from tax under § 81. In altering a district, the consent of the trustees should be annexed to the resolution of the commissioners, as follows:]

"We consent to the above alteration of district No.

A. B.

dated

C. D. Trustees."
E. F.

[If the trustees, or a major part of them, will not consent, then the commissioners should give notice, in writing, to one or more of them, setting forth the alteration made, viz. :]

"To the trustees of school district No.

"Please to take notice, that we have this day altered your school district in the following manner, [here give a particular description of the alteration] and that said alteration will take effect after three months from the service of this notice.

day of

18

A. B. Commissioners of
C. D. Common Schools."

[This notice, or the consent of the trustees, should form a part of the description which is given to the town clerk for recording: And if it is the notice, a commissioner should annex his certificate, that a copy of the notice was duly served on one of the trustees, giving the date of such service.]

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[Whenever a new district shall be formed, one or more of the commissioners must prepare a notice in the following form; directed to one of the taxable inhabitants of the district; viz :]

"To

Sir,

a taxable inhabitant of district No.

By virtue of the 56th and 57th sections of the statute relating to common schools, you are hereby required to notify, (by reading this notice in his hearing, or in case of his absence from home, by leaving a copy thereof, or so much as relates to the time and place of meeting, at the place of his abode,) each of the taxable inhabitants residing in district No. and described as follows; viz. [here give the bounds and description of the district] to meet at in the town of on the day of noon, to elect district officers, and to transact such other business as may be necessary in the organization of said

district.

at

o'clock in the

Dated at

this

day of

18

A. B. Commissioner.

Alterations in the Revised Statute relating to Common Schools.

An exposition of the Revised Statute relating to common schools, would be superfluous, and will not be attempted. The statute itself is plain and perspicuous, and a clear understanding of its provisions might be hazarded, by a multiplication of words.

The alterations in the system are not numerous, and will be pointed out : 1. By Sec. 4, it is provided that the apportionment of school monies shall be according to the number of children in each town, as appearing from the returns of the last preceding year. The returns, therefore, of children over five and under sixteen, must be full and accurate, to entitle a town to its just proportion of the school monies.

2. The 20th section (sub. 6 & 7) requires the commissioners to apportion the money among the several disticts, on the first Tuesday of April; or before, if reports from all the districts are received. Trustees should send in their reports before the first Tuesday in April.

S. The 26th section is new, and provides for an equitable apportionment of the school monies, in cases where districts are divided after the annual reports have been made. In such cases, the commissioners may require the trustees of the new district to make a report to them, giving the number of children, and setting forth the special facts in the case.

4. The 32d section makes the commissioners liable, where the share of school monies apportioned to the town is lost by their neglect. And the 33d section provides for collecting the amount of the commissioners, and distributing it as the school monies of the town would have been applied.

5. The 66th section declares, that after a school-house has been built, it shall not be removed or the site changed, so long as the district remains unaltered.

6. The 67th, 68th and 69th sections are new, and provide that when a district having a school-house and other property is divided, an estimate of such property shall be made by the commissioners, and a just proportion of the value be collected from the district retaining the school-house, and paid to the new district.

7. The 75th sec. sub. 9, is new, and requires the trustees, when authorized by a vote of the district, to divide the public monies into not exceeding four parts, and to apply one of such portions to each quarter during which a school shall be kept. The money must be applied to the wages of teachers duly qualified; and the district meeting and the trustees should keep this in view. Sub. 10 authorizes the trustees, without a vote of the district, to exempt from the payment of teachers' wages, such indigent persons as they may think proper. And sub. 13, authorises the trustees to issue a warrant for the collection of teachers' wages, without a vote of the district.

8. The 78th section is new, and provides for the taxation of land which is not occupied, if it is cultivated and improved; and where the owner is a non-resident of the district.

9. The 81st section is the same in principle as a provision in the old law, but varied in form: It requires trustees to exempt from a tax to erect a school house, such persons as have paid a tax for the like purpose within four years, instead of first collecting the tax from the individual, and then assessing the amount upon the district to refund it.

10. The 82d section is new, and requires trustees to make out the taxlist within one month after the meeting in which the tax was voted

11. The 91st section requires the annual report of the trustees to be dated on the first of January. The 92d section, sub. 4, makes an alteration in the numbering of the children; requiring those to be included who, on the last day of December preceding, were over five and under sixteen years of age.

12. The 93d section declares the certificate of a teacher invalid, unless it is dated within one year of the time in which he is employed. Teachers, therefore, must be annually inspected.

13. The 110th section is new, and authorises an appeal to the commissioners of common schools, from the proceedings of district meetings and trusPersons aggrieved by the acts of the commissioners, may appeal as before to the superintendent of common schools.

tees.

The Duties of Inspectors of Common Schools.

The 52d section makes it the duty of inspectors to visit all the schools in their town, at least once a year, and oftener, if they shall deem it necessary. It is recommended to the inspectors, to visit each school at least once a quarter. The advantages which would flow from an attentive and rigid discharge of the duties assigned to inspectors, are incalculable. The character and usefulness of the common schools, are in a great degree dependent upon the faithfulness of the inspectors. Their vigilance and firmness will secure to the districts the employment of competent teachers. It is only necessary to take a stand, to begin the work of reformation, by placing qualified teachers in the district schools; and this effort to exalt the standard of education, would at once recommend itself to the good sense of every intelligent member of a district.

Trustees of districts, not unfrequently, are led into fatal mistakes in their notions about employing cheap teachers: a just regard to economy would admonish them to ascertain the amount of a teacher's qualifications, rather than the sum total which he exacted per month. All the patrons of a district school ought to interest themselves in having a teacher employed who possesses the necessary qualifications. When it is considered that the

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struction for three months of a good teacher, is of more value to a child, than, being in charge of an incompetent person for a year-Trustees may be enabled to appreciate the economy, in time and money, of employing competent teachers. The difference is incalculable, and not to be estimated by dollars and cents. Trustees and parents, instead of searching after cheap teachers, should make the enquiry" is he capable?" And if so, the improvement of his scholars will demonstrate, that a liberal compensation is an economical application of the school money; and that in truth, the cheapest teachers are those who are the best qualified to instruct.

A liberal fund has been set apart, to aid in the dissemination of instruction. Its destination to the great object for which it was created, is secured by the constitution; and it is incumbent upon the officers of common schools, who have the application of the money, to carry into effect the benevolent and patriotic intentions of the founders and guardians of this fund. If they are remiss in the discharge of their duties, it is in vain that the state distributes annually the interest of a million and a half of dollars.

It is incumbent upon commissioners and trustees, to promote harmony and good feeling in the districts under their charge and all concerned ought to feel the importance of a concert of action in aid of the vital interests of all. Bickerings and ill will are the bane of school districts; and the inhabitants of a district ought to make some sacrifices of feeling and of interest, for the preservation of peace, so essential to the general good. The fate of a distracted district, can be foretold with as much certainty as that of "a house divided against itself."

The following extracts from the last annual report of the superintendent of common schools, are recommended to the consideration of the inhabitants of the several school districts in the state:

"The character and usefulness of the common schools, are dependent almost entirely upon the qualifications of teachers. There are now more than 8000 districts in the state, and if the present course of education does not supply the required number of qualified teachers, it rests with the legislature to make such provision for the special education of instructors, as is demanded by the great importance of the subject. Very few of the graduates of the colleges in this state become teachers; they are sent there to fit them for other pursuits, more inviting to their ambition, and promising a better reward to their pecuniary hopes. The academies have a very favourable tendency in improving the character of school teachers, within the sphere of their influence. There are also in every principal village in the state, private schools, under the charge of able instructors. Many of these are of the first order, and they have an important effect in giving a Ligher character to education, and in qualifying persons to become good instructors of common schools. With all these advantages, however, it must be admitted that there is a great deficiency in the number of qualified teachers. And it is highly important that the cause of this defect should be re moved, and the character of the schools improved and placed on higher ground.

"One of the principal reasons why the standard of education in the common schools has not been more elevated, is to be found in the unwillingness on the part of the school districts, to make adequate compensation to teachers of approved talents and qualifications. How else does it happen, that at a time when the merchant is overstocked with clerks, and the profes[Common Schools.]