Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1849-01-31
CIRCULAR.
OF THE
Of Pub. Instruction.

OrFIcE OF Sur. OF Pun. IssrRucr1oN, }
Iowa City, Iowa, Jan. oath, l849.
To the Common School Officers Of Iora:
Your attention is respectfully invited te
the several acts passed at the late session
OF the General Assembly for the establish.
ment OF common schools and the manage.
ment Of the school fund.
The first law passed is san act supple
mental to the act oi February 18th. io47,
entitled an act supplemental and amenda-
tory to an act to establish common schools,
approved January 10Th, lS4O," approved
January 18th, l849. BY this act, in con
nection with the one to which it is supple
mental, you are to be governed in the APP
portionment and distribution Of school mo-
neys till the first day Of April next, at
which time they will cease to be in force.
The first section designates the school dis
tricts entitled to school money in March
next. You will bear in mind that the
special reports have the same effect as those
made on the first Of September last. The
second section provides for the apportion-
ment Of school moneys BY the Fund Com
missioners, including the school tax Of
lS47-48. The school funds of 1876 should
have been distributed under sAn act con-
corning the distribution oischool moneys"
approved January 18th, lS47, and as a
general thing | believe they were; but
some OF the Inspectors neglected il until
the law was repealed. and consequently
have retained the money apportioned to
their respective townships III their hands
to the present time. The third section oil
the present act provides that it shall be
apportioned and paid over by said inspec-
tors to districts organized prior to, and
un Ter the aforesaid act OF January 10Th,
lS47. In case there are no such districts
in their townships. they will dispose of it
as provided in the fourth section of the
aforesaid act Of January 18th. l949. The
sixth section refers to money paid out un-
der the old law before it was in force.
The seventh section provides for the pay
ment Of persons employed in allotting and
appraising school lands. These expenses
are to be paid out of the permanent school
fund, and in case the Fund Commissioners
have not a sufficient amount of said fund
in their hands to pay them Immediately,
they will receive the accounts, duly au-
thenticated, and place them on file, to be
paid when funds sufficient shall accrue for
the purpose. In the event the school tax
has been loaned, it will be refunded as
provided in the ninth section. 1.-THE funds
on hand will not admit OF its being done
in time for distribution in March, it can
be adjusted at any time during the next
summer and divided among The townships
as though it had been included in the re-
gular apportionment.
The second law passed is the new school
tar, entitled IAN act to establish a system
Of common Schools approved January
10Th, lS49. 1t is similar in its general
features to the old law. Some material
changes recommended by the undersigned
are not embraced in it, yet consider it in
many respects preferable to the former
aw. 1t condenses the several acts and
amendments heretofore in force and con-
tains some salutary provisions in addition.
1t abolshes the office of School Inspector
and assigns the duty Of dividing the town
ships into districts to the Fund Com
missioners. | would recommend to those
officers in forming districts to embrace
each of the larger towns and SO much of
the adjacent territory as may be necessa-
ny in one district, where it can be done
without serious detriment to the remain
der Of the township. The districts here
tofore organized should not be interiered
with, unless they desire change. The
present school inspectors are continued IN
Office under the new law until the first day
OF April next, when they are required to
pay over the school money then in their
hands to the Fund Commissioners. It
will be remembered however that their
duties are confined to the collection and
distribution Of school moneys in their re-
spective townships and that all other du-
ties performed by them heretofore, are
now assigned to the Fund Commissioners.
The amount of money received from each
inspector should be entered in the books
Of the Fund Commissioner and kept sepa-
rate from all other school funds in order
that it may be apportioned, among the dis
tricts Of the township from which it was
received. the following year. The first
important duty to be performed under the
new law is the election of district officers
at the regular district meeting on the first
Monday in May next, when the present
school directors will be superseded by a
new board Of directors, composed Of a
president, secretary andtreasurer. would
remind the districts of the importance OF
selecting prompt, business men, for these
Offices. Most Of the duties have been de-
signedly imposed upon the secretary, and
hence the necessity Of selecting man for
that office who is not Only competent, but
willing to perform with fidelity the duties
assigned him. He is probably the only
officer who will have to be paid for his
services, and if he performs the duties re-
CURED of him, he will be entitled to, and
should receive just remuneration. 1t
may also be necessary in some districts to
allow the treasurer small compensation,
but it is to be presumed that one good man
can be found IN every school district who
will cheerfully serve as president without
remuneration. The present directors
should. give notice of the district election