Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1859-04-08
For the Journal.
IL the City Of Muscatine q Sepa.
rate School District

| lcOE tHo JOuTuul.
IL the City of Muscatine a sepa
rate School District7
Tho County Judge, in his published state
ment of yesterday, is in error in supposin,
that the City of Muscatlne is a separate schoo
district, as any one will see by reading tn,
law, as follows:
| ACT NO. s.
An act to provide q system Of Common
Schools.
SECTION /. Be it enacted By the Bard o.
Education Of the State of Iosoa, That each
civil township that is now or may hereafter
be organized, in the several counties of this
State, is hereby declared School District for
all the purposes of this act, and each sub
district, as now organized under an act enti-
tied "An Act for the Public instruction of the
State of Iowa." approved March 18th, 1853,
shall continue such, subject to provisions
hereinafter made.
The Judge, no doubt, has fallen into the
error in the same way that many others have
done. 1t seems to have been taken for
granted in this town, by school officers,
teachers, and all, that the city was made =
separate school district by the law itself, but
such is not the case. 1t requires vote of
the people for that purpose, as will be seen
by the following:
ACT NO.. II.
An act to confer certain powers on towns and
cities for school purposes.
SECTION l. Be IL enacted by tho Board of
Education Of the State Of Io,oa, That any
city or incorporated town in this State,
including the territory annexed thereto for
school purposes, may constitute a separate
school district.
SEC. 2. at the written request Of any ten
voters of such city or town, the municipal
authorities thereof shall provide for taking
the sense Of the people residing within the
limits of the contemplated district, by means
of a public vote by ballot.
Sec g. Should the majority of the votes
cast at any such election be in favor of a sep
arate organization, an early day shall be fixed
for electing, by ballot, President, Vice
President, Secretary, Treasurer, and three
trict Board, having the same general powers,
duties and obligations as attach to the like
Board III the Township Districts, except as
herein provided. The said President, Vice
President, Secretary and Treasurer shall hold
their Offices for the same time, and after the
first election their successors shall be elected
upon the same day, and shall conform in other
respects to the same rules and requirements
as is provided by law for the same officers in
the township districts.
AM not aware of any such steps having
been taken to organize the City of Muscatine
into separate School District. If it has
been done, should like to know when, and
who the officers are?
The City Of Muscatpe is not separate
School District, but is a part of Bloomington
Township District, and has no school officers,
Except it's sub-directors,) but is under the
control of the township Board of Directors, to
whom the County Treasurer must pay all
school moneys belonging to the civil township
of Bloomington. And the teachers in our
city schools have to look to the Directors of
Bloomington township for their pay, for the
last year, anu not to the City Board,1s there
is no longer Board of Directors for the City
Of Muscatine.
If the people Of this town wish to be sepa-
rated from the township of Bloomington, and
manage their own schools in their own way,
all they nave to do Is to comply with the
requirements of the law. Unless steps are
taken for that purpose, they will remain as
they now are, and will be subject to the con-
4 II
of whom, except the ub-directors, reside in
the city, Or have any direct interest in our
city schools. And, as they have the control
of the school moneys, they may think it the
more democratic to make an equal distribu-
ton among the several sub districts. There
is no douot but what they have the power to
do 50, if they choose. D.
Muscatine, March 81, 1859.