The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-05-29
TO DISTRICT BOARDS.

~NSO~A
which are the best books, &c. s
a review of the law and the COM
ments of the State superintendent
thereon will clear this up.
Section $40 of the Revised Statutes
reads as follows: "The district board
shall, under the advice of the state SUI
perintendent determine what school
and textbooks shall be used in the
several branches taught in the schools.
They shall make list Of such books,
and file one copy with the clerk and
keep one copy posted in the school
house. When any such textbooks
shall have been adopted, they shall not
he changed for the term Of three years,
nor thereafter without the consent Of
the state superintendent"
Section 432. The director, treasurer
and clerk shall constitute the district
board. Meetings Of the board may be
called. by any two Of the members
thereof by serving on the other mem
Der written notice of the time and
place of such meeting, at least twenty
four hours before such meeting is to
take place. No act authorized to be
done 10y the district board shall be val
i'd, unless voted at meeting Of the
board. :" ar@
cit will be seen from this that the
powers Of board must be exercised
by the board, meeting and celebrating
at the same time and place, and not by
enc or two forming determination
and obtaining the assent of the absent.
The decision of majority at q meet
ing properly convened is the decision
Of the board, but a decision of q ma
jority, or even all three under other
circumstances, is not the decision of
the board"
cit is merely the concurrent opinion
Of the members of the board, and is no
more the decision of the board than
the concurrent opinion Of the mem
bers of the legislature, arrived at by
taking their separate votes at their
respective homes, would be an act OF
the legislature.
The above is the comment of the
state superintendent on the law above
quoted. 1t seems then that TO do bus
mess, there must be legal meeting OF
the board, and to this end "a hours
written notices of the time and place
Of such meeting is necessary.
An accidental meeting of the mem
bers Of the board, even if they all
agree to call it a meeting OF
the board, is not legal, and business
done at such meeting will not stand
in law. The Board may, and the law
says it shall. adopt series Of books to
he used IN the school, which books
when once adopted shall not be chang
ed for three years, but no such odop
ton can be made at22zeSS there is q 7egoj
meeting Of the 6oard
Now word as to contracts. AS
undo stand the law, a board can make
no contract which is binding on The
district beyond the time of the next
annual meeting. Hence d contract by
which board agrees to purchase the
books of a certain firm for a term OF
one or more years, either from the firm
or anyone into whose hands the firm
agrees to put the books, is illegal Gnc
00id.
The merits of the textbooks is /:
delicate subject for sup't to handle
He is sure to offend some one, even i
he escapes the charge of being Dough
up" bribed, -" hired, sc. Butratl
er than have school officers, many o
whom are not posted in relation Il
text books, imposed upon by irrespon
sible agents, will give my opinion 0
those in the market, which opinion
has been formed after eleven years
experience in the schools of the county
First, / consider Robinson's Arith
tnetics the best that are published
His Shorter Course" is especial,
adapted to our district schools. I
consists of two books 1.-THE FRS
Book" and "The Complete Arithmetic.
/ would advise district officers to bu,
no others. The following is a list Of
good books, those that prefer bein,
placed first:
READERS.
New Graded Series -Iyison. Blake
man, Taylor & Co., publishers.
Appleton's-D. Appleton & Co., pub
1schor