The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-09-01
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

portioned to the several counties and cities
and towns thereof, having control of their
respective schools, is $500. S0i %, thus giving
$50 as the pro rata distribution of the
school fund for said year. Your attention
IS respectfully called to articles 1851 and
3I55 ofthe school law, as furnishing definite
information in reference to the manner in
which you shall make your apportionment.
COMMISSIONS, ETC.
County judges and treasurers of school
funds are to be paid for services required of
them by the school law out of school fund
called for by the certificates of credit. For
information on mis- point attention is re-
specially called to articles 3726-7 and
3745 Of the school law. In this connection
it may be proper to call attention to the
fact that county judges can not be paid in
advance. The necessity for this statement
was suggested by correspondence with this
department, wherein county judges in
quired if their compensation for services I'M
der the school law, could be paid in adj
for. the support Of public free schools
is $500 or less, the county Judge
is entitled to $25; if the sum thus
expended should be more than $500 and not
exceeding 81 600 the maximum compensa-
ton that the law authorizes is $50. A coun-
ty Judge cannot charge fee for performing
any official act required of him by the
school law. A fee may be charged for
qualifying teachers as to the correctness of
their vouchers, as such service is not made
by the school law part Of the duty of a
county judge. A county judge cannot en-
gage in teaching in the public free schools
of this state.
FOREIGN LANGUAGES.
As there has been considerable CORE
spondence with this department complain
total exclusion of the English language,
have been adopted in the class exercises of
the school-room, either German or Spanish
being used, Notice is hereby given that the
English language must be the medium of
instruction in our public free schools. pu-
pills in our public schools may be taught
foreign languages, but the common Ian
guage of the school room must be the Eng
fish. Boards of examiners have no author
ity to recommend the issuance of certif-
cate of competency to any applicant who
does not give evidence on examination of
sufficient knowledge of the English language
to use it as a medium in imparting instruc-
ton.
DAILY SCHOOL SESSION.
Seven hours day, including the recesscs
say fifteen minutes before and after noon
and one hour from - m. TO p. m.--consti-
tute daily session. Twenty such sessions
constitute IL scholastic month. These peri
DDS may be increased by contract between
trustees and teachers.
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION.
After a community has been organized
and has become matter of record in the
offices of the county judge and county
l oh
can be lawfully demanded, unless it can be
shown that fraud has been practiced or
some wrong perpetrated in organizing said
community, Official parties in the organi-
cation, viz; county judge, county treas
urer, and trustees, may, as u matter of
favor allow changes to be made. After q
contract has been entered into between
trustees and teacher, there is then a fourth
party added to the community organization,
viz: the teacher; and no change unless it
may be such change as is contemplated by
law, or rs unavoidable circumstances work,
can be made in such organization except by
the consent of all parties to the contract.
MONTHLY AND TERM REPORTS.
It is almost impossible for this DEPART
ment to collect and arrange actual schoo-
statistics necessary for wise school legisla-
ton, on account of the inability of county
judges to report fully all the information
called for in the blanks furnished them by
this department. This inability on the
part of county Judges is attributed to teach
crs failing to make full monthly and term
reports; hence, to correct this evil, county
Judges are hereby instructed to refuse to
approve the voucher of any teacher unless
| the monthly report found on the reverse
side of the voucher, be correctly and fully
made out and delivered to the county judge
Term reports need not be made out in du-
plicate. Instructions given under the head
of "Notc," in form d. are no longer in
force so far as said Instructions refer to du-
plicate reports.
COUNTY SCHOOL FUNDS,
County funds, such as the proceeds from
the sale of county school lands, or rents
from the same, are, by the terms of the
state constitution, placed under the exclu-
sive control of the commissioners court.
The board of education will not assume to
exercise any control over this fund. Forany
legal opinion in reference to this fund the
commissioners court is respectfully refer
red to the honorable attorney general of the
state.
CONTRACTS.
The school law prcscribos that the con
tract between u teacher and the trustees
should be duly signed by both parties 20 the
contract, and approved by the county
Judge. Said contract should he made out
In triplcatc, and one copy OF the sam,
should be filed with the county judge, on,
retained by the teacher and the other by the
president of the board of trustees In al
cases the contract must be fully agreed upor
and duly signed prior to the commencement
of the school. The contract should SCI
| forth the fact that the teacher Is either to b,
paid on the basis of an average attondanC,
of not less than 10 per cent of the pupils
registered on the community list, or ON tn,
basis of actual daily attendance,
In the event that q teacher sustnins re
,l,.Aiian In his salary by reason of II iailur,
| to secure an average attendance of 10 pei
cent Of the registered number of children .
scholastic age IN his community during any
given month, he may partially or cntircl,
recover such loss by securing an attend
during the following month or months o
the school term, provided said excess doc
not ncccssitalo the employment of an assist
ant teacher.
SUBSTITUTION.
Children of scholastic ngc, whose parents
may have moved into u community after u
organization, may be substituted on IN,
community list and IN the school for sucl
children of scholastic age ns may have
moved out ofthc community, but whose par
cnts do not purpose patronizing the school
| In all cascs of substitution, however, trus
tees should duly report to the county iudg,
the names, ages and sex thus substituted
including those who have moved out Of thu
community. Trustees should also. repor
the names of the parents of said children
The county Judge, ifnot satisfied ~ to th'
ages IT tho children reror' ! ~ having
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