Lexington weekly intelligencer., 1882-04-01
AMENDMENT TO TIE SCHOOL LAW.

EDITOR INTELLI0ENCER:-In the amendment
to the school law published In your paper Of
March II. the boards Of public schools of every
city are required to take the enumeration Of
children In their district between the 3lst day of
May and the 18th day of June.
The school law published In pamphlet form in
1879. on page A, sectisn 1851, requires the
clerks of boards to transmit to the county com.
missioner report OF the enumeration of chill
dren ON or before the first day of May. a.
Does the full text of The amendment harmonize
| this. at least apparent, inconsistency And il SO
(2) has the time for making the annual report to
the county commissioners, (3) and the filing Of the
| estimated amount of taxes needed. with the
county clerk. been changed from the first Of
Asyi By answering these questions you will
confer favor upon our (and perhaps other)
board OF education. McF.
The full text Of the amendment does
not harmonize the inconsistency, both
apparent and real. which our corres-
pondent, points out. In order to exhib-
it this clearly we print the law as it was.
and as it is amended. The old section
7,O49, is In these vords:--
"Enumeration llsts.-It shall be the duty of
the directors OF each district to take, to
be taken, and forwarded to the clerk Of the
county court and county commissioner. .betw
the 18th day of March and lat day Of April, IN
each wear, list of the names OF the white and
cOlored youths, noting them therein separately,
between the ages OF five and twenty-one years.
resident In the district. designating male and
female. Also an alphabetical list of the resi-
dent taxpayers ioi said district. 1t shall be the
duty Of the clerk to record the same In the rec
ord Of the dlstrlct."
This law, it will be observed, was,
alter the new constitution went into effect
unconstitutional, in that the school age
was not that provided by the constitu.
ton, from six to twenty years, but it re-
mained unrepealed and unamended un-
til the last session OF the legislature, and
was observed in all particulars except
the one here pointed out. The thirty.
first general assembly amended the Sec
tion 80 that 1t now reads as follows:-
'It shall be the duty of the directors of each
district 70 take, cause TO be taken and for.
warded to the clerk of the county court and tc
the county commissioner, and 1t shall be the
duty Of each school board having special charge
of public schools of any city, to take, or cause
10 be taken. between tine 3lst day of May and
18th day of June of each year, an enumeration
Of the names OF the white and colored youth j.
noting them therein separately, between the
ages OF SIX and twenty years. resident in tn,
district or city respectively, designating male
and female. The directors of each district shal
also take, or cause to be taken. an alphabetica
list OF the resident Taxpayers Of said district
IoIn-
In the record of the DISTRICT
There Is an additional clause to the
amendment which effects only cities o.
over so 1000 inhabitants.
The amendment quoted is a substitute
for the entire old section and is there
fore consistent with itself. What is com
manded TO be done must be done as lai,
down IN the new law.
1t inconsistent, however. with sec
ton ,067 Of the old law, which remains
unrepealed, and W hich requires the dis
trict clerk, to "transmit to the county
: commissioner, on or before the frs
day Of May in each year, a report EN-
: bracing the following items: First, tn
!. number of children, male and female
white and colored, between tho ages o
five and twenty.one years. enumerate
Q within the district, stating color and SO,
n separately The intent Of the law was
:. doubtless, TO have he enumeration RI
;. ported in time to base upon it the ar
pOrtiOnmeut made the same YEAR hi,
this is defeated by the present condltio
Of the Law, and the state and county fund