The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1894-06-13
The New snl,nn1Iau

The Salem Sunbeam whose editor
is the capable County Superintendent of
Schools of Salem county, makes the fol-
lowing summary Of the new school law :
The amendments to the school law,
adopted by the Legislature, are revolu.
tionary. All school districts are wiped
out, and in their stead township boards
of trustees are provided for. Each board
is to consist of nine members and they
are to be elected on the third Tuesday in
March of each year the trustees first
| elected dividing by lots into three classes,
! one each for one, two or three years, and
annually thereafter there shall be three
trustees elected. These trustees have
the power to elect president aud clerk,
the litter acting as district clerk for all
schools in the township. The present
boards of trustees are legislatcd out of Of
flee on the first day of July next, and the
County Superintendent is required 10 call
an election in each township at some con.
venient place, of which due notice must
be given, for the election Of the first set
of trustees for the townships. The cleo
ton must be held within thirty days after
the law takes effect, which will be on the
4th of July.
These trustees have all the powers and
duties of the old trustees. Each board
has the power to fix the compensation of
the clerk, and as some of these clerks will
have several schools to look after the sal
airy will doubtless be fixed in proportion,
and the p siiion made one to be sought
after.
All property of the several school dis
tricts of the township is consolidated and
the title thereto held in the name of the
consolidated district. All debts and OBJ
legations Of the several districts, whether
secured by bonds or otherwise, shall be
assumed by and shall become the obliga-
tons and debts OF the consolidated dis
tricts.
Each city, borough and incorporated
town is made district by itself, unless
the legal voters of such municipality vote
to consolidate with the township board at
meeting specially called for that pur-
pose.
One provision Of the new law is good
one. Since the district lines were estab-
lished, years ago in many cases, new roads
have been opened, population has shifted,
and for other reasons il is oftenlimes de-
sirable for property owner to have his
property in some district other than the
one he is in according to the boundaries,
in order that his children CT his tenants
children may attend school more convent
emily. To change the boundaries OF dis.
tricts under the old system involved a lot
of red tape and sometimes caused opposi-
ton, some of it proper and some If it de-
cidedly wrong Under the new law boun-
daries will not have to be changed. Child
rerliying remote from the school in the
district in which they reside may attend
the school nearest in an adjoining district,
by obtaining the written consent of the
County Superintendent, who files Il copy
of such written consent with the clerk of
the district in which the child resides, and
another with the clerk of the district where
the child is TO attend school. The money
apportioned to the district for such child
on the basis of the school census shall be
paid over for the benefit Of the district in
which such child attends school.
The County Superintendent is to appor-
ton the school money as follows: LIST. He
shall apportion to each district a sum equal
to two hundred dollars for each teacher
employed in the public schools for such
district for the full time for which the
schools in such districts were maintained
the preceding year. I'd. lie shall appor-
ton 10 each district oneh half of the re-
mainder of the school moneys belonging
to his county on the basis of the aggre.
gate attendance of all the children enroll
ed in the school registers as ascertained
from the last published report of the State
Superintendent Sd. He shall apportion
to each district the balance of the money
belonging 70 his county on the basis OF
the last public school census.
This wipes out the old $275 and 1875
provision Some schools will fare well
under this division, while others will not
do so well.
One of the first things to be done by the
new trustees will be to order a district
tax in each district in the township under
their charge, TO provide for free text
books. AS the books now in hand may
still be used. it will only be necessary to
buy new books as the pupils need them.
But books to teach the effect OF alcohol
aud narcotics on the human system must
be purchased and ready for the opening
of schools in September.
The provisions of the school law, that
no contract made by the Board of Trustees
shall be binding upon a succeeding board
for longer period than three months, is
still in force. Tale will necessitate the
re election OF teachers 10 country scho1 ls
by the new boards.