The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-03-30
Chanter 296.

AN ACT relating to the employment of Super
fntendents of Schools.
SECT. l. On and after July nrst, elghteen
hundred and ninety seven, the school commit
tees of two or more towns, having under their
care and custody an aggregate OF not less than
twenty live or more than fifty schools, may
unite in the employment of superintendent
of schools, provided they have been so author
lied by a vote of their towns at the regular
town meetings, or special town meetings called
tor that purpose.
SECT. 3. The school committee of the towns
comprising a union shall form joint commit
tee, and for the purposes of this act said joint
committee shall be held to be the agents of
each town comprising the union. Said joint
committee shall meet annually at a day and
place agreed upon by the chairman of the
committees of the several towns comprising
the union, and shall organize by the choice of
a chairman and a secretary. They shall deter
mine the relative amount of service to be per-
formed by the superintendent in each town.
fix his salary, apportion the amounts thereof
to be paid by the several towns, which amount
shall be certified to the treasurers of said
towns respectively; provided that the amounts
SO certified shall be in proportion to the
amount of service performed in the several
towns. They shall choose by ballot a superin-
tendent of schools, in which choice the COM
mittee of each town shall have vote proper
tional to the towns share of the expenditure
for the superintendent's salary.
SECT g. Whenever the chairman and secre-
tary of said joint committee shall certify under
oath to the state superintendent Of common
schools, the form of certificate to be deter
mined by said state superintendent, in accord
ance with the provisions of this act, that
union has been effected as herein provided,
that the towns unitedly have raised by taxa
ton sum not less than five hundred dollars
for the support OF q superintendent of schools
and that under the provision OF this act "a
superintendent of schools has been employed
for one year, then, upon the approval of said
certificate by the state superintendent OF COM
mon schools, and the presentation Thereon 10
the governor and council, warrant shall be
drawn upon the treasurer of the state for the
payment to the treasurers of the several towns
Of anal oI he X
pended for superintendent by each or the
several towns comprising the union, provided
that not more than two hundred and fifty dol
lars shall be paid to any one town or more
than seven hundred and fifty dollars to all the
towns comprising any union.
SECT. 4. The towns uniting for the purpose
of employing superintendent of schools snail
appropriate for his salary their proportlon OF
the sum paid said superintendent; and the
mined by dividing the entire sum expended
for superintendent among the towns COM
prisng the union in the proportion OF the
service performed in each town.
SECT. s. Persons employed to serve as
superintendent of schools under this act shall
hold state certificates under the act of eighteen
hundred and ninety-five, providing for the
state examination of teachers, and shall OeVote
their entire time to superintendent.
SECT. 8. The powers and duties OF superln-
tendents elected under this act shall be the
same as those prescribed for town super
intendents in chapter eleven, section eighty
seven of the public laws OF the state OF Maine:
SECT. 4. NO IOWn Sildu IeCclfe ottto sNAt
under this act unless its appropriation and
expenditure for superintendence have been
exclusive of the amount required by law for
common school purposes. If any part of the
money raised by the towns or union OF towns,
or paid to them by the state for superintend-
ence, is expended Tor any. other purposes than
those provided for in this act, then each per-
son so misappropriating said money shall for
felt double the sum so misapplied, to be re-
covered in an action of debt in the name and
TO the use of the town, by any inhabitant
thereof; and no town or union of towns shall
receive further aid under this act until the
amount so misapplied has been raised and
expended for Superintendent by sucn town
or union of towns.
SECT. 8. All acts and parts of acts, inco n
sistent with this act, are hereby repealed.
Improved Mar. o.