teachers. The immediate management and control of the individual public schools rests with the local district trustees. Teachers are appointed by the trustees, but receive their certification from the State or county superintendent. The schools are supported by State and local district funds. County funds exist only for special county schools and for the expenses of the county board and the office of the county superintendent. The State funds are distributed on the basis of school population (4 to 20 years of age); special State funds are available for special purposes. County boards in other States.-County education boards of various kinds are found in several other States. Some of these have considerable power, particularly in the administration of the instructional work of the school; others have but one function, such as the examination of teachers, the selection of textbooks, the control of high schools, or the control of special schools. Minnesota has county boards for unorganized territory, with full charge of all schools in such territory. Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, and Michigan have county boards of examiners that have as their sole function the examination of teachers. Michigan, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, Colorado, and others have county boards in charge of county high schools or special county schools, such as the schools of agriculture, manual training, and domestic economy in Michigan. Oregon has a county board of examiners to grade pupils' examinations for graduation from the eighth grade in the county schools. Missouri, Iowa, and South Dakota are among the States having special county boards for the selection of textbooks. In Illinois the county civil authorities have certain school duties, particularly the examination and approval of the financial report of the county superintendent, who is required to submit to them quarterly a statement of all expenditures for the support of his office. Assistant county superintendents must be authorized by this board, and the county superintendent's bond is executed by the board. The board has power to remove the county superintendent for good and sufficient reasons and to fill a vacancy in the county superintendency at any time that one may occur, the person so selected to serve until the next regular election. Indiana and Oregon have county boards with powers and duties that cover several phases of school work. They are indicated below. Indiana.-A county board of education is provided, by legal enactment, to consist of the county superintendent of schools with the school trustee from each township and the chairman of the board of trustees of each town and city district. The board is required to meet semiannually with the county superintendent as chairman. It "shall consider the general needs of the schools and school prop erty" and equipment. Any "change of textbooks shall be determined by such board," and the board has under its control the care and management of township libraries. By a decision of the State department of education the board "may adopt rules and regulations for the government of the schools of the county." Many important duties and powers are given to the county superintendent; these are enumerated elsewhere in this bulletin. The county superintendent is selected not by the full county board, but by a meeting of the township trustees. Oregon. There are in the State three separate county boards whose functions are part of the educational work of the county. There is a county high-school board consisting of the county judge, the county commissioners, the county treasurer, and the county superintendent; a county board of examiners for eighth-grade graduation composed of the county superintendent and four others selected by him; and a county educational board. The last-mentioned board, which is provided only for counties with 60 or more school districts, is composed of the county superintendent and four others appointed by him for four-year terms. Its duties are to divide the county into supervisory districts containing from 20 to 50 school districts and to employ a supervisor of schools for each district. It makes the necessary rules and regulations concerning the work of these supervisors. The county educational board is authorized also to act as an advisory board to the county superintendent in all things connected with his work. |