988

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

18. The Board of County School Commissioners shall meet

Board of

for organization on the first Tuesday in May next succeeding

County
School Com-

their appointment, or as soon thereafter as may be, and elect

missioners.

a person, not a member of the board, who shall serve as

secretary and treasurer of the Board of County School Com-

missioners and County Superintendent of Public Education,

and notice of such election, signed by the president of the

board, shall be transmitted to the Comptroller ; the person thus

elected as secretary, treasurer and County Superintendent,

shall enter upon his duties the first day of August next ensu-

ing after his election ; in counties having more than eighty-five

schools the board may, at their discretion, appoint a clerk and

fix his salary ; the board shall meet at least once in every school

term, and at other times, if necessary, for the transaction of

business ; each commissioner shall receive as an annual salary

Salary.

the sum of one hundred dollars, and he shall make no further

charge or charges for any services rendered.

19. The Board of County School Commissioners are hereby

A body cor-
porate.

declared to be a body politic and corporate by the name and

style of the Board of County School Commissioners of ————

County, and by that name shall have perpetual succession,

and shall be capable to sue and be sued, to use and have a

common seal, and the same at their pleasure to alter or break,

and to exercise all the powers and privileges hereby granted

to or vested in them ; and every County Superintendent or

Assistant County Superintendent shall have power to take affi-

davits and administer oaths in all matters pertaining to public

schools, but without charge or fee.

21. The Board of County School Commissioners shall have

To have gen-
eral control.

the general supervision and control of all the schools in their

respective counties; they shall build, repair and furnish school

houses; they shall purchase and distribute text-books; they

shall, after advising with the principal of the school to which

the teacher is to be appointed, appoint all assistant teachers ;

they shall have authority to consolidate schools when, in their

judgment, consolidation is practicable and desirable, and to

arrange for and to pay charges of transporting pupils to and

from such schools, and shall perform such other duties as may

be necessary to secure an efficient administration of the public

school system, subject to the provisions of this Article.

22. The State school tax and free school fund are primarily

School tax and

intended, under this Article, to pay the salaries of the teachers

free school
fund.

of the several counties and to provide school books and station-