ART. — .] PUBLIC EDUCATION.

179

4. The state school fund is primarily intended, under
this article, to pay the salaries of the teachers of the
several counties, and to provide school books and sta-
tionery for the children of the state. If, however, in
apportioning the said state school fund among the
different counties and the city of Baltimore, the share
of any county should prove inadequate for the pur-
poses aforesaid, then the county commissioners of such

State school
fund.

county are hereby authorized, empowered, directed and
required to levy and collect such a tax upon the assess-
able property of such county as the board of county
school commissioners shall designate as sufficient to
make good the deficiency, and to pay quarterly on the
day fixed for the payment of the state school fund to
the several counties, the amount so levied and collected
over to the treasurer of the said board of county school
commissioners, in order that the schools of such coun-
ties may be kept open for the time herein set forth, and
said tax shall be levied and collected as other taxes.
It shall also be in the power of the legal voters of any
county to decide at any election upon the imposition of

Tax by county
commission-
ers.

a tax for the erection and maintenance of a county high
school, or for any other educational purpose affecting
and concerning the county generally; said tax to be
levied and collected as aforesaid, and to be paid to the
treasurer of the board of county school commissioners
as aforesaid.

County high
school

5. For the purpose of ascertaining the sense of the
people of the county in regard to any proposition
intended to effect public education in said county, the
board of county school commissioners shall cause such
proposition to be submitted to the voters of said county

Voters of
county to
decide.

at the general election next ensuing; provided said
proposition and notice of election be published in all
the newspapers of said county once a week for four
successive weeks next prior to the day of said election ;
and said board of county school commissioners shall
cause to be printed and placed at each poll in said
county, on the day of said election before the opening

Proviso.
Notice.

of said poll, a sufficient number of ballots, having on

Ballots.