252

PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. [ART. 27.

not been made and recorded, the board of county school commis-
sioners shall appoint a committee, if in their opinion they deem it
necessary, consisting of three persons of intelligence and sound
judgment, who shall divide the county into suitable school districts,
define and describe the boundaries of each; provided that no school
district shall contain a greater area than four miles square, unless a
part of it be located in a thinly-settled region. In the formation of
the school districts, the committee shall take into consideration the

Sites of school-
houses.

most suitable site for the schoolhouse, the general features of the
country, and shall make each school district of such size and form
as will best accommodate the population within its bounds. The
committee shall make an accurate description of the bounds of the
school districts, accompanied by a plat, and shall report the same
to the board of county school commissioners, who shall thereupon
give notice in all the newspapers of the county at what time they
will meet to hear applications for a change of boundaries, which
applications shall be made in writing, and within two months from
the date of the first publication of such notice. When the applica-
tion shall have been made and considered, the board of county school
commissioners may then change the boundaries of school districts
and revise the description; or they may, without application, make
such change as may be deemed important; or they may ratify and
confirm the report of the committee. The description of the bounda-
ries of school districts shall be recorded in a book kept for that pur-
pose by the secretary of the board of county school commissioners.
In those counties where no newspaper is published, the notice of
application for a change of boundaries shall be published in such a
manner as the board of county school commissioners may decide.
Whenever it may be necessary the board of county school commis-
sioners shall employ a surveyor to aid the committee in the per-
formance of such duty, and they shall allow the surveyor such com-
pensation for his services as may be just and proper; and the
committee shall receive no compensation whatever for their services.
The cost of dividing the county shall be paid by the county school
commissioners out of the school fund of the county. If a county
has already been divided into school districts, and it may be neces-
sary to revise the same, the board of county school commissioners
shall have full power to make such revision or alteration as may be
necessary to accommodate the population and increase the efficiency
of the schools. A full description of such changes and alterations
shall also be made and recorded as aforesaid.

Id s 7
County school
commissioners'
reports, and

24. The board of county school commissioners shall, on or be-
fore the fifteenth day of November in every year, make a report to
the State board of education, in such form as may be prescribed by
the latter, of the schools and all matters affecting the educational

publication of
same.

interests of the county; they shall also publish annually, in the
month of November, in such form and manner as they may deem
proper, a statement of their receipts and disbursements, including