AN Act to Authorize the Establishment and Maintenance of County High Schools. Be it Enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Oklahoma: Establish Schools. SECTION 1. Each county in the Territory of Okla. Counties May homa having a population of six thousand inhabi-County High tants or over as shown by the last Territorial or Federal census, may establish a high school on the conditions and in the manner hereinafter prescribed for the purpose of affording better educational facilities for pupils more advanced than those attending district schools. SECTION 2. county, as shown by the returns of the last preceding Election. election, shall petition the Board of County Commissioners requesting that a high school be established in their county at a place in the said petition named, or whenever the said County Commissioners shall in When one-third of the electors of the Petition for Election; Election, How Held; Board of Trustees, How Selected; Bond of. Organization of Board; Quorum. their discretion think proper, they shall give twenty days notice previous to any general or special election, that they will submit the question to the electors of said county whether such high school shall be established, and at the place specified at which election the electors of the county shall vote by ballot for or against establishing such high school. The notice contemplated in this section shall be given as are all legal notices of a general or special election. SECTION 3. Said election shall be held in the same manner as are elections for county officers; and the votes on said question shall be canvassed in the same manner as in the election of county officers, and if a majority of all the votes cast shall be in favor of establishing such high school, the County Commis sioners shall immediately proceed to appoint six persons, who shall be residents and freeholders of the county, but not more than three of whom shall be residents of the same township or city or members of the same political party, who shall with the county superintendent of instruction, constitute the board of trustees for such school. Each of said trustees, appointed as aforesaid, shall hold his office for a term of one year or until his successor is ap pointed and qualified and shall be required in ten days after appointment to qualify by taking the usual oath of office, and by giving such bond as may be required by said Board of County Commissioners for the faithful discharge of such duties. SECTION 4. The county superintendent shall, by virtue of his office, be president of said board of trustees. At the first meeting of said board of trus tees in each year they shall appoint from their own members a secretary and treasurer who shall perform the duties devolving upon such officers and shall give such additional bond as the County Commissioners shall deem sufficient. A majority of said board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of all business, but four votes in the affirmative or negative shall be required to decide any question. Trustees to mates for Liability. SECTION 5. At said first meeting, or at some suc- Make Esticeeding meeting called for such purpose prior to the Levy: 15th day of June of each year, the trustees shall make an itemized estimate of the amount of funds needed for building purposes, for payment of teachers' wages, and for payment for payment of contingent expenses, and they shall present to the Board of County Commissioners a certified estimate of the rate of tax required to raise the amount desired for such purposes. But in no case shall the tax for teachers' wages and contingent expenses exceed in any one year eight mills on the dollar on the taxable property of the county. All indebtedness created by said board of trustees in excess of eighty per cent of the tax so levied shall be void as against said fund but may be recovered from the individual members voting to create the same. lected. SECTION 6. Said tax shall be levied and collected How Colin the same manner as other county taxes, and when collected the county treasurer shall pay the same to the treasurer of the county high school in the same manner that school funds are paid to the district treasurers. High School, Report. SECTION 7. The said treasurer of the high school Treasurer of shall receive from the county treasurer and from Duties of; other parties all moneys that belong to the funds of said school, and shall pay out the same only by direction of the board of trustees, upon orders duly signed by the president and countersigned by the secretary, stating the purpose for which they were drawn. Both secretary and treasurer shall keep an accurate account of all moneys received and expended for said school, and at the close of each year or oftener if required by the board of trustees, they shall make a Selecting Site; Selecting Rules and full statement of the financial affairs of the school. SECTION 8. The board of trustees shall proceed as soon as practicable, to select at the place determined by the vote of the county the best site that can be obtained without expense to the county, and the title thereto shall be vested in said county; they shall then proceed to make purchases of material and let such contracts for the erection of necessary schoo buildings as they may deem proper, but shall not make any purchase or contract in any one year to exceed the amount of cash on hand and eighty per cent of the tax levied for that year The board of trustees, at their discretion, may lease suitable buildings for the use of the high school until the erection of such new buildings, the rent to be paid out of the fund created by this Act. SECTION 9. The board of trustees shall employ a suitable person who shall take charge of said school and teach the same and shall be known as the principal of such school; and the trustees shall furnish such assistant teachers as they may deem necessary, and shall provide for the salaries thereof; Provided, That no member of the board of trustees or the wife, son or daughter of such member shall be employed as principal or teacher in such school. SECTION 10. Tuition shall be free to all pupils residing in the county where the school is located. The board of trustees shall make such general rules and regulations as they deem proper in regard to age and grade of attainments essential to entitle pupils to admission in such school; Provided, That no person shall be admitted to such high school who shall not have passed a satisfactory examination in all the work of the district schools of the county in which such high school is situated. If there should be more applicants than can be accommodated at any one time in such high school, each district shall be entitled to send its equal proportion of pupils according to the number of pupils it may have, as shown by the last report of the county superintendent of public instruction; the board of trustees shall designate such pupils as may attend subject to the proviso above; Provided, further, When the board of trustees shall deem the same expedient they may provide separate school facilities and teachers for pupils of colored or mixed blood who are otherwise qualified for admission to such high schools. Other SECTION 11. If at any time the school can accom- Pupils From modate more pupils than apply for admission from Counties. that county in which the school is situated the vacancy may be filled by applicants from other counties upon the payment of such tuition as the board of trustees may prescribe, but at no time shall such pupils continue in such school to the exclusion of such pupils residing in the county in which such school is located. Conduct and School. SECTION 12. The principal of such high school Principal to with the approval of the board of trustees, shall Govern make such rules and regulations as he may deem proper in regard to the studies and conduct and government of the pupils in such school; and if the pupils will not conform to nor obey the rules of the school, they may be suspended or expelled therefrom by the principal of said school subject to the approval of the board of trustees, provided, that the principal shall have power to temporarily suspend. May Enter Colleges. SECTION 13. Those graduating from the normal Graduates course in the county high school shall be entitled to Territorial a teacher's second grade certificate and shall be admitted to the first year of professional work at the Territorial Normal schools without further examination; and those graduating from the collegiate course shall be entitled to admission to the freshman class of the Territorial University and the Territorial |