AN ACT

ΤΟ

Establish a Corporation in the City of St. Louis,

FOR THE PURPOSE OF PUBLIC EDUCATION.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, That all free white persons residing within the limits of the city of St. Louis, as the same now are, or hereafter may be established by law, are hereby constituted a body politic and corporate, by name and style of "The Board of President and Directors of the St. Louis Public Schools," and by that name they and their successors shall be known in law, have perpetual succession, sue and be sued, implead and be impleaded, defend and be defended in all courts of law and equity, in all actions whatever; may purchase, receive and hold property, real and personal; and may lease, sell or dispose of the same, and may do all other acts as natural persons: they shall have a common seal, and may break and alter the same at pleasure.

SEC. 2. Be it further enacted, That the powers of the corporation hereby established shall be vested in a President and Directors, who shall be free white males, at least twenty-one years of age, and have resided at least twelve months previous to their election in the said city, and who shall be citizens of the United States, and have paid a city tax, and who shall be chosen and appointed as hereinafter directed.

SEC. 3. Be it further enacted, That the Board of President and Directors shall consist of two members, to be elected in each ward of said city, as the same now are or hereafter may be established, and the first election shall be held by the same judges on the same day, and at the same time and place, in each of the wards of the city, as the election of mayor and aldermen of said city; but no mayor or alderman of the city shall, at the same

time, be a member of the Board. And no person shall vote in the choice of said Directors who is not a free white male person, over the age of twenty-one years, and have resided at least twelve months previously to his election in said city, and who shall be a citizen of the United States, and have paid a city tax.

SEC. 4. Be it further enacted, That the Board of Directors shall elect one of their own number to be President; and the said Board of President and Directors shall have power to judge of the qualifications, elections and returns of the members, to prescribe the time, place and manner of conducting the elections of members of the said Board in the several wards of said city; to compel the attendance of absent members at the meetings of the Board; to punish members for disorderly conduct at the Board; and, by the concurrence of two-thirds of all the members elected, expel a member, but not a second time for the same offence; to make rules for the government of their own proceedings; and to have charge and control of the Public Schools, and all the property appropriated to the use of Public Schools within the said city; and shall have power to make all rules, ordinances and statutes proper for the government and management of said schools and property, so that the same shall not be inconsistent with the laws of the land; and generally do all lawful acts which may be proper or convenient to carry into effect the objects of this corporation.

SEC. 5. Be it further enacted, That the members of the Board of Directors shall be elected for the term of three years, and until their successors shall be duly elected and qualified; and one-third of the number shall go out of office at the end of every year; and for that purpose the Board shall cause its members to be divided by lot into three classes, as nearly equal as possible. The first class to go out of office at the end of one year, the second at the end of two, and the third at the end of three years, so that one-third of the Board shall be elected every year. And when the establishment of new wards in the city shall require the election of new members of the Board, such newly elected members shall be classed accordingly.

SEC. 6. Be it further enacted, That there shall be four stated meetings of the Board in every year, the times and places of which shall be prescribed by resolution or ordinance of the Board; and the President or any three members of the Board may call special meetings, by giving one week's notice in writing to the

other members of the Board; and in all meetings of the Board, a majority of the whole number elected shall constitute a quorum to do business, but any smaller number may adjourn from day to day and compel the attendance of absent members.

SEC. 7. Be it further enacted, That whenever a vacancy shall happen in the Board, by death, expulsion, resignation or removal from the city, of any member, the same shall be filled by an election in the proper ward, to be held and conducted in such time, place and manner as shall be prescribed by the Board.

SEC. 8. Be it further enacted, That the Board shall appoint a Treasurer and Secretary, and such other servants and agents as to them shall seem necessary to accomplish the great objects of the corporation, and prescribe their powers, duties, obligations, and compensation. They shall cause a true and faithful record to be kept of all the acts and proceedings of the Board, and shall lay the same before the General Assembly, or either house thereof, whenever required; and shall lay the same before a general meeting of the inhabitants of the city whenever one hundred qualified electors of the Board shall, by written application to the Board, require the same to be done. And for that purpose the said Board shall have power to call a general meeting of the inhabitants of the city. And the said Board of President and Directors shall, at least once in every year, cause to be printed and published a true statement of the condition of the Public Schools under their charge, and of all the property under their control, and a true and fair account of all the money concerns of the corporation.

SEC. 9. Be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the said Board, as soon as conveniently may be, to take possession, charge and control of all the lands or lots in or near the city of St. Louis, which have been either received for or granted to the inhabitants of St. Louis for school purposes, by an act of the Congress of the United States; and to dispose of and apply the same to the purposes of education, under the provisions of this act. And to that end the title to all such lands and lots (as far as this General Assembly can control the same), is hereby vested in the corporation hereby created.

SEC. 10. Be it further enacted, That it shall be lawful for the said Board to cause the deposition of witnesses to be taken, touching the title, locality, boundaries or extension of any of the lands, lots or real estate aforesaid. And the manner of taking

such depositions shall be conformable to the provisions of the act entitled "An Aet directing the mode of perpetuating testimony in this State," passed January 22, 1825, except that the application for the commission or dedimus need not be supported by any oath or affidavit: Provided, That any person or persons, claiming property in any of the said lands, lots or real estate, may, upon complying with the requirements of the last mentioned act, proceed to take depositions in relation thereto. And all such depositions taken on either side as aforesaid, shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the Circuit Court of St. Louis County, and the same, or authentic copies thereof, shall be legal evidence, and may be read in testimony in any suit in which they may be relevant, in any court in this State.

SEC. 11. Be it further enacted, That the members of the Board and the Treasurer and Secretary, shall, before entering upon the discharge of their duties, take an oath before some judge or justice of the peace well and faithfully to perform the

same.

SEC. 12. Be it further enacted, That in all legal proceedings against the said corporation, it shall be a sufficient service of the writ, declaration, notice, or other process, to deliver copies of the same to the President, or to any two members of the Board.

SEC. 13. Be it further enacted, That this act shall be deemed and taken as a public statute, and may be read and used in all courts and places, as other public laws are, without proof. And all the statutes, ordinances, resolutions and other corporate acts of this corporation may be proven in all courts and places, either by a sworn copy thereof, or by a copy certified by the President and Secretary, and authenticated by the seal of the corporation. And the General Assembly reserves to itself the power, to alter or repeal this act, whenever it shall appear to have failed in accomplishing the great objects for which it is passed.

SEC. 14. Be it further enacted, That the act entitled "An Act to incorporate a Board of Trustees for superintending schools in the town of St. Louis," passed by the Legislature of the Territory of Missouri, approved on the 30th January, 1817, be and the same is hereby repealed.

Approved February 13, 1833.

AN ACT

Supplementary to "An Act to establish a corporation in the City of St. Louis for the purpose of Public Education," approved February 13, 1833. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:

SECTION 1. From and after the passage of this act, it shall be lawful for the Board of President and Directors of the St. Louis Public Schools to lend the money arising from the sale or lease of the lands placed under their charge by law for the purpose of education in that city, from time to time, not exceeding the term of one year, at an interest not exceeding ten per cent. per annum, on good security, either real or personal, or both, until it shall become proper, in the opinion of the Board, to invest such money otherwise for the purposes of education in St. Louis. Approved January 27, 1835.

AN ACT

To amend "An Act to establish a corporation in the City of St. Louis for the purpose of Education," approved February 13, 1833.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:

SECTION 1. No member of the Board of Aldermen, or of the Board of Delegates, or any person holding office under the city of St. Louis, whether elected or appointed, shall be a member of the Board of School Directors of the city of St. Louis.

SEC. 2. No person shall be eligible as a Director in said Board who has not been a resident of the ward in which he is elected at least twelve months prior to his election; and, if any person who shall have been elected from one ward shall move from said ward, he shall vacate his seat in said Board, and an election shall be ordered and held, as soon as may be, to fill said vacancy, and said Director shall, moreover, possess all the qualifications required in the act to which this is amendatory and supplementary.

SEC. 3. No Director shall, directly or indirectly, borrow any money belonging to said corporation, either as principal or endorser.

SEC. 4. It shall be the duty of the President and Directors of this corporation to carry out and enforce all the provisions and requirements of the eighth section of the act referred to in the second section of this act.