district shall neglect or refuse to choose such committee. St. of 1848, c. 274.

55. If any school district shall neglect or refuse to establish a school and employ a teacher for the same, the school committee of the town may establish such school and employ a teacher therefor, as the prudential committee might have done. R. S. c. 23, § 45.

46. The selectmen of the several towns, divided into school districts as aforesaid, and the prudential committee of every such district, upon application made to them, respectively, in writing, by three or more residents in any district, who pay taxes, shall issue their warrant, directed to one of the persons making such application, requiring him to warn the inhabitants of such district, qualified to vote in town affairs, to meet at such time and place in the same district, as shall be expressed in the warrant. Ib. § 46.

47. The warning aforesaid shall be given seven days at least before the time appointed for the meeting, and shall be either by personal notice to every inhabitant of the district, qualified to vote in town affairs, or by leaving, at his last and usual place of abode, a written notification, expressing therein the time, place, and purpose of the meeting, unless the district shall prescribe another mode of warning their meetings. Ib. § 47.

48. Every school district may, at any regular meeting, having an article in the warrant for that purpose, prescribe the mode of warning all future meetings of the district; and they may also direct by whom and in what manner such meetings shall be called. Ib. § 48.

V. UNION SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

1. Purpose and manner of forming union districts.

2. Corporate powers of such districts.

3. Manner of calling and warning meetings.

4. Clerk to be chosen and sworn ; his duties, and tenure of office.

5. Power of districts as to raising oney to build, &c. school houses, &c. Provision as to location of houses, and choice of committee.

7. Such committee to determine ages, &c. of pupils, and the proportion of money to be expended subject to vote of district.

6. Who shall be prudential com8. Town committee's power, &c. mittee of such districts: their pow-to extend to union districts.

ers.

1. Any two or more contiguous school districts may associate together and form a union district, for the purpose of maintaining a union school, to be kept for the benefit of the older children of such associated districts, if the inhabitants of each of said districts shall, at legal meetings called for that purpose, agree to form such union by a vote of two thirds of the legal voters of each district present and voting therein. St. 1839, ch. 56, § 2.

2. Every union district thus formed shall be a body corporate, with the corporate powers of other school districts, in relation to prosecuting and defending suits at law, and holding real and personal property, and shall be called by such name as said district at its first meeting shall determine. St. 1838, ch. 189, § 2.

3. The first meeting of such union district shall be called in such manner, and at such time and place, as may be agreed upon by the associated districts respectively, by a vote of the same, at the time of forming the union; and the union district may, from time to time thereafter, prescribe the mode of calling and warning the meetings thereof, in like manner as other school districts may do, and may also determine at what time its annual meetings shall be held. Ib. § 3.

4. Such union district, at the first meeting thereof, shall choose, by ballot, a clerk, who shall be sworn in the same manner and shall perform the same duties as are prescribed in relation to the clerks of other school districts, and shall hold his office until another shall be chosen in his stead. Ib. § 4.

5. Such union district may, at any legal meeting called

for that purpose, raise money for erecting, purchasing, renting and repairing any building to be used as a school house for the union school aforesaid, and purchasing or renting land for the use and accommodation thereof; also, for purchasing fuel, furniture, and other necessary articles for the use of said school, and in assessing and collecting a tax or taxes for the above purposes, the like proceedings shall be had as are prescribed by law for other school districts; said district may also determine where said school house shall stand, and in case the location thereof should not be so determined by said district, the same shall be referred to the selectmen of the town, in the same manner as is provided in the case of other districts; said district may choose any committee to carry into effect the provisions aforesaid. lb. § 5.

6. The prudential committees of the respective districts, forming the union district, shall, together, constitute the prudential committee of said district, who shall have all the powers, and discharge all the duties, in relation to said school and the school house of said district, as are prescribed to other prudential committees in relation to the schools and school houses in their respective districts. Ib. § 6.

7. The prudential committee of the union district shall also determine the ages and qualifications of the children of the associated districts, who may attend the union school, and shall also determine what proportion of the money, raised and appropriated by the town for each of the districts composing the union district, shall be appropriated and expended in paying the instructor or instructors of the union school; subject, however, in both the above cases, and in all other matters relating to said school, to any votes of said union district that may be passed at any legal meeting thereof; provided, however, that the schools in each of the associated districts shall continue to be maintained in

the same manner as if this act had not been passed. Ib. § 7. 8 The school committee of the town in which such union district may be located, shall have the same powers, and perform the same duties, in relation to such union school, as are prescribed to them in relation to other district schools. lb. § 8.

VI, HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

1. Adjacent towns may unite to form a high school district.

2. School committees from such towns to elect one from each board to form the committee for such school.

3. Such committee to determine the location of the school-house, &c.

4. Towns to be assessed for expenses according to their proportion of the county tax.

1. Any two adjacent towns, not having more than two thousand inhabitants each, may form one high school district for establishing such a school as is contemplated in the fifth section of the twenty-third chapter of the revised statutes, whenever a majority of the citizens of each town, in nieetings called for that purpose shall so determine. St. of 1848, ch. 279, § 1.

2. The school committees of the two towns so united, shall elect one from each of their respective boards, and the two so elected shall form the committee for the management and control of such school, with all the powers conferred upon school committees and prudential committees. lb. § 2.

3. The committee provided for in the foregoing section, shall determine the location of such school house as shall be authorized to be built by the towns forming such district, or authorize the location of such school alternately in the two towns, whenever the towns shall not determine to erect a house for its permanent location. Ib. § 3.

4. In the erection of any schoolhouse, for the permanent

location of such school, and in the support and maintenance of the same, and in all incidental expenses attending the same, the proportions to be paid by each town, unless otherwise agreed upon, shall be according to the proportions of such towns in the county tax. Ib. § 4.

1 Where two or more contiguous school districts, in adjoining towns, are too small to maintain schools advantageously in each, such districts may, if they see fit, unite and form one district, with all the powers and privileges, and subject to all the liabilities, which now are, or hereafter may be, allowed or prescribed in regard to school districts. R. S. ch. 23, § 49.

2. No districts shall be so united, unless the inhabitants of each shall, at legal meetings called for the purpose, agree thereto; nor unless the respective towns shall, at legal town meetings called for the purpose, assent to the same; and when any such vote shall be passed by any school district, the clerk thereof shall forthwith send a certified copy of said vote to the clerk of his town. Ib. § 50.

3. Whenever the voters in such united district shall, at any legal meeting called for the purpose, deem it expedient to separate, and again form two or more districts, they may so do, first obtaining the consent of the respective towns. lb. § 51.