66 part of the territory described in the petition is situated, shall forthwith order an election to be held for the purpose of voting "for" or against" the proposition to establish a township high school, by posting notices for at least 10 days in 10 of the most public places throughout the township or territory, which notices may be substantially as follows: NOTICE OF ELECTION. Notice is hereby given that on will be held at 66 1, an election for the purpose of voting "for" or against" the proposition to establish a township high school for the benefit of the inhabitants of township (or territory) The polls will be opened at o'clock m., B- In townships divided equally by county lines, the elections shall be in charge of the superintendent of schools of the county in which the sixteenth section is situated. 3. The elections required by this act shall be conducted by the trustees of schools, boards of education, or boards of directors designated by the county superintendent of schools, to whom all returns shall be made within five days. The ballot shall be in substantially the following form, to wit: For the establishment of a township high school----- Against the establishment of a township high school__ The voter shall make an X or cross mark in the square following and opposite the proposition favored, and the ballot shall be so counted. 4. If a majority of the votes cast shall be in favor of establishing a township high school, the county superintendent of schools shall forthwith order an election to be held within 30 days, for the purpose of selecting a township highschool board of education to consist of a president and six members, by posting notices for at least 10 days in 10 of the most public places throughout the township or territory, which notices may be substantially as follows: NOTICE OF ELECTION. the day of Notice is hereby given that on held at an election will be for the purpose of electing a township high-school board of education, to consist of a president and six members. The polls will be opened Two of the members shall be elected for one year, two for two years, and two for three years, and each year thereafter two members shall be elected to serve for three years. The president shall be elected annually. All subsequent elections shall be held on the second Saturday of April, annually. 5. For the purpose of supporting a high school, the township or territory for the benefit of which a high school is established under the provisions of this 745°-17-Bull. 35- -3 act shall be regarded as a school district, and the board of education thereof shall, in all respects, have the powers and discharge the duties of boards of education elected under the general school law. 6. The inhabitants of any contiguous and compact territory, whether in the same or different townships, upon a petition signed by at least 50 legal voters and an affirmative vote in such territory, may establish, in the manner provided by this aet, a township high school for the benefit of the inhabitants of the territory described in the petition. 7. A school district or any part thereof adjoining a high-school district organized pursuant to this act may be annexed to such high-school district and become a part thereof by a concurrent resolution adopted by the boards in each district. Before the resolution shall take effect, however, the proposition shall be submitted, under the provisions of this act, to a vote of the people of the territory desiring annexation, and a majority of the votes cast shall be required in order to adopt such resolution. Approved, June 6, 1911.1 By an act approved June 26, 1915, section 8 was added, to read as follows: SEC. 8. When any entirẻ high-school district desires to discontinue the township high school the county superintendent, upon the receipt of a petition signed by a majority of the legal voters of the said district shall forthwith order an election to be held in the manner provided by this act for the purpose of voting “for” or “against" the proposition to discontinue the township high school. If two-thirds of the ballots cast at the election shall be in favor of discontinuing the township high school, the county superintendent shall direct the high-school board of education to discharge all outstanding obligations and to distribute the remainder of the assets of the high-school district to the underlying districts and parts of districts in proportion to the assessed valuation of all the property of such districts and parts of districts: Provided, That an election to discontinue the township high school shall not be called within the period of two years from the establishment of such township high school, nor within a period of two years following any such election called to discontinue the township high school. When a township high school shall be discontinued by an order of any court of competent jurisdiction the assets of the high-school district shall be distributed in the manner provided by this section. This law is seen to differ from the original township law in that the administration of steps in organiaztion is put into the hands of the county superintendent of schools. It is no longer a township law, correctly speaking, but a union district or community highschool law. The act evidently provides for two different types of districts. The first has for its nucleus a township containing an organized district in a city under the definition of Illinois law. The second, under section 6, permits the organization of any "contiguous and compact territory" into a district for high-school purposes. 1 By a decision of the Supreme Court of the State of Illinois rendered at its October, 1916, session the law of 1911 as given above was declared unconstitutional. This decision affected nearly 200 organized districts. In an addendum by the court it was stated that these districts, where organized and in operation, might presumably be considered as de facto districts. THE NEW HIGH-SCHOOL LAW OF 1917. Fortunately the State legislature has this year passed a new law for community high schools as an amendment to the general school law which is, in many ways, superior to the law of 1911. This new law not only provides for the organization of high-school districts but also creates a district for the purpose of paying high-school tuition. This tuition-paying district includes all the non-high-school territory of a county. The law also provides for an ex officio county board whose function is to readjust high-school district boundaries. Following is the text of the new law: AN ACT To amend sections 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, and 96 of an act entitled "An act to establish and maintain a system of free schools," approved and in force June 12, 1909, as subsequently amended, and to repeal conflicting statutes. SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois, represented in the general assembly: That sections 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, and 96 of an act entitled "An act to establish and maintain a system of free schools," approved and in force June 12, 1909, as subsequently amended, be amended so that said sections shall read as follows: "SEC. 88. The inhabitants of any territory composed of parts of adjoining townships or of a congressional township and parts of one or more adjoining townships may create such territory into a high-school district by a petition signed by at least 50 legal voters and an affirmative vote in such territory, and may elect a board of education therefor, as in other high-school districts. When part of a township has been included in any high-school district pursuant to any of the provisions of this act, the remainder of such township, not included in any high-school district, shall constitute a township for high-school purposes. "When any city in this State having a population of not less than 1,000 and not exceeding 100,000 inhabitants lies within two or more townships, that township in which a majority of the inhabiants of the city reside shall, with the city, constitute under this act a school township for high-school purposes. "When any township in any county under township organization shall contain two political towns divided by an unbridged navigable stream as recognized by the United States, each of which shall contain a city of not less than 1,000 nor more than 100,000 inhabitants, each town shall constitute a township under this act for high-school purposes. "SEC. 89. Upon the receipt of a petition signed by 50 or more legal voters residing in any compact and contiguous territory described in said petition, whether in the same or different townships, the county superintendent of schools of the county in which the territory or the greater part thereof described in the petition is situated shall order an election to be held for the purpose of voting 'for' or 'against' the proposition to establish a community high school, by posting notices for at least 10 days in 10 of the most public places throughout the territory described in the petition, which notices may be substantially in the following form: NOTICE OF ELECTION. the day of 19, an "Notice is hereby given that on election will be held at for the purpose of voting for or against the proposition to establish a community high school for the benefit of the inhabit |