Private Acts of 1921 Chapter 134

COMPILER'S NOTE: The question of whether one remaining member of the Watertown Special School District's school boardcould appoint the other two was decided in the affirmative in the case of State v. Simpson, 198 Tenn. 695, 281 S.W.2d. 679 (1955).

SECTION 1. That a special school district be and the same is hereby created and established embracing the territory now comprised within the limits of the Sixteenth Civil District of Wilson County, Tennessee, to be known as the "Watertown Special School District."

SECTION 2. That the said special school district shall be governed by a Board of School Trustees of three members, two of whom shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The said Board shall be elected by the qualified voters of said special school district at the regular election on the first Thursday of August, 1922, and biennially thereafter, and shall hold their respective offices for the term of two years from the first day of September next after their election, but the first Board of Trustees for the said special school district are hereby appointed to act as such until a Board of Trustees is duly elected and qualified for the office, and the following are named to constitute the first Board of Trustees, to-wit: C. C. Young, R. N. Givan, and L. B. Griffin, who shall hold office until the first day of September, 1922, or until their successors are fully elected and qualified. No one shall be eligible to serve as a member of said Board except he be twenty-one years of age or over and a resident of said special school district and of good moral character and having at least an elementary public school education, and freeholder or householder in said district. The said Board herein appointed shall meet within ten days after this Act takes effect, or as soon thereafter as practical, and from their numbers elect a Chairman. The members of said Board shall serve without compensation except that the Secretary may be allowed the usual per capita for enumerating children of school age in said district. The Board shall meet at such time as their duties may require. Vacancies on said Board shall be filled by appointment of the other members, and the person so appointed shall serve until the next regular election and until his successor is duly elected and qualified.

SECTION 3. That the said Board shall have the power and it is hereby made their duty to employ all necessary teachers for the school of said district and fix their salaries; provided the Board shall not be authorized to pay to any teacher any salary except for time actually spent in the performance of the duties as teacher; to employ the necessary janitors, fix their salaries; and said Board and its successors in office shall have the right to make all contracts for repairs, buildings, supplies and all things necessary toward maintaining and running the schools of said district. The expenses thereof to be paid by warrant drawn on the Trustee of said County against the funds of said special school district.

SECTION 4. That it shall be the duty of the Board of Trustees of said special school district to take a census of the scholastic population of said district and report the same to the County Superintendent of Wilson County during the month of July, 1921, and annually thereafter.

SECTION 5. That for the purpose of extending, operating, supporting and maintaining the schools of said Special School District, including all buildings and equipment expense, already incurred and that may hereafter be incurred, and for supplementing the school funds of said district, there is hereby levied and assessed for the year 1927 and each and every subsequent year a tax of Twenty Cents on every One Hundred Dollars worth of taxable property, real and personal, in said Special School District.

Said tax shall be in addition to the regular County levy for school purposes, and the basis of assessment of said tax on said property shall be the value as shown by the books of the County Assessor, and the County Trustee, for every respective year, and the taxes herein assessed shall be due, payable and collectible in the same manner and at the time that taxes are due and payable under the General Laws of the State of Tennessee, and it shall be the duty of the Trustee of Wilson County, Tennessee, to collect the taxes herein assessed and hold the same to the credit of the said Special School District to be paid out as otherwise provided.

When and in the event of the issuance of any bonds by said School District for the purpose of providing funds with which to construct, erect or improve and furnish public school buildings in said Special School District, then and in such event, one-fourth of the proceeds of the levy or assessment of taxes made by this Act shall, so long as any of said bonds or coupons for interest thereupon remain outstanding be set apart and used only for the purpose of paying the principal and interest on said bonds when and as due.

SECTION 6. That the Board of Trustees shall require the teachers employed to teach the schools of said special school district to keep such records and make such reports as are required to be kept and made by the public school laws of the State. The County Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wilson County and the State Superintendent, together with other public school officers, shall have the same authority and jurisdiction over said schools of said district as the general school laws require.

SECTION 7. That it shall be the duty of the Trustee of Wilson County to keep a separate fund entitled "Watertown Special School Fund," in which all taxes, real, personal and privilege, are credited to said school district; provided that the special fund shall be credited with all taxes collected under the special rate only and that said district shall have a right to participate in the regular county school tax levy as all other civil districts in the county.

SECTION 8. That all laws and parts of laws in conflict be and the same are hereby repealed, and it is further declared to be the intention of the General Assembly that if for any reason any provision of this Act should be held void, such Act shall not invalidate any other portion of this Act.

SECTION 9. That this Act become effective from and after its passage, the public welfare requiring it.

Passed: January 27, 1921.