A. By the State Legislature.

Q. How are Towns formed?

A. By an act of the board of supervisors.

Q. By whom are School districts formed?

A. Generally by the school commissioners, sometimes assisted by the supervisor and town clerk of the town; sometimes by special legislation.

Q. What power defines the number of Assembly, Senatorial and
Judicial districts?

A. The State Constitution.

Q. What power decides upon the number of Congressional districts?

A. The Congress of the United States.

Note—­The following table will be the guide for questioning through all the succeeding pages: 

I. Name of office

II.  Number of Officials holding the same office at the same time.

III.  Term of office.

IV.  Eligibility.  V. Duties.

VI.  Salary or how paid.

II—­THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.

Q. What is a school district?

Q. How many school districts in your town?

Q. How many school districts in your county?

Q. How many school districts in New York State?

Q. What are the names of the officers in a school district?

A. I. Trustee or trustees; or a board of education.

II.  Clerk.

III.  Collector.

IV.  Librarian

Q. What is the number of officials holding the same office at the same time?

A. I. One or three trustees, as a district decides.  If a board of education, it may be not less than three nor more than nine.

II.  One clerk

III.  One collector.

IV.  One librarian.

Q. What are the names of those districts in which there is a board of education?

A. Union free school districts; and they are allowed to have an additional officer, called a treasurer.

Q. What is the term of office of each?

A. I. If there be only one trustee, his term is one year.

II.  If there be three trustees, the term is three years, one being elected each year; if the board of education consists of six or nine members, the term is three years; one third of the number being elected each year.

III.  Clerk, collector and librarian, each hold the office for one year.

Q. Who are eligible to school offices in this state?

A. None but males; they must be twenty-one years of age; and trustees can hold no other school office.

Q. What are some of the duties of school district officers?

Trustees.

A. I. To hold and keep district property for the use of the school.

II.  To hire and pay a qualified teacher or teachers, and maintain a school for at least twenty-eight weeks during the school year.

III.  To make to the school commissions an annual report between the first and second Tuesdays of August in each year.