adopted statutory minimum salary schedules for public school teachers. Teachers who wear any sectarian garb or give sectarian instruction cannot legally be employed, in several states.

More than one-half of the states have statutory requirements that textbooks for public secondary schools must be selected from lists approved by state educational authorities. Such a restriction has been held to be legal by the courts. Also courts have upheld the legality of statutes authorizing state education departments to regulate prices at which textbooks may be sold. The statutes of several states prohibit sectarian books from being purchased for use as texts or library references.

Only a few states make specific prescriptions relative to the operation and maintenance of the school plant. Apparently these are matters usually implied as part of the general power of school boards to provide public secondary schools. Most states prescribe by statute the maximum rate of interest that may be legally paid as a fixed charge for public secondary school bonds.

A majority of the states prescribe minimum building standards by statutes for public secondary school building construction. Twenty-three states require plans for public school buildings to be approved by the state education department before they may legally be constructed. Equipment and textbooks for approved secondary schools must meet with the approval of the state education departments.

Public school boards have the power of eminent domain for the purpose of securing public school building sites, playgrounds and land for other school uses.

The statutes of many of the states designate the public school official who may order school warrants drawn, the public official who must approve the warrants, and the custodial officer who shall pay warrants. Only one state, Montana, authorizes public school officials to incur indebtedness, without bond issues, in excess of the year's income. Many states require contracts for school purposes to be in writing, if the amount involved exceeds $200. If a contract for public school purposes exceeds a stipulated amount (usually $200), the statutes of almost one-half of the states require that the award of the contract be made to the lowest bidder, after advertising for bids. The public school board has discretionary power, however, as to the quality of material that the bidder agrees to furnish, and the board may reject low bids where the material is inferior.

The legal limitations and prohibitions of expenditures of public school funds for public secondary school support seem to be intended as safeguards against fraud, incompetency and carelessness in managing the business activities of the public secondary education program and as guarantees of the best possible services to the public for the money expended.

PART IV

GENERAL CONCLUSIONS

CHAPTER XIII

CONCLUSIONS BASED UPON THE STUDY

The century of 1821 to 1920 witnessed a remarkable growth in the public secondary education program of the United States. From one public secondary school in 1821 the number increased to almost fifteen thousand by 1920. From one small group of approximately one hundred students in 1821 the number increased to an annual enrollment of almost three million by 1922. From one curriculum including instruction in only twenty-five subjects have developed many curricula offering instruction in almost eight hundred subjects. The first budget of four thousand dollars supported during its first year the beginning of a public secondary educational program that now requires the annual expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars.

The tremendous expansion of the public secondary education program with its attendant complexity of organization and function has brought increased responsibility to public school educators and to public school officials. It has, likewise, brought with it improved educational opportunities for the people.

SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS BASED UPON THE LAWS RELATING TO THE PUBLIC SECONDARY EDUCATION PROGRAM

1 Public secondary education is a state function. 2 The objectives of public secondary education that are emphasized most strongly by the constitutions and statutes of the various states are: to promote health; to inculcate high moral standards; to develop patriotism; to teach the duties and dignity of American citizenship; to cherish science; to encourage thrift and economy; to aid in the diffusion of knowledge; and to aid improvement in agriculture and other vocational fields.