Chap. 377.-—-An ACT to make effective the Constitutional provision to the
effect that the General Assembly shall establish and maintain an efficient
system of public free schools throughout the State, and to repeal all acts
and parts of acts inconsistent with this act. [S B 15]

Approved March 31, 1938

Whereas, section one hundred and twenty-nine of the Constitu-
tion of Virginia provides that “The General Assembly shall establish
and maintain an efficient system of public free schools throughout
the State’, now, therefore,

1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia, as follows:

Section 1. The school board of each and every school division
‘1 the State is hereby empowered and required to maintain the public
free schools of such division for a period of at least nine months or
one hundred and eighty teaching days in each school year. In order
that each school division may have the funds necessary to enable the
local school board to maintain the elementary and high schools thereof
for such minimum terms, it is hereby provided that when any county
or city has legally complied with the existing laws with reference to
local school levies or cash appropriations, such school division or
divisions shall be allotted out of the public school funds held in the
treasury of the State the sum of five hundred dollars for the employ-
ment of a certified teacher for each group of twenty-five to forty
pupils in average daily attendance, depending upon the density of
school population, to be apportioned under such rules and regulations
as may be set up by said State Board of Education; provided, further,
that each school division shall prepare a salary schedule in terms of
teacher preparation, experience and efficiency, the average annual salary
of which shall not be less than five hundred dollars ; provided, further,
that with the consent of the State Board of Education the length ot
the term of any school may be reduced to not less than eight months,
‘n which case the amount paid by the State for each teacher group
‘a such school shall be reduced in the same proportion as the length
of the term has been reduced from nine months.

Section 2. That in addition the counties and cities shall provide,
from local school taxes, as provided in section one hundred and thirty-
six of the Constitution of Virginia, for the supplementing of theit
instructional programs such amounts as will insure the services of
properly prepared and effective teaching personnel, and to the degree
that financial ability and community interest in education will permit
provided further, that the counties and cities shall provide, in keeping
with the laws already existing, such funds as may be necessary for
‘debt service, capital outlay, transportation, general operation and main-
tenance. ,

Section 3. All acts and parts of acts inconsistent with this act are
hereby repealed to the extent of such inconsistency.