Chap. 377.—An ACT to amend and re-enact Section 1, as amended, of Chapter
377 of the Acts of Assembly of 1938, approved March 31, 1938, relating to the
support and maintenance of public free schools, the apportionment of State ap-
propriations among the counties and cities, the groups of pupils in average
daily attendance, and the number of teacher units, to provide how the same
shall be handled during the present war emergency, and to make an appro-
priation therefor. is 94]

Approved March 31, 1944

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That section one, as amended, of chapter three hundred seventy-
seven of the Acts of Assembly of nineteen hundred thirty-eight, ap-
proved March thirty-one, nineteen hundred thirty-eight, be amended and
re-enacted as follows:
Section 1. The school board of each and every county and city ir
the State is hereby empowered and required to maintain the public free
schools of such county and city for a period of at least nine months o1
one hundred and eighty teaching days in each school year. In order that
each county and city may have the funds necessary to enable the loca!
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 there shall be allotted to such counties
and cities the sum of money appropriated by the State for instruction.
provided in the appropriation for this purpose, so that an equal amount
of money shall be provided for the employment 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 Edu-
cation ; provided that, during the existence of the present war emergency.
and until July first, nineteen hundred forty-six, whether the war shall
terminate earlier or not, the money appropriated by the State for in-
struction shall annually be distributed on the basis of the figures used for
distribution of such funds in the school year nineteen hundred forty-
three-forty-four, provided that if any increase in such figures has oc-
curred in any city or county on the basis of a new school census or average
daily attendance, it shall be entitled to share in the State appropriation
on the basis of such adjusted figure, but if for any school year in any
county or city the number of teachers employed be smaller than the
number employed for the school year nineteen hundred forty-three-
nineteen hundred forty-four, the amount which such county or city
would be entitled to receive from such State appropriation for such
school year shall be reduced in the same proportion that the number of
teachers employed therein for such year is reduced from the number of
teachers employed therein for the school year nineteen hundred forty-
three-nineteen hundred forty-four; provided that if in the school year
nineteen hundred forty-three-nineteen hundred forty-four any county or
city is not able to employ the number of teachers needed in its schools,
the number of teachers to be used for the purpose of comparison shall
be the number employed in the school year nineteen hundred forty-three-
nineteen hundred forty-four; provided, further, that the average annual
salary of teachers shall not be less than the amount provided from State
funds for each teacher group; provided, further, that with the consent
of the State Board of Education the length of the term of any school
may be reduced to not less than eight months, in which case the amount
paid by the State for each teacher group in such school shall be reduced
in the same proportion as the length of the term has been reduced from
nine months.

2. In order to provide the additional funds over and*above those
provided in the general appropriation act and needed to carry out the
purposes of this act there is hereby appropriated to the Department of
Education for maintenance of public free schools, for each year of the
biennium two hundred thirty-six thousand seven hundred dollars to be
distributed on the basis hereinabove set forth for distribution of like
funds.