History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests / compiled from the official records of the county, the newspapers and data of personal interviews, under the editorial supervision of Thaddeus D. Seeley.

CHAPTER XIX

THE COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM
BASIS OF PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM-CENTRAL UNIVERSITY AND BRANCHES
FIRST ACADEMIES IN OAKLAND COUNTY-HEADS OF THE COUNTY
SYSTEM-REMAINS A PERPETUAL FUND —DUTIES OF THE TEACHER
OF TODAY - STANDINGS REQUIRED - DISTRICT LIBRARIES - HIGH
SCHOOL SCHOLARS-DISTRICT SCHOOLS OF THE COUNTY-PRESENT
STATUS OF SCHOOLS.
The county system of public schools is, of course, an integer of the
greater system which originates in the state constitution and laws. For
that reason, if for no other, a brief review of the legislation through
which the splendid Michigan system has been developed is herewith
given.
BASIS OF PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM
The ordinance of 1787 for the government of the northwest territory contained the oft-quoted provision that "schools and the means of
education shall forever be encouraged," and the congressional act of
I804 reserved from the sale of public lands section I6 in each township "for the support of schools." These acts were confirmed when
Michigan became a territory in I805; but the first regular school law
of the territory was not enacted until 1827, the year when the township form of government was fully established in Oakland county, as
has been already described in chapter XII. By the provisions of that
act the citizens of any township having fifty householders were obliged
to provide themselves with a schoolmaster of good morals, to teach the
children to read and write; and a township containing two hundred
householders was obliged to have a schoolmaster who could teach Latin,
French and English. Neglect to comply with these provisions made the
people of the township liable to a fine of from fifty to one hundred and
fifty dollars.
In 1833 the law was passed which created the office of superintendent of public schools, and provided for three commissioners and ten
inspectors to take charge of the school lands, which had by the congressional act of 1828 been under the control of the governor and territorial council. As it often happened that school section 16 was under
water, or otherwise almost valueless, when Michigan was admitted into
the Union in January, 1837, provision was made for securing land which
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