CHAPTER XLII.

THE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Art. 1. The educational operations of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church shall be conducted under the following provisions and regulations.

Art. 2. There shall be a Board of Education of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church to be known as the "General Conference Board of Education," to consist of nine members including a Bishop and the Secretary of Education, one from each Episcopal District, the Bishop and the Secretary being at large.

Art. 3. (1) This Board shall have an advisory relation to the schools of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, shall devise ways and means to aid our institutions, shall receive and disburse such funds as shall be committed to it from time to time. It shall serve as a Board of Reference or Arbitration, and when necessary may take measures to protect the property interests of our Educational Institutions. It shall seek to promote general, industrial, theological and Bible training, and it shall seek to promote the cause of Education throughout the church by collecting and publishing statistics by giving counsel with regard to the location and organization of our educational institutions. It shall also serve as a general agency for communications between teachers desiring employment and institutions needing their service.

2. The further objects of this Board shall be (1) to recommend institutions for connectional relations; (2) to classify the Educational Institutions of the Church; (3) to decide upon uniform entrance requirements for College and Normal courses in our Institutions; (4) to decide upon a uniform course of study for our College work as to credits required for meritorious degrees; (5) to assist in raising endowment funds and holding Educational rallies and mass meetings in large centers; (6) to prorate equitably money coming to the Board; (7) to work in every way practical to advance the cause of Education for our Church; (8) to promote Correspondence courses and Ministerial Preparation.

Art. 4. (1) The General Conference Board of Education shall meet annually at such time and place as it may appoint, and in special session when called by the President upon request of the Secretary of Education or when requested in writing by five members. Five members shall constitute a quorum for a regular and four members for a call meeting.

2. The members of the Board shall be elected by the General Conference upon nomination by the Committee on Education. The term of office shall be four years, but they "hold over" until their successors are duly elected. Vacancies occurring in the Board in the interval of the General Conference shall be filled by the Board and such member or members shall serve until the General Conference shall fill the place.

Art. 5. The work of the Board of Education shall be conducted under such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the General Conference from time to time. The operations of the Board shall be conducted under charter secured by the Board according to the laws of the State of ———. The Board shall have authority to receive and apply donations, devices, bequests, to own, buy and sell real estate, to do all other things provided for in said charter, or subject to and under the provisions of the charter under which said Board shall operate.

2. The Board shall have authority to regulate its own proceedings, to provide quarters for the work of the Secretary of Education and such necessary aid as the Board shall deem advisable. The Board shall further have the authority to fix and pay the salary of a Director of a Correspondence School whenever Funds may be given to the Board to do such work; to determine annually what schools and educational enterprises shall receive aid; to appropriate money for necessary expense of maintaining the office; provided, however, that no appropriation shall be made for building except from funds contributed for that purpose, to secure and distribute aid to students preparing for the mission field or for providing aid to needy students especially the children of our itinerant preachers.

Art. 6. The Board shall have authority to raise an Endowment and Loan Fund. These shall be separate funds raised for general distribution. The Board shall have the authority to receive and hold in trust for the C. M. E. Church any real or personal property and to sell and convey same for uses and objects herein declared. Only the interest on this fund (except when the donor directs otherwise) shall be used, the principal remaining as a permanent fund.

Art. 7. The Board shall gather statistics and other educational and religious information and shall prepare, publish and distribute pamphlets and leaflets suitable to advance the cause of Christian education in our homes and schools among our people.

Art. 8. The Secretary of Education who shall be elected by the General Conference at the time of electing the other general officers for a term of four years, shall be the executive officer of the Board of Education. He shall, as corresponding secretary of the Board, receive all moneys and turn same over to the treasurer of the Board. The salary of the Secretary of Education shall be fixed by the General Conference at fifteen hundred dollars, which shall be paid out of the General Education money monthly.

All moneys of public and special collections by the Secretary shall be placed in the treasury and his traveling expenses shall be paid on his order to the treasurer.

Art. 9. The revenue of the Board of Education shall be from the education money out of the General Fund, 80 per cent. of which shall be forwarded by the Book Agent to the Secretary of Education as collected quarterly; from special collections by the Secretary of Education, the Bishops and others; and from gifts, devices, bequests and appropriations from other Boards. The Secretary of Education shall be bonded in the sum of $3,000.

Art. 10. It shall be the duty of each Annual Conference to organize within its bounds an Annual Conference Board of Education which shall have charge of all educational work within its bounds, literary and religious. The Annual Conference Board shall be auxiliary to the General Conference Board of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church; they shall conduct their work in harmony with the educational policy of the church as set forth in this constitution and other acts of the General Conference; they shall co-operate with the Board of Education in promoting both general and local educational work. The Annual Conference Board of Education shall provide for an Educational Anniversary during the Annual Conference session and shall co-operate with the Secretary of Education in providing a suitable program for such meetings. This Annual Conference Board shall hold at least one meeting annually for the consideration and promotion within the bounds of the Annual Conference of the general and local interests of literary and religious education.

Art. 11. The Board may establish a teachers' Bureau for the purpose of bringing graduates of our Church institutions and other competent persons desiring to teach into communication with institutions seeking teachers.

Art. 12. There shall be a Commission on Educational standards, of six practical educators appointed with the Secretary of Education to arrange and protect the standards of our Church institutions. They shall prescribe the minimum requirements to be demanded in the several courses given in our schools. The Commission shall carefully work out a plan for the classification of our schools and shall report within one year to the Board of Education, its work. It shall then be the duty of the General Conference Board of Education through its Secretary to inspect the financial condition and equipment, the amount and quality of work done in all educational institutions, of the church, to classify them as Grammar School, High School, Academy, Junior College, College, Theological Seminary according to the relation of its equipment and the work done by it to the standards established by the commission on education. The Commission on Educational Standards shall be elected by the General Conference on nomination by the Bishops and Secretary of Education.

Art. 13. The Board shall meet immediately after its election upon call of the Corresponding Secretary of Education and elect a President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary and Treasurer.

Art. 14. All laws and parts of laws in our Discipline in conflict with this enactment are hereby repealed.