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.