of office shall be similarly filled by appointment and confirmation. In case of a vacancy on said Board by death, resignation of a member, or from any other cause other than the expiration of such member's term of office, the Board shall by secret ballot elect his successor, who shall hold office until the end of the next session of the General Assembly, or if the General Assembly be then in session to the end of that session. During such session of the General Assembly the Governor shall appoint the successor member of the Board for the unexpired term and shall submit his name to the Senate for confirmation. All members of the Board of Regents shall hold office until their successors are appointed. The said Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia shall have the powers and duties as provided by law existing at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, together with such further powers and duties as may be hereafter provided by law.

SECTION V.

Paragraph I. County System; Board of Education; election, term, etc. Authority is granted to Counties to establish and maintain public schools within their limits. Each County, exclusive of any independent school system now in existence in a County, shall compose one school district and shall be confined to the control and management of a County Board of Education. The Grand Jury of each County shall select from the citizens of their respective Counties five freeholders, who shall constitute the County Board of Education. Said members shall be elected for the term of five years except that the first election of Board members under this Constitution shall be for such terms that will provide for the expiration of the term of one member of the County Board of Education each year. In case of a vacancy on said Board by death, resignation of a member, or from any other cause other than the expiration of such member's term of office, the Board shall by secret ballot elect his successor, who shall hold office until the next Grand Jury convenes at which time said Grand Jury shall appoint the successor member of the Board for the unexpired term. The members of the County Board of Education of such County shall be selected from that portion of the County not embraced within the territory of an independent school district.

The General Assembly shall have authority to make provision for local trustees of each school in a county system and confer authority upon them to make recommendations as to budgets and employment of teachers and other authorized employees.

SECTION VI.

Paragraph I. County School Superintendent; election, term, etc. There shall be a County School Superintendent, who shall be the executive officer of the County Board of Education. He shall be elected by the people and his term of office shall be for four years and run concurrently with other county officers. The qualifications and the salary of the County School Superintendent shall be fixed by law.

SECTION VII.

Paragraph I. Independent systems continued; new systems prohibited. Authority is hereby granted to municipal corporations to maintain existing independent school systems, and support the same as authorized by special or general law, and such existing systems may add thereto colleges. No independent school system shall hereafter be established.

SECTION VIII.

Paragraph I. Meetings of Boards of Education. All official meetings of County Boards of Education shall be open to the public.

SECTION IX.

Paragraph I. Contracts for care of pupils. County Boards of Education and independent school systems may contract with each other for the education, transportation, and care of pupils.

SECTION X.

Paragraph I. Certain systems protected. Public schools systems established prior to the adoption of the Constitution of 1877 shall not be affected by this Constitution.

SECTION XI.

Paragraph I. Grants, bequests and donations permitted. The State Board of Education and the Regents of the University System of Georgia may accept bequests, donations and grants of land, or other property, for the use of their respective systems of education.

Paragraph II. Grants, bequests and donations to county Boards of Education and independent school systems. County Boards of Education and independent school systems may accept bequests, donations and grants of land, or other property, for the use of their respective systems of education.

SECTION XII.

Paragraph I. Taxation by counties for education. The fiscal authority of the several Counties shall levy a tax for the support and maintenance of education not less than five mills nor greater than fifteen mills (as recommended by the County Board of Education) upon the dollar of all taxable property in the County located outside independent school systems. The independent school system of Chatham County and the City of Savannah, being co-extensive with said County, the levy of said tax shall be on all property in said County as recommended by the governing body of said system.

ARTICLE IX.

HOMESTEADS AND EXEMPTIONS

SECTION I.

Paragraph I. Amount of homestead and exemptions. There is hereby exempt from levy and sale, by virtue of any process whatever under the laws of this State, the property of every head of a family, or guardian, or trustee of a family of minor children, or every aged or infirm person, or person having the care and support of dependent females of any age, who is not the head of a family, realty or personalty, or both, to the value in the aggregate of sixteen hundred dollars; and the General Assembly shall have authority to provide the manner of exempting said property, the sale, alienation and encumbrance thereof, and to provide for the waiver of said exemption by the debtor.

Paragraph II. Homestead and exemption laws continued. The laws now of force with respect to homestead and exemptions shall remain in full force until changed by law.

ARTICLE X.

MILITIA

SECTION I.

Paragraph I. Organization of Militia. A well regulated militia being essential to the peace and security of the State, the General Assembly shall have authority to provide by law how the militia of this State shall be organized, officered, trained, armed and equipped; and of whom it shall consist.

Paragraph II. Volunteers. The General Assembly shall have power to authorize the formation of volunteer companies, and to provide for their organization into battalions, regiments, brigades, divisions, and corps, with such restrictions as may be prescribed by law, and shall have authority to arm and equip the same.

Paragraph III. Pay of militia and volunteers. The officers and men of the militia and volunteer forces shall not be entitled to receive any pay, rations, or emoluments, when not in active service by authority of the State.

ARTICLE XI.

COUNTIES AND MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS

SECTION I.

Paragraph I. Counties a corporate body; boundaries. Each county shall be a body corporate with such powers and limitations as may be prescribed by law. All suits by or against a county shall be in the

name thereof; and the metes and bounds of the several counties shall remain as now prescribed by law, unless changed as hereinafter provided.

Paragraph II. Number limited. There shall not be more than one hundred and fifty-nine counties in this State.

Paragraph III. New counties permitted when. No new county shall be created except by the consolidation or merger of existing counties.

Paragraph IV. Consolidation of counties; method. The General Assembly shall have power, with the concurrence of two-thirds of the qualified voters of each of the counties to be affected who participate in elections held for that purpose, to provide for the consolidation of two or more counties into one, or the merger of one or more counties into another, or the division of a county, and the merger of portions thereof into other counties.

Paragraph V. Dissolution of counties; method. Any county may be dissolved and merged with a contiguous county or counties by twothirds of the qualified voters of each of the counties affected who participate in elections held for that purpose.

Paragraph VI. County governments uniform; exceptions. Whatevery tribunal, or officers, may be created by the General Assembly for the transaction of county matters, shall be uniform throughout the State, and of the same name, jurisdiction, and remedies, except that the General Assembly may provide for Commissioners of Roads and Revenues in any county, may abolish the office of County Treasurer, in any county, may fix the compensation of County Treasurers, and may consolidate the offices of Tax Receiver and Tax Collector in the office of Tax Commissioner, and may fix his compensation, without respect to uniformity.

Paragraph VII. Consolidation of governments; submission to voters. The General Assembly may provide by general law optional systems of consolidated county and municipal government, providing for the organization and the powers and duties of its officers. Such optional systems shall become effective when submitted to the qualified voters of such county and approved by a majority of those voting. Paragraph VIII. County lines. County lines shall not be changed, unless under the operation of a general law for that purpose.

Paragraph IX. County sites changed; method. No county site shall be changed or removed, except by a two-thirds vote of the qualified voters of the county, voting at an election held for that purpose and by a majority vote of the General Assembly.

SECTION II.

Paragraph I. County officers; election; term; removal; eligibility. The county officers shall be elected by the qualified voters of their

respective counties or districts, and shall hold their office for four years. They shall be removed upon conviction for malpractice in office; and no person shall be eligible for any of the offices referred to in this paragraph unless he shall have been a resident of the county for two years and is a qualified voter.

Paragraph II. Compensation of county officers. County officers may be on a fee basis, salary basis, or fee basis supplemented by salary, in such manner as may be directed by law.

ARTICLE XII.

THE LAWS OF GENERAL OPERATION IN FORCE IN THIS STATE

SECTION I.

Paragraph I. Supreme law. The laws of general operation in this State are, first: As the Supreme law: The Constitution of the United States, the laws of the United States in pursuance thereof and all treaties made under the authority of the United States.

Paragraph II. Second in authority. thereto: This Constitution.

Second. As next in authority

Third. In subordination to

Paragraph III. Third in authority. the foregoing: All laws now of force in this State, not inconsistent with this Constitution shall remain of force until the same are modified or repealed by the General Assembly.

Paragraph IV. Local and private acts. Local and private acts passed for the benefit of counties, cities, towns, corporations and private persons, not inconsistent with the Supreme law, nor with this Constitution and which have not expired nor been repealed, shall have the force of Statute law, subject to judicial decision as to their validity when passed, and to any limitations imposed by their own terms.

Paragraph V. Proceedings of courts confirmed. All judgments, decrees, orders, and other proceedings, of the several courts of this State, heretofore made within the limits of their several jurisdictions, are hereby ratified and affirmed, subject only to reversal by motion for a new trial, appeal, bill of review or other proceedings, in conformity with the law of force when they were made.

Paragraph VI. Existing officers. The officers of the Government now existing shall continue in the exercise of their several functions until their successors are duly elected or appointed and qualified. But nothing herein is to apply to any officer, whose office may be abolished by this Constitution.

ARTICLE XIII.

AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

SECTION I.

Paragraph I. Proposed by General Assembly; submission to people. Any amendment or amendments to this Constitution may be proposed in the Senate or House of Representatives and if the same shall be