District of South Colchester Board of School Commissioners fonds

The Board of School Commissioners originated under the Education Act of 1826. Initially, the Board was responsible for the inspection of schools, and the examination of teachers. The Act for the Encouragement of Schools of 1832 extended the powers of the Board of School Commissioners to include the fixing of school boundaries, and to oversee the trustees. In 1864, the Nova Scotia provincial government introduced a new Education Act, which established Nova Scotia's "free" school system, which no longer charged fees, but instead were supported by local assessment and government grants. Pursuant to the Education Act, the jurisdictions of Nova Scotia's Boards of School Commissioners, known as "school districts", were clarified and confirmed. Every school district was divided into school sections, with each section being responsible for establishing and maintaining a school, the operation of which was to be overseen by a board of trustees. Initially, Colchester County was a single school district, but it was subdivided into northern and southern districts during the 1870s. The school district of South Colchester, was made up of numerous school sections. By 1895, the majority of the Board's duties were removed except for the determining of school boundaries. In 1942, the Board of School Commissioners was abolished.