Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Chapter 162 of the acts of 1899 is hereby amended by striking out section 32, as appearing in section 1 of chapter 128 of the acts of 1994, and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 32. The management and control of the public schools of the city of Melrose shall be vested in a school committee consisting of five persons who shall be chosen by the city at large at each municipal election. The school committee shall serve without pay and shall exercise the powers and discharge the duties imposed by law upon school committees. The school committee shall at its first meeting in each municipal year, or as soon thereafter as may be, choose a chairman from its members by ballot and the votes of a majority of all the members of the board shall be required in order to elect.

The committee shall make rules for its proceedings. A majority of all members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business but a smaller number may adjourn from time to time. No member of the school committee shall hold any other office in or under the city government or act as counsel in any matter before the board of aldermen or any committee thereof.

SECTION 2. This act shall be submitted to the voters of the city of Melrose for acceptance at the city election to be held on November 4, 1997 in the form of the following question, which shall be placed on the official ballot to be used for the election of city officers at said election:-

"Shall an act passed by the General Court in the year 1997, entitled, 'An Act Relative to the Membership of the School Committee in the City of Melrose', be accepted?" If the majority of the votes cast in answer to said question is in the affirmative, this act shall become effective but not otherwise.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon its passage.