The State Board of Education shall appoint a courses of study committee as set forth below for the purposes and functions as hereinafter provided. The State Courses of Study Committee shall consist of 28 members to be selected as follows:

(1) One elementary teacher (grades K through six) and one secondary teacher (grades seven through 12) from each of the seven congressional districts who are teaching in the course of study areas to be revised during their terms of office;

(2) Four members from the state at-large actively engaged in a supervisory or administrative capacity in the field of education and who are knowledgeable or who have had previous teaching experience in the course of study areas to be revised during their term of office;

(3) Three members who are employees of state institutions of higher learning and who are specialists in the course of study areas to be revised during their terms of office; and

(4) Seven additional members appointed by the Governor, one from each of the seven congressional districts, each of whom shall be either a business or professional representative not employed in the field of education. The Governor's appointees shall have expertise and be actually involved in the course of study field under consideration and shall be confirmed by the Senate.

Additional standards for membership on the State Courses of Study Committee may be established by the State Board of Education other than those prescribed hereinabove. Said standards shall be sent to every local board of education and every county and city superintendent.

Local boards of education, through their superintendents, shall nominate persons to serve on these committees. Local boards shall furnish credentials of each person recommended, including a summary of each person's qualifications for membership on the committee. All nominations along with said credentials shall be forwarded to the State Superintendent of Education. The State Board of Education, upon the recommendations of the State Superintendent of Education, shall appoint all members of the State Courses of Study Committee from the nominees made by the local boards of education. The Governor's appointments need not be nominated by a local board of education, nor recommended by the State Superintendent of Education, nor approved by the State Board of Education.

The term of office of the members of said committee shall be for a period of one year, beginning on the first day of May 1984; provided, however, that the terms of office for the Governor's initial appointees shall begin immediately upon their initial appointment. The members shall hold office until their successors are appointed.

Before transacting any business, each member of the State Courses of Study Committee and its secretary shall take an oath before someone authorized to administer oaths to discharge faithfully the duties imposed upon him or her as a member or as secretary of said State Courses of Study Committee, and that he or she has no interest as an author, an associate author, a publisher, a representative of authors or publishers, and that he or she is in no way connected with the distribution of books, or pecuniarily interested directly or indirectly in the business or profits of any person, firm or corporation anywhere engaged in manufacturing, publishing or selling school books.

Members of the State Courses of Study Committee shall be paid a per diem at the rate provided by state law during the time they are in session; provided, that the committee shall not remain in session at any one time for a longer period than 30 days and in addition shall receive travel expenses at the rate provided by state law for mileage from their homes to the place of meeting and return, the per diem and mileage to be paid from the appropriations made to the State Department of Education.

The Courses of Study Committee shall conduct continuing studies and evaluations of the courses taught in the public elementary and secondary schools of the state. It shall prepare the contents of the courses of study for each grade of the elementary and secondary schools and revise the same from time to time. In evaluating the course of study, consideration shall be given to the required basic content, texts used and available, the educational objective of the course, changing scientific, technological and cultural developments, as well as established facts of American history, tradition and patriotism. The committee shall from time to time, but not less than once in each two years, prepare a report of its recommendations with respect to the compulsory minimum content of courses of study and of recommended revisions of courses, materials, subject content and treatment in specific courses and subject areas. The report shall be submitted to the State Superintendent of Education and to the members of the State Textbook Committee for separate written recommendations to the State Board of Education for such action as may be considered advisable.

The State Board of Education, on the recommendations of the State Superintendent of Education, shall prescribe the minimum contents of courses of study for all public, elementary and high schools in the state, and shall fix the maximum number of courses which are compulsory in each grade of the elementary schools.

In every elementary school in the state there shall be taught reading, spelling and writing, arithmetic, oral and written English, geography, history of the United States and Alabama, elementary science, health education, physical education and such other studies as may be prescribed by the State Board of Education.