By ordinance of June 7, 1841 the First Municipality Council established three schools for the education of the children of the municipality. One school provided for the children of white parents resident in the 1st and 2nd wards, one for those in the 3rd and 4th wards, and one for those in the 5th ward. The course of education was to include "the elements of the English and French languages."

The Council each year was to elect one of its own members from each of the five wards, along with a resident citizen from each ward, to serve together as the Board of Directors for the Public Schools in the municipality. The Board was to meet at least once each month. It was responsible for the general management of the schools, the selection and removal of teachers, the superintendence of the conduct of teachers and students, the direction "of the course and system of education to be adopted," and for setting forth rules for the internal organization and discipline of the schools. The Board was to report at least once a month to the Council, and their reports were to be published along with the proceedings of the Council. In November of each year the Board was to furnish the Council with estimates of the amounts needed for the support of the schools.

A new ordinance, passed on October 3, 1847, repealed all existing laws and placed the schools under the control of the Council's Committee on Public education, which served along with the Mayor, Recorder, and five citizens (appointed by the Mayor, one from each ward) as the Board of Directors of Public Schools for the municipality. This "new" Board was empowered to create additional schools (funding permitting), to prescribe the duties of the teachers and other employees, to make all rules for the admission of students, to prescribe the course of study and discipline, and, in general, to provide for and direct the government of the public school system. The ordinance further specified that the course of study "...shall comprise the english and french [sic] language (reading, writing, arithmetic, and grammar) together with such other studies as the Committee may find proper and practicable." Other duties and responsibilities of the Board were detailed by this and subsequent ordinances.