(a) A county Superintendent of Education for DeKalb County, Alabama, shall be elected by the qualified electors of DeKalb County, Alabama, at the next general election who shall hold office until his or her successor is elected and qualified as hereinafter provided.

(b) At the next general election to be held in the county and state a county Superintendent of Education for DeKalb County, Alabama, shall be elected, who shall hold office for a term of four years and until his or her successor is elected and qualified, unless sooner removed for good cause. Each four years thereafter, a county Superintendent of Education for DeKalb County, Alabama, shall be elected by those qualified voters of the county residing outside of a municipality served by a city board of education at the regular general election, nominations for which office may be made in primary elections as other county officers.

(c) The salary of the county superintendent of education shall be fixed by the county board of education of the county at not less than fifteen hundred dollars ($1,500) per annum nor more than two thousand dollars ($2,000), which salary shall be paid in the same way and manner as now provided under the general laws of the state for the payment of salaries of county superintendents in the several counties.

(d) The county superintendent of education shall be charged with the same duties and shall exercise the same powers as are now provided by the general school laws of the state in the conduct of the office of county superintendent of education. No person shall be eligible for political party nomination or for election to the office of county superintendent of education of the county who does not as now required hold an Alabama certificate in administration and supervision based as a minimum upon graduation from a standard normal school or equivalent education with at least one year of additional study of college grade and proof of three years of successful teaching experience; provided that, if no person meeting these requirements qualified for nomination and election as provided in this section, the county board of education shall appoint a county superintendent of education as provided by the general law regulating the appointment of superintendents.

(e) In the event of a vacancy in the office for any cause, except removal, such vacancy shall be filled by the county board of education, and the person so appointed shall hold office until the next general election thereafter when his or her successor shall be elected. Should any county superintendent be removed for cause by the County Board of Education of DeKalb County, such vacancy shall be filled by election by the County Board of Education of DeKalb County and the newly elected county superintendent of education shall hold office as in the case provided by appointment of the county board of education. Provided, that the county board of education may remove the county superintendent of education for immorality, misconduct in office, incompetency, or willful neglect of duty, or when, the best interests of the schools require it. Any of which causes shall be alleged and proved, and the county superintendent of education shall have the right to be heard in his or her defense as in cases of impeachment against county officers, and all such hearings shall be before the county board of education and shall be conducted as in cases provided under the general laws for the impeachment of county officers, and provided that upon such removal for cause any county superintendent may appeal to the circuit court and have a trial by jury.

(f) The duties and powers prescribed by the general laws of Alabama for the office of county superintendents in the supervision of the schools of the several counties shall apply to and be incumbent upon the county superintendent elected or appointed under this section, and before entering upon the duties of the office he or she shall take the oath of office prescribed by the constitution, and give bond in an amount to be fixed by the State Board of Education in a reputable surety company authorized to do business in Alabama, conditioned upon the faithful performance of the duties of this office, and upon the accounting and paying over to the proper authority of all moneys coming into his or her hands.

(g) The county superintendent elected under this section shall, on the third Monday in September of each year, cause to be published in a newspaper published in DeKalb County a full and accurate statement of all money expended, such statement shall show the amount paid to each teacher and the amount expended in the conduct of each school separately in the county, if there be no newspaper published in the county then such publication shall be made by posting one copy of such statement at the county court house and one copy at two other public places in the county.