Census of Education 1873
Just weeks later, in June 1873, the Minister of the Free Church, The Reverend Duncan Turner, asked for a special meeting of the Board to discuss his proposal that the Free Church School and School House be transferred to the Public School Board. The only conditions to be applied were that the present teacher be retained and that the Free Church congregation would have access to the schoolhouse periodically in the evenings and on Sundays. It would appear that the transfer was completed before the end of 1873.
In November 1873, the Schoolmaster, Mr Alexander Menzies resigned as he had been appointed Rector of Webster's Seminary in Kirriemuir. It was agreed that the post be advertised at a salary of £60 per annum.
A period of uncertainty followed, with several unsatisfactory appointments, culminating on 28 September 1876 with a special meeting of the Board to consider" What is to be done with the Teachers". As a result, the Schoolmaster, Mr Forbes was dismissed with effect from the end of the year. On 2 January 1877, Mr Peter McKenzie was appointed Schoolmaster of "The First Public School".
The records at this time indicate that the Board was still running two school buildings and they had begun calling them the "First" and "Second" Public Schools. The "First" most probably refers to the current school and the "Second" to the Old Free Church School at Balgray. By November of that year, the records indicate that the "Scotch" Education Department was putting the Board under pressure to close the Second Public School and it would appear that they did so, not long afterwards. The teacher at the second school, Miss Badenhead, was offered a teaching post at the surviving school providing she upgraded her teaching skills. She declined the offer and resigned in October 1877.