County boards of education are hereby authorized to lay not in excess of the following maximum levies, for the purposes specified and in the following order:

(1) With respect to a magisterial, independent or other school district existing in a county prior to May 22, 1933, or any special taxing district for which the board of Education is required to lay the levy, for the payment of (a) interest and sinking fund requirements for bonded indebtedness incurred prior to the adoption of the Tax Limitation Amendment; and (to the extent not so required), (b) other legally incurred contractual indebtedness not bonded, if any, incurred prior to the adoption of the Tax Limitation Amendment as follows: On Class I property, thirty-five one hundredths of 1¢; on Class II property, seven tenths of 1¢; and on Classes III and IV property, one and four tenths cents.

(2) For either or both of (a) the permanent improvement fund, and (b) the payment of interest and sinking fund requirements for bonded indebtedness incurred subsequent to the adoption of the Tax Limitation Amendment, as follows: On Class I property, one and five tenths cents; on Class II property, 3¢; and on Classes III and IV property, 6¢.

(3) For the general current expenses of schools as follows: On Class I property, twenty-one and one tenth cents; on Class II property, forty-two and two tenths cents; and on Classes III and IV property, eighty-four and four tenths cents. But if the Tax Commissioner has approved the levy of an additional amount for the general current expenses of the county as authorized by section six-b, subsection three, the amount of the levy authorized for boards of education by this subsection shall be reduced by the Tax Commissioner to that extent.

If the rates of levy under paragraph (2) above are not required in whole or in part for the purposes for which they are allocated by this section, the county board of education may, with the prior written approval of the state board of school finance, created by section three, article nine-b, chapter eighteen of the code, as amended, lay such rates of levy or portion thereof not so required, for the general current expenses of schools: Provided, however, That if the rates of levy under paragraph (3) of this section are not sufficient for the purposes for which they are allocated, the county board of education may, with the prior written approval of the State Tax Commissioner, lay such additional rates of levy, or portion thereof, as are surrendered by the county court under paragraph (3), section six-b of this article: Provided further, That a county board of education shall be required to levy outside the levy rates hereinabove provided sufficient to pay the principal and interest requirements on bonds now or hereafter issued by any school district not exceeding in the aggregate five per centum of the assessed value of all taxable property in the county school district, to be ascertained by the last assessment for state and county taxes, previous to the incurring of such indebtedness, in the manner provided by the "Better Schools Amendment," as ratified.