Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1940 )

OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Honorable Homer L. Moss Cat&y Attorney Fheeler County 'Sheeler , Term Dew Sirs tar 0r lW8h 6. 1943, in whlah you labmi qautlonr for 8ur oplnlonr brief an4 anOly#ir 0r the eta- th roar reqwd, ~4 which ham 0 to w tn proprriaq our 0plLnlon. 7 6,a slnea tr in d the 19IBSooditiaatioa 8~10, provi484 only thet rerideatr 0r ats might vote for aouaty 8shool trw- seatlon 8 or not8 1937, 40th Legl818ture, Firrt Cmlb&Queion Chapter tU, page Sil%i (ArtiOle8948-r., $@I- tiw 8, Veraoot8 Tow8 Civil 8Nattlt.u)pr0vbQs a8 fallarsr Xommble Komr L. Kt%im,Page 8 "One oounty trwtbe ahall be eleots4 rr0m the eowty at large, and one from eaah ~Omai8- slonere9 preolnct by the totem of the dletrlok under tha eupervleionof tha aounty trustees an4 no eohool district not under the aupenl6lon ol suah trustees shall partioipatein their 4140- tlon." %;edo not consider it neoewary to determine whether there 18 a eonfllat be&wean th8 lbuve quote4 prwIaIon an4 8in4e Artiale 8476 he8 been lub6equentlyimuaea Artisle gk39f3 8p44iri0aijr 4erIgnetlngthe penons entitle4 to vote in 8aob eleotlons and would be oontrolllngUJ a more reoent exprearlon ot the Legislature In the event suoh oontliat should 8xkt. Htlele 2676, Revired Clvll Statutea, 1923, aa8 ~404 by ,&ate 193E, 42k14L@&., 3rd C. S., Ch. 34, p. 9@, 80 88 to prwl4er *The general menagement an4 the eontrel of the publIcarI-088Oh@OlO an4 high 8shool8 in uoh OoWty, wle88 QthWWi8e pX’OV14od by law #hall bo vwted illriv4 @I oewty MhoOl trort~r lloetoa flwm the cmlnty, (we 0r whomshall be yeer8. . . . 44X8.) s6ettOXI8 PXWViaOa that tb0 ht 8h4ulb apply to al aountl4s hwlng not le88 than LO,868 an4 not more then 10,JIO Inhabitantsby the Iart, preooUirq$ Fedex-ml04n8a0. Section 3 do&are4 (uprraurgmay beoewo sf the fwt that the dottnty Board of 8ohaol trwteu 4xerol8e4 control over oon8olI44to4 in4epen44nt*oh001 4IstrLts 8n4 that andor lxIrtIag ler qaellile4 votam in Su@h distriat dld not hmve the prlvIle&e at voting for sahool trustee8 et large. This &at wW a$aiI34msadd by Aotr 1934, lard Leg., Bnb c. s., Oh. 88, p. 108, br re-enaatinEthe above quoted provld~os~,viilidatingthe el8etidn or tru&Oea theretofore lleote4 In aeeordeuoe with tholr~prwlrrions,elMnat1~ Eonorablo Homer L. #&88, pame 5eotIon 2 thererrom,ana repealing all laws or parts or law8 In oonfllot therewith. It is evident tbzt this amendz.entwas passed to ellmlnetethe oonfuslon caused by Seotlon 2 of Acts of 42nd Le6., lat C. S., Ch. 34, p. 90, and to make the statute ap- plloable to aountles generally. It is our oplnlon that Article 2676, ns amended, oontrols the answer to your flr8t question end only qualiibd voters or oonsmonend oonaoltdate4Independentaohool dla- trlete of a oounty sre entitled to vote far oountp school tnmtec at large. A elmllar ruling was m&de by this Departmut. in an oplnIon dated Febraarf 9, 19321,a44resse4 ta Hon. 0. X6. Mann, Letter Book S60, page 927, in oonatruing the mm4 language In Auts 42n4 Leg., 3rd C. S., Ch. 34, p. 98, al- though oo rsrerenoe was made therein to Seation 2 of that Aet. Artlels 2677, Rwlw4 Clvll Statutea, lQE5, pro- VIUU the .gmir204tiOru or aounty 8ohOOl trtwt444 and reads In part a8 r0ii0w8: The oovnty 8ohool truste68 shall be qwlf- rIe4 vet8rs or the praolnet or oonnty Xrorh.WUch they are eleeted, 8nd four of them shall reside In dirrermt dosmiseioners~preelaats. They 8hall be of go04 mral oharaater. able to read and speak the English language, 8hall be persons of good 44u- eation, and eball'be in sympathy with Che pub110 rree aohool. . . .* Artidle 2630 doee not purport to deiins the quall- Sisatlons Or 0ouaty tmrrtees. The requirementsor Artlalo 2477 with referenae to the realdenoe of the aounty eohool trustee at large only requires that snah trustee be a resident of the county rmn whloh he la eleate4. It is our opinion that a county mhool trwtee at large 1s not requlrrd to reside in a OO~QQOII or oonaolldate4 inaepdmt soho aistriet, but may be a rerrlasnt of iin inae- t?dont sohool diatrlat 1x1the oounty from whlah ho 18 tleot- . Yours very truly ATTOBXEY OXX+ZAL OF TlLUS APPROVEDMAR 18, 1943 ATTORNEY GENEFiALOF TEXAS