Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1946 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN SELLERS cyg+O”ER ~q-Tc#RNEY GENrRAL gonomble T. ?4'.Trimble p&pat AaBiBttut st8to supt. Of Public Ica"truotion AUBtin, T8Xfi% Dear Slrl Opinion no. O-70&8 Her Sale o?'rahool building of elemntery sohool district signed by the County Siqwr vere very zwlpful to this School Trustees of t by aimexing three pcmdent S&o01 Dlr- ioniareque8ted relate 110three dlatzicta by The tWtB 01 diBtZ';FICt.' briefly summaxiced ea na1rJtalnedno aoh 0 th8 iorxaationoi the trict, all sahola~tlos the ele?nuntmy gradea, hrre attend- B loaated in the Oity of San Wmaos. 6me school bullding and a teauherage owned by A are not used and 8re rapidly deteriorating. 2. School Dllitriat B mf.11 l&3 mainE+bsed for gmorrble T. W. Trlmble - page 2 Anglo-Amoriaan BtUdWltB elementary school through the 7th grad. in its sohool bulldlng. xoveveP* for eight ysallrits hl$h school Btudentr have sttended the high school of San Marco6 Independent Sahool DIetrict. Prior to the fozmtlen of the rum1 high school dletrlct, tultlon for BU@~ 8tudentB VW paid from local fundr OS rchool di,strlot B. After the forrurtlonof the rural high BchOol dlBtrlOt eQd beton the cOIIIIeDce- ment of the 1945-46 rahool year, it van determined that the An@o-Amerlcen ele- leantory students should be traarported to and taught in the elementary rchool looeted vithln the City of San Jkroo~. Accordingly, thlr vaa done, md no muhool fop mob rtudenta vas malntalnod In mhool district BL A Spanleh-Ameploen elomemterg sat1001her been maintained ln the dlmtrlct prior to urd mincethe foxuatlon or the ~u- rrl high rchool dlstxlot. During the who01 gem just oonaluded the 8veraga dctil~r atten- dauae of rush Spsnlsh-Amerloen studentr w&s This rohool vas the only Bahool ulntai.ned %tUn the distrQt during 1945-46. 3. School district C lus maintained no school for ~lO-~PbUI BtUbnfB iOr 9OPB th& eightyears. Al& wah Boholmstlor,~both ln elementary end fn high Bohoel gmder, heve attended city BehOOlB, and ttition VI8 paid until the forimtlon of the rural high eohool QlBtPlct. Aweleme~tery rohool fop Spenlrh- Aa~eriaenscholastlcr hrn been mainklnod both prior to and after fowatlon of the pupal high Bohool dl.rtrlct. 11n194 -16 the total enroll- ment of thl.~ eahool vaa 5 1; hovever, the ever- ago daily attendance van only 18.2. In connection vlth these faot8 tbe following queetlonr (LPBaskedr "Under the fact6 above-Btated ufm the tPUBtsOB h , . mmorable T. W. TrlmKb - w 3 OS San Marcor I. S. D. (1) dlsaontinue esah end %.U of the school8 (or &I thereof eZeept the B%.idtV0 Mexlasn sa.hools,'If it Be des5rsble to oontlnue .the 8ome) in the forn!ercanusonBohaOl dlrtrsSot%~8nd (2) petition the county bawd ol'sahool trustees of H-8 County, Texsm, to oonaolidste each of eoid folwer BChOOi distAat8 with San MsZ'a~sI. S. D. fOl'ele- mentsry aahoolpwpose8? 3hOuld the aounty board see fit to nopln, the order affeatlng auah aonsollds- tlQn, then vould the trUStseD of 8snUera08 I. S.D. be In position ta sell 8nd aowey snd psms goad tl- tl6'to Said prop%rty, sftUated la the said former aomuwn sahool distxlctsP . . .* You ssk iurther, if t&e county besrd does not see fit to pars ?ih8con%olldE&lon order, vhst reaoume the Ssn Msmos bosrd of tmtmtsea would have, and 0180, if the 8linXBXCOS bcsxd of tl’U%l;saB oaa#aotpeer,title sa outlined In the 6bove quoted rwitter, Vhat pro- ~&PO shouldbs fdllOti$ in the OCBV9~MtJOor ssid popsrty. Thatps?ttiArtlale ~22fdesllngtith sbollshings.nd aorwolldrtlng elensntary saha01 distriata szn¶the disaantlnusnee at futh0018vlthln elenentrry school diBtriOt% restis%8 ialZ``%; "The countybosrd of sahe~ltrusteea ehsll not&me the authori to eballsh OF oon8olUs~ my elensnty ?: at %l*ssdy e%t%bllshed swept school dlstr uwn the vote of aaarfalty of the quallfleb electors residing In such elementsry diiltrict3 p~ov3..ded th%t vhen s sahoo~ wlthln sn elewntsry dlmtrlct foils te hsve sn BAVB&@dully St- tendsnoe the preaedlng year of st lesst twenty pupils it megbe di8oontlnuedby the board of trustee8 of Bsldrursl high sahool dlstrlot, snd sad pistriat Amy be uoasolldated bv the oountx b0s.t.d of sah~tmasteea tith aoms othe~dis- h&-or dlstr~ts ior ekeks.m sahool purnosee; . . .I' (Emphs818 supplied) Upon flrat @u-me it vould app%ex that if f&e everag dally sttendeaccrof w school vlthla sn elmtmtary dl%t~l& VBFC)below tventy, then thet m could by discontinued @?d the entim dis- triat could be consolidated with enother district oP distrlate for grium``.o``yx``a. This, hovever, is obviously net VhiiTF- Afmma that in sn element%P'yd3.striat four elmmntsry scimols mm3 raointd.ned,tkWe With 8@rt5th*o 100 ``orrble T. W. TrLrble - pasr 4 stuuonts and 0110vith 0aly 10. Thea a literal r0ii0vbg 0r the atetute vould pneaxthat the district oould be oonaolldated, aa outlined, vlth another dlatrtct for elementary school purpoaea. l%e abaurbity of such a conclualon la evident, It IS OUP opin- 1~ that the ~gialature intended, and the statute should ba in- terpreted to Inolude, all elementary aaholastIo8 reaidlng In the dirtriot. In other vorda, 1P the averaga daily attendaace of all lleatentarylcholaatica reaIdLnmgin the dlatrlct falls belov tven- ty, then the aohool OF achoola can be diaoontlnued and the dla- trlot caulda~o~naolld8ted vlth mother dlatrlot or dlatrlcta lor 9-J--~- vuumoaea. Even vlth thI8 interpretation It vould appear tbet the lltuatlon under conaldention would fall apumely vlthin the prc- vlaioaa of the proviso providing ror the emaolldatlon of a school dlatrict wboae avera& daiJq rttetu%moe falls belov tventy, for in labool district A no elemOnkry pup118 attended school vlthln the dj%triot, nnd in school diatriats B pnd C the overage dsily atten- daaca in eaoh of the Spanlab-Amorhan elementary lchoala, the caly onea malntaiaed,vas below tventy, Xovevor, let ua oxrpliaoArtlole 29g21 furthor, vblch artlclo providea, In parta ‘Whonevor cne or XOFB ccmmo~lschool dlatrlcta me aaaexod to a cmoa school diatrlot or to an ladepen- dent dlatrlot under the pr~vfaIoaraof Section 1, auoh comea or Independent dlatrlot ahall maintain elemeatary achoola of such clasalfIcatIfm aa tho ocunty board amy dealgnate In each dlatrlct 80 umexod, ror the aaae i0ndth 0r ton8 prcvlded tar the acboola 0r tho aaid ommcn aohool dlatriot or Independeat dlatrlct. . .* In intsrpret5,a.g this provlalon the oourtIn the caao of County Boerd of School Tmstees of Limatoae CountJ v. WIlacn et at (TOM. clv. App.),5 S. U. (26) 805, aktod aa follwa: (I * . . l&en tvo or mor0 diatriota are eor~aolI- dated under the articles sbovo referred to (Articles 2806-2815), each dlrtrlct lore8 It8 oepwete ldentlty, unleaa It be ror oertein llmltod purpoaea In eonmo- tlcn vith taxation, end they togothsr thoreaftor oon- atituts P single dlstrlot a8 Ehcugh they bad Mver had asparats exlatence. In auoh cai3o eleaentaxg aohoola may be looated by the hoard of trusteea of the ooaaoli- gcmor8ble T. M. Triable - page 5 m2w-, itI sun tb a tundmrth eltmtutm mtioi~n- te y 8o b o ota l acbaola r a wt b er r ia ta laiamd lu h efth ua m x a d dlmtrlotm. of aou2-ma, it 20 la&dad in turn mmndatm th a t l ma t- imfaotary mahool numtbmntmiatmZnmdma&mmohoolor mohoelm ful- l.y a deq ua to llemmatmry ra r c imBhaumti~mnm``gwitun thm llmmmntmry dirtrIot,re it vovld not b premmul that tha Lmgim- lr?iurmintmadedthmt IIIunmmtiBf&~ lolwolor m lohoolte~ my a a~eain oh88 or maho;Zutit38 0otlra 8atbry tb 8twutory nquirm*nt . Wehmvebmmnmdvimmdthmttbmelea mohcUmt%om or A, B @ad 0 wh@ &tWnb tb 018 8ahool dl8trlotl, mahoolle- o&tad la thm GlQ or &mn Meoom do no by m&wommnt ktwmoa t&a hemrdor trurntm48 6r t&ruPml hi& mahea dlmtPfot(8ulumzofBm Iadepn&nt bahool D1mbriat) and thm re8ts*rrtmor muoh mlemma- tary Qiatrlatm. wa bavm baa-4 aaviW& that prior to tbm tilm thmtawhpupila ltetmUrttmMUn$ thm olbf mohoolm, mush dim- tWatbmd eclmuy mvmrm6m orilorr,tkma t-at7 gupile;mnd,rur- In Ueuer at ml., 0. BOSM cr wum*m or Wll*on Inde- mot soh00i mmw0t 0%~. APR., w. 6. w.), 184 8. w. iad) p" 864, a rni%lglalmPl~8 mituatiea to tha OIId uabr QOnrld- oration wu km8 tb* 00m. la thatoammarural bighmahoo1 dlmtrlat hd bmmn forsbdby thm Ummxmtbn OiMorgmn fndrrpmndent Mb001 Dl8t&t $0 wil8On f&.epWId& fMh@01 DIStPlot. WO qUOk fm8 ta 0pini0n or tb, court: ” . . . "Anelenrstmry 8ehoolwmm a&nWnmd in tbm Uorgan eohool dimtriotror o~yearr~llewlug theelm~tioabut for 8ubmequeatymPm the elonsntmry pupil8 hwr attmnclmd the Wlron mcboo2, mndths I#orgram~hoolpr~psrties hmvm not been ummd fw mehoo3, pwpk9mmmr i4tmt-mwheel mutherltlem hmvu reoognlcmd the nmv dlmtr%ot. Tbm two bullblngm mwtblo 2. II.l'risblm- pqm &I aUvertla*d for male are Leaabmrm@ hcae* log8tod 0~1tbm Morijira sohoal (yauP&a. + .' The court i"rurth*r statal: * . . . 2922s pxwf&+r, la aulmtuma ‘Artide that the couatybawd or robool trQm4wm 8ha.l net iLYe tbo 8utbo&4ty to ~bOU.da Uy amboo dlatrlat oftbe qUml%fledvvotermi*YOr*d i%m mbmtittaa.. (-#USSiB mypptlmd) The oatm held, in eraot, t-bat the *ah001 dirtrict.8 to- a rum1 bt@t lokooldlrtx%ot did sot lomr tbmir f&eatlty tbewby, did af8t #emm te hvm w# inQprnsraaul*kew, utcl, fur- ttur,tbattbmbum4 ortmutm*m or em rusd hl.@ maboor di+- triat hmd a o luthorlt~ ta mmll tbm annmxti dtitofat'm lcbwl prop- mggy. SW also Cbmakta v. kuldfn (lbx. 4%~. kpp.), 52 EL. Y. (2d) * rwm`` tbenfim, ad~i*mU ttw the pmrtorAx%.&Xh?f 488fixqvlth ct~Q%8ctaatlmwttonofs&oola vtacwav82sge d8ll.x attetxlaaco was lwm tbaa treaty pUpl,lm mnd 00BmolS.4mtiag thm Urn- triot vlth maother dlmt~lot OF dXmtv%etm by thm aouatt Wmrd oi a&o01 tmuteer rob llramntwv school mm io net mppllcrble to the llttnttaPr der asasideutisn fer tbo y.g em tbak tmUar thm hats as outliabd% .seinwt& muboeldl.mtrMi ``hdmfiwmrrsrgr dally attmatlawm of 18~8 thma ty bmfam its atvdmntm rtarted attma&iPt:the sitr sh?vl, aad taa rwlaia, drill attN~ae ef ptrpllanoiding in emoh dlmtrlat ubo a&tea& tbm dImtr&.ctl*houla and the oitp mh.od Ir in weema bi twnts. You are f%mttier a&f&mod t&t it is bhm opinion of this depmaawt that- bacld 5r truteam of t33mBmBlmxwem Xs.ad*W- Matrfat has no auth~.oplty to 501X &km IrmildW and Imn& 4nt 2iahhcel ef maheel diattiotm A, B mnd C onlea& pab vat11 mu eleotltm $8 hold u&or Article i!%?$!f or Aptfalo @f&t%uh*rSby rucrbmebebool f&la- tr1cta are coaaolibat*d. Statevsr Cadenheab&, 129 5. W. (2d)743 ? P