Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1943 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Honorable Borrlr Hasrell countyAttorney Charokoe County Rusk, Texar Deer sirr or of dealg- fall .. rtrlot of the said I ter dated Heroh 23, 1943, reqwrtlag on the above captioned subject and ln acid0 vlasd Statu 941, the Rusk Xndependeat tared into (I aoatraot with , of Rusk, Tsrar, de- wld bank 08 tho oohool 001 diatrlot. There- voter8 of the Rusk Independent sahool Dirtriat wrotb the name of Jamen I. Perkins in the offi- ala1 ballot ln the sohool truatrs rtleotion in aeld dlstrlot. Ra vaa tlaoted a mrwber OS the oaid sohool board durlag hlr absoaoe and vlth- out his knowlsdgo that such aotlon va8 being Honorable Morris Hassell, Page 2 taken. Upon his return h4 vaa Induoed to dual- lfy Sor trust4o of said school dlstriat ior the waaon that he vas President of the Rusk Chwsberor Ccsmeroe and It vas thought ho vould b4 of o4nsIderabl4 benefit In rewl.ng on th4 sbhool board. “For several years and duw all of th4 above mcmtlon4d time, as ~011 as at th4 present tlmo, the #ala Jam05 I. P4rkIns has been a mQpI- bar of th4 Board ot.Dlnoton of the OItIsons state Bank, of Rusk, Texas, arid the question now presents itsrlf for your deolaion aa to vhether or not the raid James x. Pe'rklna vauld be dis- qualified i’ra serving en said sohool board. The d4poaItow aontraot vlth the CItIsens State Bank havias boa mad4 long prior to the eleotion of: the raid Jsm4a I. Perkins and bbl.ng a oontxaot to oontInu4 until A-t, 1943, the said Jasws I. Perkins vas in no manner Involved ln tha daposl- tory llootloa and oould not at this tlmo 14gal4 do asq act or thIag to invalidate or iPapa%r, or lnor4ase or doorease any liability or advmtage ealrtlng in ravor OS the aald bank vlth r4fer4no4 to the said sahool depository. “In vleu of the abovo admlttod taotr rad In view of the op&Ion of the departaent rendered by Olea ft. Invls dated April 22, 1939, oplnlon ' Hp. o-667, cliroated to Hon. TMIOtt Huggard, Coun- ty AttOmey, Canton, Texas, pretaInIng to a sohool matter, .I am oonstrainmed to Feel that the rald Jomer I. Perklkm vould not b4 diaqualliied to 541~4 as trttsteo during the existence oi thenpro. sent aontraot vhloh ax&es In August, 1943. Tb.4 Attorney (benoral’s Department in an opinion data& September 16, 1929, to Honorable 3. )I. R. Hans, State QupsrIntendent of Pub110 Instruotion, rUl1~ oonsldemd a sit- uation analogous to the situation prosanted In your letter requesting an opinion on the subject in qusstlw, salcl opln- .lon mada: , I/ Bonocabla Xorrta Haaaoll, Page 3 “llonorablo S. )d. H. #Iarra State 3uperintendent of Publlo Instruatlon Aus tin, Texaa Dear sirs v&l1 aoknovlrdge noaipt "This of our lott4r of Segtmb4r lUth, 4ddr4ssed to L Attorney iNneral. Ry thI5 favor, you ask the opinion of th4 departmat aa to vhethor a stookholdoa or direotor of a oorporatton aorvlng as depository 0~ troaaursr 0r an Indsponduit 5ohool distrlot vcmld be till- gIbl4 for. appointment end qualifloation 8s trustee of said 5ohool dlstrlot. 5r 8m o? the opinion that tiie two po5ItIons pmaent 5uah a oonfliot of Intcir- oats a8 to prevent the holding of the two rwlatlcn5hlps at one snd the 54m4 time. The trurt448 of u1 lndopendont 5ohool dI5trlot h4ve 85 part of their duty th4 taak of see- ing that the tmarumr or depository prop4r- ly rem&es the fund and 5~meys of th4 '5ohool dlstrlut. It IS also inoumbent upon the truat44s to 544 that th4 school funds acb properly proteoted by bonda and that the solvency of tkm boada and also th4 aolvancy OS the Institution should ba vatchad after to tha end that tha mneys may alvsya be properly protW+d. Znmmerabla ins tnnoes oould be recount& vhusr the peountary la- torests of a stool&older In a corporation would sway the trust44 to s9 aot of favor& tIamr at least that an uablared and non-in- tor45t4d truotee vauld r4aolve agalzmt 5wh depository or treaaurw) without attomptlng to mnam4rato th4as varlou5 obJrotIon5 v4 OOA- aluao that upon th4 grtnmd5 of pub110 pullay the two po5Itloa5 ar4 Inoomp5tIble ud th4t, therefon, we swat ansvor your quaatlon by saying that a 5tookboldor or offioer or a aorporation sating as a depository for an Indepondont sahool district vould not be llIglbl4 for a p p o intmentor ll$wtIon as iionorabla Saris Haaaall, Faga 4 trustee of aeid sob001 dlatriot . . lu i?e think that the quoted opinion states thr Isa oorrsotlr, an& applias to the altwtion sat out in your latter. Haat Is said in tha ebova quoted opinion i8 not In ooafliot with tha opinion OS thir drpartmant rsndorad by Glenn R. Laul5 on April 22 1939, OpinionSlo. O-667, 6irOotad to Ifanorabls Truatt Ru r , County Attoraay, Canton, Taxaa, baoauss Opinion 30. Q- + 7 ralatrs to 8 dimrant stat5 o? taats. xn oplnlon No. Q-667 it waa oorreotty bald that a teacher’s oontraot, being valid t&an ontoted into, rsmalned 50 notrlthrbsndlng a relative ot thr teacher thareattar be- cam a nember of the school board. Very ml19 yours I 49\ I t--- 39 E. P. Prior, Aasiataat AT’l’ORl?X~ GliN@ALOli’-8