Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
cyg+O”ER SELLERS
~q-Tc#RNEY GENrRAL
gonomble T. ?4'. Trimble
p&pat AaBiBttut
st8to supt. Of Public Ica"truotion
AUBtin, T8Xfi% Opinion no. O-70&8
Dear Slrl 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 110 three dlatzicta by 01 diBtZ';FICt.' The tWtB briefly summaxiced ea na1rJtalned no aoh 0 th8 iorxaation oi 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 l&3 mainE+bsed for B mf.11 *2 gmorrble T. W. Trlmble - page [2]
Anglo-Amoriaan BtUdWltB elementary school through the 7th grad. in its sohool bulldlng. xoveveP* for eight ysallr its 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 forrurtlon of 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~. thlr vaa done, md no muhool
Accordingly, fop mob rtudenta vas malntalnod In mhool district BL A Spanleh-Ameploen elomemterg sat1001 her been maintained ln the dlmtrlct prior to urd mince the foxuatlon 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 during 1945-46. %tUn the distrQt 3. School district C lus maintained no school for ~lO-~PbUI iOr 9OPB th& BtUbnfB eight years. 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~eriaen scholastlcr hrn been mainklnod both prior to and after fowatlon of the pupal high Bohool dl.rtrlct. 11n 194 -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 (LPB askedr
"Under the fact6 above-Btated ufm the tPUBtsOB *3 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%.id tV0
Mexlasn sa.hools, 'If it Be des5rsble to oontlnue .the
8ome) in the forn!er canuson BohaOl 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~s I. 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 ?ih8 con%olldE&lon order, vhst reaoume the Ssn Msmos bosrd of tmtmtsea would have, and 0180, if the 8lin XBXCOS bcsxd of tl’U%l;saB oaa#aot peer, title sa outlined In the 6bove quoted rwitter, Vhat pro- ~&PO shouldbs fdllOti$ in the OCBV9~MtJO or ssid popsrty.
Thatps?ttiArtlale ~22fdesllngtith sbollshings.nd aorwolldrtlng elensntary saha01 distriata szn¶ the disaantlnusnee at futh0018 vlthln elenentrry school diBtriOt% restis %8 ialZ~~%;
"The countybosrd of sahe~ltrusteea ehsll not&me to eballsh OF oon8olUs~ my elensnty the authori school dlstr at %l*ssdy e%t%bllshed swept uwn the vote ?: of aa arfalty 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- sahool purnosee; . . .I' h&-or dlstr~ts ior ekeks.m (Emphs818 supplied)
Upon flrat @u-me it vould app%ex that if f&e everag dally sttendeaccr of 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'y d3.striat four elmmntsry scimols mm3 raointd.ned, tkWe With 8@rt5 th*o 100 *4 ~~orrble T. W. TrLrble - pasr 4
stuuonts and 0110 vith 0aly 10. Thea a literal r0ii0vbg 0r the atetute vould pneax that 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 leatentary l cholaatica reaIdLnmg in 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 vuumoaea . 9-J--~-
Even vlth thI8 interpretation It vould appear tbet the ltuatlon 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 abool 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 choala, the caly onea malntaiaed, vas below tventy,
Xovevor, let ua oxrpliao Artlole 29g21 furthor, vblch artlclo providea, In parta
‘Whonevor cne or XOFB ccmmo~l school dlatrlcta me aaaexod to a cmoa school diatrlot or to an ladepen-
dent dlatrlot under the pr~vfaIoara of 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 Independeat dlatrlct. . .*
In intsrpret5,a.g this provlalon the oourt In 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 lore8 It8 oepwete ldentlty,
2806-2815), each dlrtrlct 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 tbatundmr th e l tmtutm mtioi~n- te y 8o b o ol tar acbaola awt be r riatalamd ia l u h ef th uam xad dlmtrlotm. of aou2-ma, it 20 la&dad in turn mmndatm that l mat- imfaotary mahool numtbmntmiatmZnmdma&mmohoolor mohoelm ful- l.yadequato rar ci l lemmatmry mBhaumti~mnm~~gwitun thm lmmmntmry dirtrIot, re it vovld not b premmul that tha Lmgim- lr?iurm intmaded thmt III unmmtiBf&~ olwolor m ohoolte~
my a a~eain oh88 or maho;Zutit38 0otlra 8atbry tb 8twutory nquirm*nt . mohcUmt%om or
Wehmvebmmnmdvimmdthmttbmelea 8ahool dl8trlotl, A, B @ad 0 wh@ &tWnb tb 018 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*rrtm or muoh mlemma-
tary Qiatrlatm. wa bavm baa-4 aaviW& that prior to tbm tilm
thmtawhpupila tetmUrttmMUn$ thm olbf mohoolm, mush dim-
tWatbmd eclmuy mvmrm6m orilorr, tkma t-at7 gupile;mnd,rur- or Wll*on Inde- In Ueuer at ml., 0. BOSM cr wum*m 0%~. APR., w. 6. w.), mot soh00i mmw0t 184 8. w. mituatiea to tha OIId uabr QOnrld- iad) 864, a rni%lglalmPl~ 8 p" la that oamm arural bighmahoo1
oration wu km8 tb* 00m. dlmtrlat hd bmmn forsbdby thm Ummxmtbn OiMorgmn fndrrpmndent
Mb001 Dl8t&t $0 wil8On f&.epWId& fMh@01 DIStPlot. WO qUOk tb, court: fm8 ta 0pini0n
” . . .
"Anelenrstmry 8ehoolwmm a&nWnmd in tbm Uorgan eohool dimtriotror o~yearr~llewlug theelm~tioabut
for 8ubmequeatymPm the elonsntmry pupil8 hwr attmnclmd
the Wlron mcboo2, mnd ths I#orgra m~hoolpr~psrties hmvm not been ummd fw mehoo3, pwpk9mmmr i4tmt-m wheel 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 0~1 tbm
Morijira sohoal (yauP&a. + .'
The court i"rurth*r statal:
* . . . ‘Artide 2922s pxwf&+r, la aulmtuma the that bawd or robool trQm4wm 8ha.l net iLYe tbo couaty amboo dlatrlat
8utbo&4ty to ~bOU.da Uy
oftbe qUml%fledvvoterm i*YOr*d i%m mbmtittaa.. mypptlmd)
(-#USSiB in eraot, The oatm held, t-bat the *ah001 dirtrict.8 a rum1 bt@t l okool dlrtx%ot did sot lomr tbmir f&eatlty
to- tbewby, did af8t #emm te hvm w# inQprnsraa ul*kew, utcl, fur-
ttur, tbattbm bum4 ortmutm*m em rusd hl.@ maboor di+-
triat hmd ao l uthorlt~ ta mmll tbm annmxti dtitofat'm cbwl prop- (lbx. 4%~. kpp.), 52 EL. Y. (2d) mggy. SW also Cbmakta v. kuldfn
* 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- vlth maother dlmt~lot OF dXmtv%etm by thm aouatt Wmrd oi triot a&o01 tmuteer rob lramntwv school mm io net mppllcrble to the lttnttaPr der asasideutisn fer tbo y.g em tbak tmUar thm hats as outliabd % .seinwt& muboel dl.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 ptrplla noiding in emoh dlmtrlat ubo a&tea& tbm dImtr&.ct *houla in weema bi twnts. and the oitp mh.od Ir
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- 4nt 2iahhcel Matrfat has no auth~.oplty to 501X &km IrmildW and Imn& 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 rucrb mebebool f&la- tr1cta are coaaolibat*d. State vsr Cadenheab&, 129 5. W. (2d) 743
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