Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

R-375 Hon. Jack C, Altaras Opinion No. V-171 County Attorney Johnson County JM: Canvassing of election Cleburne, Texas 'returns of trustee el- e&ion in the rural high school districts. Dear 9ir: . \ We refer to your letter of recent date ac- knowledged by the AttQrney General on April 16, 1947, wherein you request an opinion of this office on the following submitted subject matter and question: Several common school districts were grouped is accordanc6 with Article 2922a, V.C.S., with one iddependent school district, and now'18 known as a rural high soheel district. This high school district has less than 500 sehol- astics, and remains under the supervis-~ ion of the County School Superintendent. Query: What body should canvass the returns and declare the results of elsctlsnr for trustees of a rural high school district. We,assume, for purposes ,of this opinion, that the rural high school district in question was legally created under provisions of statutes, Articles 2922a and 29220, V.C.S., governing the establishment and creation of rural high school d%stricts. .Under'the,prorisions~of~hrtic~e 2922b,V.C.S., a rural high school district is olassified as a common school district. Further, a rural high school district has been so considered and treated as a common school district in the cause styled, Mt. View Common SchoolDis- trict vs. Blanc0 County Board, etc., 149 S.W. (2) 224, writ dismissed. Article 2774a, Section 4, V.C.S., provides Bon, Jack C. Altaras - Page 2 (V-171) that the control and management of the schools of a rural high school district shall be ves,uedin a Board of seven trustees, eleoted by'the qualified voters of the district at large, who shall be elected and serve in accordance with the provisions of the general law relative to common school districta, exoept as other- wise provided. Thus, the election:procedure to be follow- ed in the eleotlon of rural high school district trua- tees, is controlled by the laws governing the eleotion of common school district trustees. In Opinion No. O-4446, a copy of which is attached hereto, this De- partment advised that the Commissioners Court should canvass the returns of trustee eleotlons of oomon school districts in acoordanee with provisions of Ar- ticle 2746a, V.C.S. Accordingly, it is the opinion of this of- fice that the Commissioners' Court should oanvass the returns and deolare the rearultsOf eleotions for t,rus- tees of rural high school dirtricts. The Commissioners' Court should can- vass the returns of trustee eleotions in rural high school distriots in aooordanoe with the provisions of Article 2746a, V.C.S. Very truly yours ATTOREEYGEEERAL OFTEXAS Chester E. Ollison CEO:djm:wb Assistant Enclosure ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS