262
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
ZIonorabb J. ?. EOlUbeO
COllAf AudItor
Lavaua countq
Hallettrville, 4exa8
Dear Bir; oplnionHo.o-7488
tr and asvera quertianr
Ion8 t&t require ansvar and
n are a8 follov8:
Are thevhlte and colorad acholastlcr com-
eliglblllt~ ol a school dlatrict for State
aid underSenate Bill 1671
In connection vith your first question, Article I,
Sec. 1, Act8 1945, 49th Legislature, BegulaP SessioJ3,S. 8. 167,
Hon. J. F. solubea - Page P
is the provlslon of tha so-called school aid law vhlch oontzvlm
and regulate6 State ald to school dlatrlctr l.nTexas. It fixer
6s the baa16 for the distribution of Stste aid to school dls-
trlots the sohol.astlcpopulation. Stated in another vay,
vhether a school dirtriot la ellgibLe for aid under 8. 0. 157
depends upon vhether under ths facts concernl~ the dlstFlct,
it falls within one of the aavsl*11cb3use6 Provldod in Article
I , Sec. L, Senate Bill 167.
Under said Section 1 of Article I, school districts
vllichsre eligible for Stete aid under Senste Bill 157, provided
t&y corsplywith other provlslon6 of the Act, may be destgluted
for clarity, categorically as r0110w6i
"State rid under the prorlslona of this
Act sball be distributed ln such a way as to nsalttz
after transfers out,* -
b "Consolidatedboa/or ruw1 high school
dlstr14o 6 vhloh have an avenrgo of not &on than
?Of)eoholastics of each or1 inal dlst~lct coin-
posing the oonsolld6ted and7 or rural high school
district units'
(a) "Provided that tha msxlplwrllaitatlon
as to 6ohola6tlc populstlon for ellglbllltJ
hsreln shall not apply for any type of aid to
any achool dlstrlat vhloh ia nlns mile8 or lp~rs
in length nor contains 48 s&are lpilssoi
territory or more provided there la not loos~ted
la such district an incorporated olfy or tom
l-mving 6 popul6ttion of mom th!Ln3600 inhsbitaots,
according to the lart Fedarnl Ceneus)
(d) 'Provided further thst the r~axl4u2n
llmitstlon at to the scholastic populatian for
e~lglbillty, herein set forth, shall not epply
to any school district which he6 4% of its
area submerged."
(a) "Dl8triCta ?%9in~f~1i1Qa sCh001 Rt
hcme end heving leas then en everage of one
Hon. J. ?. HOlUbe - ?age 3
enumerated 6oholartlo per aware ml16 are
exemptfrom said mlnlmm soholastlo nqulre-
mnt and rre ellplblr for aid for onl7one
teaoher unl666 6 geographloal barrier ne-
0666it6t66 th6 O~?diOll Of to0 66hOO16 fOP
th8 SUm glad@ in Stid dirtriot. . . .@
"Xi ths an shovbudgeta
"if
all other stricter bavlag less than .xdMd’
aiAfEU 8ohOl8rti@ re&nmeat rhall ba elf-
glble for onl7 tuition Sad tnntportatlon aid
to the nearest acorsalted sohool on snurseratexl
cmholastlo~ vhoss grader ar8 not taught in
said tllstPlot."
Under the hats sub6Lttted, t& 6t?hool distrlot
in question sot lllglble for state aid undsr olauser
llbtsd hemin as (d), inuluslve. It 16 equally &ear, in
the light Of th8 65lbQitt6d,t&It the Said distriot would
be eligible iOr the titloa 6x&I transportation ala provided
under 6UbdiVfSiOn (f) herelal,pmvlded the district does not
malntalna6ohoolathou.
%hWO PWKliPr t.0 b6 @Q~StdW6d Vb6tb6Pth6 6OhOOl
d~attilctln quertlon 18 eligible for teaehar aid under that part
ef Artiole I, See. 1, S. b. 167 quotad and derlgnnted as crlausa
4) la this opinion.underthe raots submUted,the 6chool
iSt2'fOt in qmrtim 16 13.6 6qUalv rt1.6 in ar.a, ha*- 8
W h it0lChOl~Sti~8 8nd 10 6OlOPOd MtW&66ti66, Thu8, li it 84
vithfa th8 eontexiplatlon0r SenateMl1 167, thatthe white
Uid OO&rctd 80h0~86tf06 be OOrpbiaedti W3lfJtiatiog'theS~holSS-
tie populatiea of tha-diStPi& ior tha purpose or determining
the sllglblllt~Of th6 bLStP%Ot CO? 8t8tS6id, it iO~Ol?S that
the dintriot 'in queetlon would mot fall vlthin tha provlsleam
of alause (a) as designated ha~ein, ml, thdnrore, vould not
be eligible tharsunder for state aid.
It 18 the eon6ld6rad oplalon of thin DeparQsent
that Article I, bea. 1, Senate Bill 167, oon~ates that in
the dstermlnatlonof 'the 8OholSsti~ pOpUlS%iori of a district
Sor the pUl90686 Of Said Act, th6 &Oh001 dietAut ateking
State aid hereunder shall use the "orlgiml enuaer6ted s&0-
lastica vithin the grade cl88slfled to be taught reaalnlng in
the dlstrlct after transfers out* aa provided ln Sec. 1 of Art.
If t&t the Aot doe8 not OenteiQlate the regregatlonof vhits
. 265
Ban. J. 1. Holubou - mua 4
amI crolored llNRentlO~
rcholartle to 4eteraUa the acholratie
gopuhtlon oi the dlrtrlot.
Artlslr 2902, V, A. C. 8., provldsa that, .~ll
children, vlthout regard to coloC, over rix yasm of age and
under 18 yoara or age at the beg N of any acholaatic year,
ahallbe lnch4ed in the aobohatloaenaue,’
TPW, titicl. III, Sea. I.of Senate Bill 167,
dealing vith Te.SebP-fU9il QUOt8 ~a&e~ iSalas7 Aid doe8
wqtin aa 8 baa18 far tbmt purpose the aaparatlon of vhlt8
ard aoloawl, bat Lt la ObvlOUOthat thla gartloular queatlon
require8 a aaparrto lmmemtlon betaurr undro Terra aegre-
'gatlonlmra, tea43hera will be required r0p reparsti rchools~
fwtibelslon, it fa rpplicubla to those districts aalr vhich
unbar sscttlan1, ~rtlola x, of 8mate all 167, oaa qualify
for 8tab al&
rtatuter F&at to th a lM1.r inPaM
?I tutiimal protlaloa, Art.
awe SpedfliMl r fo%lovod the crolu
'Vnf, 8cra.7 cmmtitutlon of Texea, fen th0 regregatien of
vhlte a5.l ooiored rcholaatfor. In eaohcase, however, where
aegregatlonvaa dealred, a apeelfic protfalan for aegmgation
ia alrePly at&u%. Ue flad no awh se g r e g a tio
lpeaiflaally
n
sa daorauahanlntcmdwatof l~re@tionmnda wtha Eyk-
lattm In 8eetion 1, Art. I, Seaate Bill 167,vhlah aeta out
the quallflaatioaa OS thoar aobool diatricta vblah~ ahall be
#liglbLe ior nsddrd Stat0 8%
tmler tha faotr a ub mlttw th
l,mlshcml Uattirltt
in question ia 13.6aquas ml108 In area. Coast &ectlon
-f
1, wt. I, Senate Bill 167,aB Ye do, the 88ld rat100 diatrlat
haa 18 snmmtea acholaitlca. This dlatPlct, therefore,
aanaot qualify for Stats aid under that provlalon of Artlole
I, 880. 1, Listed aa eleuse (e) haroia, because It doer not
have *1saa than an average of on. snulaerrts4achQl~atlo par
square ails.'
fn the 1Qht of the abora atatute and 6lacuasion,
it la the opinion of thia depm+Btnt that the 8na~ex’a to JOUP
c
l* 266
SOa. J. Y. lfoluko - ?rgr 5
question8 68 peatsted herein thoul4 be, and LFDJ,annrared both
in the ne@iVe.
yours very truly