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804’
1
OFFlCEOFTJ+EATTORNEYGENERALOFTEXA~
AUSTIN
~JAoYER SUERS
#moIYcIGDtmuL
*, 1;
. I
.
Ronorablr John C. Marburger
county Attorney .' .,
Fayette county .' .
La Orange, Teraa
" I
mar Six: Oplnlon~ 100. o-6968 ~~
,’ : R*s Authority of the
Journal, which 1
Ycur letter of .reornt
i?oi~ this department OR the abov
ri iollowrr
tuatlon, could the .~
owner lsgallg file
raot with the Comnia-
, prevent it tron competing with
era ror the furnishing ot orrio aup-
Article 2688, v. A. c. s ., cr6atlng tha 0rriOr of
bntf Superintendent, provides1
::.
; 805
,-
Eomrab~lo John C. karburgdr, page 2
~. The C~issioners~ -Court or every oountp
hWl~!& three thnusand (3,000) eahalastio popu-
lation or QOI% as ahoun by tha preoeding acholaa-
ti0 oehsuu, shall at a Geharal 4lsotlon provide
for the eleotion of a Count Suparlntendent~ to
mrte ior a term of rour (4 7 years, .who i&all br
a parson of educational attainraants, gocd maral
oharaater, and executive ability, and I&O ahall
be provided by the Commissioners* Court with an
oiri08 in the court.i10us6, and with hecessary at-
ricr rumiture and rtitum. He shell ba the
holder of a teacher’s first grade oertliioate
or teaoher’ a pemanant cer tirioata.
county that ehall attain three thouss~$ y;“%O)
saholaatio population or mre the Co&~&&s*
Court ~sha11 appoint such Supcrln~tandcnt who shall
psrrorm the duties or such ofrice until the elco-
tion and qurilirioation 0r his suocesaor. Ih uoam-
ties having lass than thre6 thousand (3,000)
roholastio population whenever xore than tiesty-
fire per oent (255) or tha qualiried voters of
#aid county aa sham b- the vote for Governox at
the praoediag General Election shall petltion the
Comnlssloners~ Couvt therei*ir, said Court shall
order an elsotlon for said county ta datsrmine~
whether or not the oiiioe of’ County Superintendent
shall be arsatcd in said oo’!aty$ and, If a najorltp
or the qualirfed property taxpaying voters voting aa
I said sleotioh shall vote ror ths creation or.the of-
tie0 or county Superintendent in said county, the .
Coiimiasioners~ Court, at its next rsgulsr tzrz .-
artcr the holding ot said election, shall orate _,
the off lae or Cnuhtp Superintendent, and mm a
Cotmty Superint,zudsnt rho shall qualify under this
Chapter and hold su?h offiae until ‘the nsxt Gensral
;flaotion. ?2cvlded, that In all cou.aY ea having a
population la exoess at three hundred and tlfty
I thousand (350,000) iuhabitants aocor4tng to the last
t ~available Federal Csnsus the County Superintendent
~shall be a-pointad by the County Board of Education
/ and shall hold o?flcs ior two (2) years, provided
father, that this provision shall not operate so
I as to deprive any elaoted Superintendent oi his
office pri,or to the expiration of the tam ior
1 *hiah he has bean slcoted; provided further thst
/
ffanordle John C. Llarburger., peg6 3
:,.
,:,
fi oouutles having a scholastic population of ba-
twoan three thousaBd (j,OOO) and five thousand
(5,000) soholeatlcs, wherein the offica oi County
Buparintandaht hes not been oraated end a Supar-
iotaudant alaotad, than in such counties the question
ab whathar or not such offloa is astabllsha& shell ba
determined by tha qualified voters or said o’ouutp in
o spaoial aleotion celled tharafcv by the comlsslon-
,.aZs’ Court of said oounty, upoh petltlon tharafor a6
horainebova apadtiad.”
: ‘Avtlola 2689, Y. At C. S., is as tollotis: *
91s oounty superintendent shell iirst tek8
the official oath eud ahell enter into a bard in
the sum of one thousand dollars, with good end
suffialant auratl~as, to be payebla to and approved 9
by tha coamiseianara oourt, ooaditionad under the
ialthiul psrfonenoe of his duties. Any suu ool-
leoted on a iorfelture of said bond shell beooma a .
pert of the avai&able cauntp sohool fund.,*
i ‘~Artiole 2690, V.. A. C. .8., provider, 5.~ pea:
e.
aTha eountf suparintendt3t shell have, under
the direction of the State S~.parihtandant, the la-
medleta aupervlsion of 811 mttars pertainihg to
publio aduostion’in his 60~1‘8. Ha shell confer
.rith the teaohcrs and trust~ae end give thaem ad-
vice when needed, visit end examine sohools, and
dellver ,lsotures that shall tend to oraate en in-
terest in public ,aduoation. Ha shell spend four I
d;:a;;;hmwaak visiting the eohools while they ere ,~ .i, -
, ivhen It is possible. for hlia to do so..
Ha shell have authority ovar ell of the public
schools within his county, axoept such of the in-
dependent school dletriata es have e aoholaatlo .\
.~
:
populetlon of five hundred OT &ore. In such inda-
pendant aohool districts es have lass then five
hundred soholastio population, the raparts of the
principals and traeeurera to the State Depert;lenU
of .Eduoation shell be approved by tha OOLIhtY super-
lntandent before they are icswardad to tha Stat6
Superintendcat. . . . .a
807
?W quota the follow from 34 Taxer Jurlaprudanoe,
pa 323i
0 *Cfiioe* ambrac6r the ideas of tenure,
dur&n; ;nolument and duties. Among tha criteria
TV determlng whathar an employment la a pub110 of-
floe are the followingt tha delegation of 8 portion
of the sovaraigu funotlons of the government3 the ra-
Quirament at an offiofal oaths that the poware an-
Cruatad era conferred by law and not by contreot. . .a
Eased upon the foregoing, it 1s our opinion that a
County 8Uperii3tCBdCBt ia a County ofrioer.
We oell your attention to Artiole 373, V. A. P. C.,
uhioh reed8 86 iollowsr
.,
*Xi any offloar of any oounty, or ol any oity
or tarol shell become in any manner paounlarllp in-
terested In any oontracts made by ~auoh county;
aity or tomux, through its agents, or otharwlea,
for the oonstruotlon or repair of eny brldga, reed,
atract, alley or house or any other work under-
.teken by suoh oounty, olty~ or towa, or shall be-
come interested In any bid or proposal ior such
work or in tha purehaae or eele or anything made
’for or on hocant of such county, city or town,
or who ahsll ocntraot for or raoalva any money,
or the raprasantative OS either; 01:
$%%g'&t or advantaCa whateoaver In ooneidar-
ation oi ewh bid, proposal, oontreot, puroheae
or sela ha shall be fined not lose than Fifty
50.00f'Dollera end notmgci than Five Hindred
500.00) Dollerr.”
Sinoa the County Suparlntaudant ia the owner bf the
I.6 Orange Journal, it is the opinion of this department thet
the La Grangr Journal or County Suparintandant is prohibited
‘from tiling bids cod entering into LI oantraot with Feyatta
Couqty by~.Arttiola 373, V. A. P. C.