?_FFiCEOFTIiE ATTORNEYGENERAL OFTEXAS .-
AUSTIN
SROVERSELLERS .’ .
*~~.RNEI GENERAL
bar ‘Sir:
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JGmrable T. Y. Trlinble- page 2
~~nde~fsn&entSchool.District, the adriaiatrative . .
ofriaas or which 0~6 locot entirsly within
CflleaphS h$IIty, TSXM. UUd6r the 6tdUt6 fOi-
laSrin&this lusttUi06Qthe JiarperIudepenZent Echool.
Metrict as it thea stood Wetsalno ~611013upoc to
vote on tha 9uestion of ahathor or not the Re66rva-.
tion CSD should be brought into the irdopdadent
sohool district. A aa~ority of the vctara in both
the &XZO~ school alstrict ona t:leinas*uaent
sclmol distriot Votsd to cOusolldot6 t&o i:emrva-
tion CSD tith the IiarpcrXnfiependentSchool Dis-
trlot, an4 It hns been operatlq 6s such up to ,
the present title. There ore o&sin nunber of
people in tlieconnon sohool diatriot who are &is-
setisfieirwith being in the indaJ.ndaut 6chool
dietriot, an& they have petltloi%d the County .
Jwlge oi:Kerr County, Taxas,'to oall‘an eleotlon
to 0sterzdna .Q@athar.or not thay ahall withdraw
from the lri~ependantsohool dlstrlct. The Comity
Judge of frerr.County,Texas, hasmllad the aloc- .
titm sad set lt.for the 4th day..or~OYa~bbsr, A. D.; _
1944. The notloas were. Rostad only in WJxitwas
fbrmrlp known a8 the Hssarvation Comxx-Sohool
Disttiot. The t;hihgwe ars pert:culorlp interfist-,
ed in la QrhO.Willba the ~u6li?ied VOCBXB in this
election? \:a8.the aomKUi&tion~as hereinabove
rarerred.to a contractual obl.igationC$Ithe part
of*thd.Resezvatlon Cornon School District and the i
Rarper Jhdepeudent School District at the tin6 OP.
the consolS.dationY
"The Art1616 above raterred to ia not of6ar~
as to the qtestion or gualiriad voters, nor'is it
clear 08 to the quest103 or who will csll the eleo-
tion.
Ye woulC also litrsto have au opinion on
whothar or net, if the proponents of the proposed
election to disaolvo ona WitMraw fr0.n tiia Berper
1naoJ%naant School lOstrict .alresuccessful fn
their SISCtiOne what indebtedness, if any, WOUld
the Reservation Common 3chool District;'tni:e-0Jong
witllit ti 6 WithBranaX. For your informnation,
i
honorable T. U:.Triabla - pa&s 3 .
i
=
. . .'dra is a~50#-saikenn!me tex rite on'the.$lOO
oaluatlon in the harper l.kiis~~sndonti
School Ma-
~tflut, 20# is set up for ratfravmnt of the bonda.
and In edditlon thereto thereia a 30# levy .for:'.$'
the purposs of paying the transportation coet'of
title..diatriat.K&t portion of these liabilities
or Cebts would the Reaerv8tlon Gomon School 3X8-
trlct take with it in th*revent It is suocessful .
.ti xithdrawiog fxm the flarper Indey%ndeot School.
: Iiistriot?
.
*humnwh IIa tala eleot%o?~baa been call..edfor ':.
.ioveabnbsr4th, you will ma thai'ft 3.0iqerativd
that we get -an oplnlon ab kmrly a&possible kn~.or-
der to &eter&ne just wherethe district stanbe;,:; .'"~'.
We, OS course, fsal that it is uugair,for tha'~,~.;
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Beservatlon Gomon &chool~DSatriot'to tiithdrtiw. '-
under the terse of the Articlesabove qUoted,
einoe the indajxmdsat 'ecbooldistriat has ii%-:
cuxrod co~slderable expeose'iu providing for :
the nacdssary setup to.toke 9are of the addad, : ,;.
pupils. Xrtials 2613 3s got, alear as. td~ the
procedure.to be, used, but WB Bo not want to
‘-permitanything to ba dose that would be in&r-.
lone to the district 08 a xhola. 3ould it Lo '~
necessary fo* you to consult t3o Attorney Gen-
sral’e De~rtmmt with rsfsrance to thlirm.tt$r,
we .urga thst they givt3ua iinmdirte actioa Bo
'that w iarvy de&de tha .oouraeto foll0w.v
artioie 261.5as menda& by the J+8th'Le&L8lature
reada as Poll.ows: .
"(a) Such oqna~olldsteddlotrlcts my, in the
bass manner provide.for their consolidation, be
dl$solvoE end the distriota Included lAorain re-
5tore6 to their ori@.nal stntue, except that it
akgll Cot bs mcsssary to provida collie plRW3
in agoh diatrlct. ii%Cl~.. cuch distriot Elieneo
rastorsd slxl.1aamz%a ar,c! be 1iSbl.efox its prop-
rcta ,?sit.orthe patmtcrtn~ fincno:al cbl.$otions
of t&s consolidated distrlat, suoh poreta part
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Eonorable T. 2. .Tri&ia - page 4
m
- td be baSed~@n~the'r~lation the total aSSeSsed
valuation of all property in the dietrio> bears
to the total assessed valuation of property in
the cariolldated diatriot, as shotrnby the as-..
8efmIent rOll8 Oi the histriOt for thu CukXWIt
year. Go election for the dissOlut$On of said
consolidated district5 shsll be held wit41 three
13) years hsva a~apced after the date of :the elec-
tion et whrfiich.such
di8triCt8 w6ro oousolidate,d.
'(b) On the petitlo;?of twinty (20),or a
eiajority,of the ,leyally quelified Voters of eni,’
demon School dlSt&t, or indeFeudent school dls-
trict, praying.for the withdrawal fron a consoll-
.dated district,-if three ~,(3)years hava el6;seU
after ths ,dat5 0f the.eleetlon at~whlch auoh die-
' .trlots w8re OonsOlldated, tha.Couuty &d&e shall;
: ~usus~an order for 8n election to be.heid in 'the
district desiring oithdrawssl..The County Judge.
shall give notioe of the date of suoh election
by publlcetion of the order.in.socw newopaper~:
publiahdd.in the county fox twent (20) d8y5 .~:
prior to the date on ~~hlch such 8I scticxiaare
.ordered, or by post&go notAce.of such oleoti.on
in the distriot desiring the election. The'CM-
missionera Court 8halJ.nt its noxt maeting,can-~
vasj the returns of such election, and if th.e
.votee Oa8t in salh di8trict show a msjority in
favor of.wlthdrswing fkos the oonsolldation, the
Coart Sfld.1 deolare th,edistriot sevarod and it
shall be rostor+d to its original statls. i%oh
such Uistriot whtm .so restore6 Shall Asnu.na and
be liable for its prorata part of the OutStend-
ing financial oP?igaticos of the consolidated
dintrict, euch prorata part to be based cn thiore-
lation tta total aS5essed valuation of all pro-
party in the Uls.$rIctbears tc ttr,tots1 S8sesSeU
v8luatiOXLOf Fl‘opcJrty in th6 COn50lidatLiddie-
trict, CS $:2&n by the essseanant roll.50f the
qbtrict for the current year."
Xe'do net ?aSs upon the ~co~.st'ltutionality~
of thi5
Articl~e; s2nce %-a hold that p?ern~,raph -(b) of mid Article
ia inapplicable to ccnsolldatad oounty L1.3,~
districts,
Since it loec net .vzkeany prsvision Par the quclifiad
voters in tbo tilatrictoin ~aoh county to partiCipsQ
.
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IIonokable'2.&. Trimble - pege 5
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in the election, cur dcee it cm+iri any provision es to which
County auag3 shaJ.1ord3r the slsctiofi.
Tbo .o>se"or County s2h00i zwsteas'cr mihel$9 county
et al., .vn. state et al., 35 S. I,. (2nd) lCO1, lovolved the
question of ttie 6l;tfiority or t?;e couctg 5~x01 i+ra of r;lmb~ls,
County to'detsc11frox 0 COBs2lidst9d county lim Snde~ehd9nt
echocl district, lyi&?,In Zuunels ma Col9.x~ Couhtios, cer-
tain territcry lsing in Eu&ne16 ~Czxntyazs attach t:io3uzfJto
a co&don ochctl djstrlct situated xii~llyr:ftMu Xumels Cotity.
3%~ oourt held this coal0 not be tiorrs wlthuut the convent of
the Cole-*n County School Bo.ird. i:'e qwte the following ex-
carpts from the ojzinionot th,aocwt:
.
"1% is fundn3ent61 t&it tha Couoty trcstess
'of one county canmA alone crest0 a district uca-
‘~l;oaedor territory lying ln t~o~'oountiaa;and
as.iipractical mtter it would follow thut where
a .couzty,lIhs aogsolidetsd.indepehd6Et school
district has bsen oraated by the joint action
'ot.both countho, It:neoesa5rll.yrolloas that
: . that $ietrlct cannot be abclished or chsngkd
except hy t&8 consent-of-the'county,sc!~ool a_
trust996 of each county hnvigq tarrlmry eon-
talqad therein._! . .
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,I ~. and tvea& clear.5i1'the. vl& t&'t: i-:
drtial~e27&2f doss n&t ,petrmit the oowty trust905 of
oh9 oowlty to detach any portion of tho territ~orp 1
of 5 ccuoty 'lineschool.distriot and ettsoh ths a..
,
sme to snother district, viithout tb6 cohtient
aad wxourrent action of the trustsoa of's-~h
_ county hovlng territory In the county line ciis- . .
trl.ct . To pamit. such wouZd csune Icterntisble
,. conf~,jsion am3 would pemit one Turty to tk3
: cc5solPa;itionncrsaE7;9fit to .%sztrey thTrtnsre.e-
merit, GT s~rfously affect it Pft!lGUt the CG;I-
CUT\~CS:CC or oojstint of the othar party to tiie
agreex33nt.
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f Fran ths o~!inlonOf’the ooilrt$a t.lS‘se33 oaae
r* qf2ote E,heSQllowiIg:
t Vhe aoaeolidation of the triodintrlcte in
questiortwas hlrdeadar Article ZFC6 (%GY. St, '1925)
i as azeadod on sereral occaslcw (Verzi6nt!z Amo.
i: cio. St. Art. 2506) by a vbte af the paor of the
: two distr$cts atfaoted. S3ac!%t&o d3strlcto W6Xb
plrtlg Ia txo colmiea, it reql3.rRdths action Of
1 tha officiale of both xounti~s to efTcct .tna coo-
r sclidation; am3 tha csnsnlidatsd district tsas
f legally treeted. Art~clc 2Y15 povidas that
~soc~.O6a~sfideCsd,t'iatriots'ltog in th6 sane
6 meaner prorldad Sor thtsiroocaolidatlon be die-~
solved.aad t~bo districts izcludad tbareln re-
stored to’their or&inal status. I This prcvis%on
r. . ... relates MXQ particulnr;lyto coaoollduted dis-
:
*. . tricts nhvll~wlthJn ORQ couunt so, trlaso-
aa wst nstrue iT"IzL*
in..comection with
"-sttitntesrel1~tlnq, to ~aountjy line seik%l disr
triats; .aod it neoesssrily Sollows.thrt In
1. :' county line school diotriots~,either IIItheir
g craotioa or abolition, or in tha ohan@,,i~of?
their diatrfot boundwias, the .school autnoti-
$
_1 itiao of both couutioa or nil aounties affected :
should act to#pther in Koch J;18tters. * (It%llcs
oura).
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i I% think it is clear from tt:Bforegoing thst it
1 . TOquire6 th6 ROtiGn Of th6 ofxYcials.of bath 06Unti98, ox
or alf. counties, conoernatI, szid that an 0leCtiGn ordered
i, by the County Zudge of Zbrr County alone would ba inef+"eo~
i tive.to diseolvo the county line consolfdated district.
3
Aa.elsctiou would hsra to be ordered and held in bbth
% counties, but, 8~ etcted in tha opinion cited herein a-
I' box-a, ArtiCl6 2E1.5 3.8 nt‘pllC3bl6 Only t0 aonso11datsd
dlst,riOts lyfrpq; wE:OlI~y %ithin 01:B CCUllty.