OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
HonorrEle 1. A. Wood8
Stat6 Superintendent of Publlo Inatruotfon
Auath, TWa8
Daar 81~:
Wa have reeelvad
whiah po lak tha opiaion nt upon the above
oaptltonad question.
ont Rural hid Bill
(Aotr 194l. 47th 8. Mb), provldaa
ror high aohool t II, reads in part ma
iollana1
tuition dd aa
Pup118 trana-
II orphan8 home or
IU.A~ 8ohool.e"
opinion Ho. O-762 that
iat OPphana&a in woo0 ra-
01 Dlatrlet a a dthat lmh
are lntltled to reselva a publio frao
a aohoola maintalnbd by tha Waao fn-
utaet, thrrofore, ua are oonfront*d with
ar the %IOObdapendent Sohool Dlatrleti
oosae wlthln the tmwm of the Aot ea a dlatrlot entitled to
raoelve aid.
$eotion I, Artlola I oi the Aob sata out tha aoho-
laatlo population bracketa oi the aahool diatriobm uhioh an
Eoaorablr L. A. Wood*, P8ga 2
to reoeive banerlta under tha Aot. said eootlon r ea d8 le
rollowb t
nSaotloa 1. ?oholaatlo Populatlon Of The
Dietrlotr Otate rid wider the provlnlo~e of thlb
Aot shall be dlatrlbutad in mush l my as to aa-
alat lll aohool dietrlote whloh hsvr not rower
tlmn tnnty (20) nor aoro t&n ilro hundred (500)
orlglnal lma er eteU loholaetlor within the ,gadea
oleeel2la4 to k taughti rraal~ la the dietrlot
rrtor traorrerb out, and ooneoli 2 &ted end/or rural
hlg4 lohoel distriot8 whioh hato en rvrrega oi
not more than two hundnd (200) loholartlor or
laoh orIgIna Urtriot oaapoalag tha ooaaolldatad
rad/or rum1 high lohool dlatrlot uaitj provided
that the maximum llaltatlona be to loholaatlo pop-
u la tio topn lllglbllit~ haraia rat forth shell
not appl for rn~ ty a oi aid to any lohool blr-
trio: w4i oh in nine P9) allra or aoro in length
or oontalna rortr-eight (48) bquara ml188 ot ter-
rltory or more, provided thara la not looat~d In
auoh dletrl?t an lnoorporatod oi8y or tam Iufing
pulation of xwa~ than thlrtpait huadnd
t&) InRa,bItant8, aooording to thb lrbt pro-
ordlng I’mdorm COILIUI. Diatrlotr ralntrlnlng a
bohool a8 homa an& bring 1088 t4aa ba werage
or oao (1) rnoltrratod mholaetlo ,WP rquan allo
IN linapt rm0 bm 61taiwr ba0iba8i0 rrqtipe-
wnt mad (IPO rligiblr toor 814 ior odlf one taroh-
or unleee l gaogrephierl brrl+r ‘naooroltater
the opbreblon 0r two sohoole rdp the neJna moo
In amid dlrtrlot, luo hgaographIoi1 berrler to
k drtrrrinrd by the 98rte ikparfrrat Oi IbhlOW
tloa rubJeot to tha rpprerrl of the toIn kgls-
lrtlto Adrlaory Oommittea. Ii they ma bhow budg-
l$bry need thorofbr,all other dirtriotr 48~11~
lbbb thrn maid mUdmum boholabtlo roqulMnt,
lball ba eligible for o@y t.uItIon end tranrportr-
tlon rid to tba n~araat SoOm.dltSd rohool on WIU-
mwatad boholartirr whoa0 (6radbe BP6 not taogtd
In auoh 6I6trl0%~ ’
You will not& that onii thoib dIbtrIot8 lb104
hrtr not fanr~thau 26 n&r 8oro tb;ra $30 OP1451ilalontamerotod
boholabtlob are eligible for aid with three lortaln lxoep-
tioar . In other word8 the population raqulremont lb one 0r
Honorable L. A. Weodo, Page 3
the hOtOP whloh datarmiM What&BP a ~04001 dlatriot may re-
ooivo aid.1 3uah raquiramant muat br reud into all th othar
provlalons oi the Aot to detarmlno whether the dlatrlot la
lliglbls . This la olearl~ indloated by the rxorptlorrsumdo
in sootion 1 lmnediatal~ iollmlng the 20-500 roqulrenant.
In other worddr,~a dibtriOt mat have a lo&labtio populatloa
0r rrcm 20 to 500 or ,lt met ooab rlthin 0110 0r the lXOOp-
tiona to. ba lllgible. The Taoo Independent k?ohool Di8trlot
hi8 0 SOhOibbtiO pOpUiatiOQ Or OtbT 11,ow 8040188thi8, Hid
it doer not oome within either of. the thrao rroaptlona. It
18 OUP opinion that this f8OtOP d1bqualifi.r maid dibtPlOt,
ad it 18, therefore, not ontitledto raoolrr aid undo? t40
Ao* r0r It8 raaldsnt bo~olaatlbb. Opinion Ho. 04705.
Wo hale rlao given barIoua oonaldrratlon to the
wording 0r thr baatIon providing top high 804001 tuition r&l.
mt pUt,PdEtlng $0 pUpi rPOM $11 OrphbfIb' hOBIb Pbadb IS
roiim8 I
pherio 8Oppu0aI.
It ib i+OrWMk~;~OOk4tndb(L b7 the FmOO Sohool Offi-
oialr that *trmaf~rrad info” 84oyld be oonstruod to man
*tranrierrOd withinn or trenai~rred into the dlbtrlot In ah@
rip8t Inatanm rran other reationb or the state OP other
atatom when the ahlldran oame to the orphanage. With althar
or th.8. OOUbtPUOtiO~b we oannot 8grW. In the rim 1100,
a soholsatlo In (L dietriot OannQt ba tranrrrrnd “with PII”
8uoh distrlot, *~aDbfSPPOd into" a8 uaad in our mhool
laws means tranaibrrad Sroza ow dlatrlotor oountf into an-
0-r dlatrlotor oottnty, Artloler 2695-2699, ~OFnOlt’b An-
aotata4 Citll Statutes. Ia t40 rooond .plaoo. you will not Iso
t&t t&m 0b0T0 quote6 pPOTiOiOEl roads thbt tuition ald Oh11
b@ gPM:Od *M rbOT0 806 OUta. The art Of sOOtiOn 1 Of
A~tlolo IV uhioh proordas 8~04 prOTim P00 roads 18 follow8:
l80~)0100 1. It I8 harebr lrprasbl~ protided
that 8 aurrirlint arnwnt bs funds sll~crtod bf
thir hot 8hbll ba used ror the pa7wmt of high
bOhOO3, tuition not to rxooad ROTOU DOllSPS and
Mrtr Centa (yl.50) per pupil pr month, and in
no lnetanoa shall more than firs (5) months tul-
tlon 80 paid tor an7 one pupil on the oenau8 roll
Honorable L. .A. Wxxlo, Page 4
ior lny on. oohool year. Elrsh sohool tuition
shall b@ Ddd 46OOrdine to thr DrOVi8iOllE or ifOUS4
Ill R . 158. denma Lmm. Rmulrr !?m~slon, ?orty-
fourth~J..agislatur~. aa amend&, and bJeot b th
ImItetiono snd r~striotlono proPidr?In thIs’*ot:
In the event a raoolrlns hiti oohook has it8 budg-
et balanoeb uith !%lary k3iii there shall ba &e&tot-
ed troa the Salary Aid grad of suah oohool any
•~OUZI*
0r tuitio 0
n0ih 0t0
frd0rl4nth m ~a i0tr m0,
and all ouoh oollootlono ohs11 bo inoluded In the
retentm oeotlon oi the State Aid applloetioi.
Suoh revenuoo ohall lnoludo tha total tuition ro-
oolrod for tho proooding lohool mar b7 ouoh o&ool
dlotrloto. Ia no wont ohrll lp .Sltry Aid ~01001
reoo1to tultlon al4 in anr amount uhioh, to&her
with tha .?rlary Aid granted, lxoosd the budgatarr
mod a8 indioatbd bltho apprwdl Stats Aid appll-
Oltlono. ~000ttin~ l0h 00r10 0
r using
to 80000 pt dd
approved rats eo ths maxlmua tiount to be ohargod
shsll not be ollgIbls to r+oelrs Ctstm Sl& Wzool
Tuition Aid ?unde. . . .” (Emphaolo oupplled).
It IO atstod that high lohool tuition ohall ba paid
rooordlng to tho prorlolona of Rouse Bill No. 158, Aoto 44th
Log., R. 9. ha rxaalnatlon of Row0 8111 Ro. 158 rovoelr
that ouoh hot aathorlmo tho trrtmfrr oi a high oohool 8tu-
dent from hi0 home dlotrlot 60 8nothar dlotrlot Ron his grad0
18 not tough! id hia how dirtriot. The ho8 spm&o in termo
Ot rooolrIng and 8etidLog WotrIdto fart a0 the Rural Aid Bill.
Thooe prwlofono tiraoludb, ua think, my oolutruotlon *hioh
would authorize paymont,to the ?froo Indopmdent !?ohool Dlo-
trlot of high rohool tultlon tar resldont ohlldron from the
oxvhrno go. Its io our oplnlon that the ~prorlsloa o? payment
Ot tuition aid *a8 above wt ~wt* lhhorlooo ouoh rpent on-
ly *her e l pupil. io transfsrrad frola ODOdlotrlot f nto another
Uotrlot, and not uhrro a rooldmt loholootio’ of a dietriot
attends oohool ln hlo homo dirtriot.
The mason glroa by the moo 4ohool otilolalo ior
the oonotruotlon whioh the7 plroo on tho provision in tho
rule that the Loglslature will not ba preouwd to hato dono
l ~AJJO~OOO thing, llnoo oven without suoh prorlolon the Aot
rOuld ooter l trensforOf ohlldrc~~ iron an orphonrge from
am dlstrlot to another. Such rul* Io 8x8 llomont*ry rule
Ot otatutory aonotruotlon. It is al.06 an olomnhrry rule,
Ronoroble L. A. Woods, Pago 5
howover’, that uhsrr the language uood lo olosr and anam-
blgaouo, thmo lo no neoosolty tor oonetruotlon. 39 TM.
hr. 160. -
Xn view of tha foregoing you are rrspeottiully ad-
tlaod that the ‘Ye00 Indopondent ?o&ol ~lstrlot lo not en-
titled to hlgh oohool tuition rid uader the Ziural Aid Law
for ohlldron oi tho ibthodlot Orphanage of Eaoo who rttend
tho ‘raoo publio sohoolo.
Ye do not doubt that the Paoo Independent Cohool
Dirtriot lo in ne*d of State rid in addltloo to tht par orpl-
ta apportionment whioh it noslroo ior the oduoatlon of ohild-
ran fropl tho orphmnagr. Roworor, we bsltere that the 2ural
Aid Law leads itself to no other oonstruotlon than t&s one
uhloh us hare plaoed upon it.
Very truly yours
ATTOBNBY
CEZXERAL
OF TXXAS