OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF
AUSTIN
Eonorablr w. a. lfa~lal~
Dirtriot Attorney
Oonror , Toar
er o o ta lW
its dlstrlot dur-
a8OQ and, through
aron undrr the raprr-
id rohool dirtrlot
tlonal taollitlrr
a publio an6 perhaps
m.iBrlis8 ior ths us. of
honorable 1. 0. L'OClSio,OagO t
IO Will not be SO OOIIOS~Od herOin With "tMLti8
warts* and other like a ndlnslagous pla7ground faOilItI~8,
mnorall7 loorpted as a part of tho wph7sloal* lduoatloa
of 8ohool lhlldrea and thero oaa be no quertloa as to the
t~StOO8' anthorltf in SO prod&it@ iOr #a&a, the lx~adi-
tUX6 for whloh 18 luthorlzsd t0 k Mdo i'ma proper avail-
lb i0 rMd8 Of th 8 di#triOt. ThiS brIn.%sus to t&At part OS
7m.r roqusrt with rhloh (IO aro most oonoorrd, to-wit,
*B~IEUL~ pOO18" ld “OOmmLUit7 hOUSe*.
we hsv8 carerull7 SfUdiOd the ease 0r rado1e7
VS. ~lU#te~# Or COntOe ~IldepMdOIlt Sohool DIrtrIOt, 120 S.
X. (2) 929, whioh oaso arose in 7our district, and numerous
other luthoritIe8 Inrolring the 4xyndIturr of lrallablr
Sohool fund@, inolading those 8uhmitt,d In 7our brief, and
YO are unable to find an7 expressed authority ior the em:-
Pndlture or ataIlabls'8ohool funds ror the emotion or
SWimPlIK@ pOO18 Of '005?dlflit7
hOUsO8.
Artlole 2027, Vcrnon~a Civil Statutes provider,
in part:
*Th8 pub110 irea #Oh001 &ndS #ha11 not b0
.Z& Wlded
lXOept for the fO1lOUing pUQO#eS:
*. . .
.L. UOti #Oh001 rMa8 irOlpdl#trIOt taX[dS,
tultlon rOO8 or pupils aot entitled to rres tub
tlon and other looal souroes ma7 be ased ror the
purpo8e8 enamratod tar Stats sad ooont7 iPnd8
and r0r purohaslng app1lum48 and 8uppll~s, ror
the paymant or lneurum premiums, janitor8 an4
Other lmp107.08, ior bUying Beboo Site@, buylag,
building and repalrlng and renting @Oh001 hmses,
and ror other p~rp0808 neOeSSar7 in the oonduot
oi the publlo 86hOOl8 to be determined br the
Board or ~StOBS, the aooouats and rooehrr8 ror
oouaty districts to be approved by the ooUnt7
ruporlntendmt; prorldod, that when the Stat0
available school fund in an7 oIt7 or dlstrlot Is
rurrloient to maintain th8 8ohool8 thereor in an7
par ror at least eight months, and learr a sur-
p1Q8, suoh surplus ma7 be expended for the purposes
rarntlonrdheroin. (AOtS 1.905,p. 263; AOtS 1919,
p. 189.)"
F Eonorablo II. C. YoClaln,-pagr S
In the oaso 0s Aa- v#r IlilOS. lt al.. so0 8.~.
a tp g 0a s, th 0 COm had th a the t Sff6Ot Oftb 8lb OVi-
StAtUtOm prOViSiOfi8 18 t0 aUthOri%@ the trUSti t0 es-
pm6 the #ah001 fMd8 awired rmifi looal soura and th0
S~rplM from tb state and ootmtr lrailablo sohool rUd8,
r0r aa and all ths purpoae8 lnuuw8tod, a nd.ror ruoh other
purp0808 a8 la the ai8ontion 0r the Board 0s Troltre8 x
be rrasoaabl7 aao8ssar7 In the malntonanoe and operation of
the SOhO018.
The OOtUt In approving the Suthorit7 SO T@StOd in
the trUSt8~8,
by making the lxp8nditurms in th8 abor9 OitSd
case out or lur p latuna
a s, the o o nr tr uo tlo
ror o r and
n ao-
quIsltlon 0r living quarter8 for teaahsrt roundby tho
trustees to be ressonabl7 neosrsatf.la tha aalntenanaa and
opntlon of the 8OhOO~8, held that tho authorIt *a# im-
pma rrom gonaral laws and rurther that the qu8stIon wad
~~017 one of po1107, 0sldnInistratlon to be aetmdnea by
th8 tt98tO88. It will be noted howaver, that Art1010 2797,
Vernon*8 civil Statutee, authorize4 bond8 to be ISSUSd for
tha ia0ntioal pUrpO80 0s building a home ror teachers, thus
giving a 1eglslatIva reoogcftlsn of tke possible axI8t8no~
0s ruoh neosssit.7 In certain cosmon or inaapnaent sohool
dIstrloto.
Tha general rule la that trusteea 0s lnde~ndeat
SChOOl al8triat8 po##s@# Ofdy the powers 0XQrOSSly oomm0a
by law or aeoa8aarIly Laplied rr00 the pouers conferrod. Ar-
ticle e756, Vernon’s Rarised Qtatutos; Earllngen Independant
SOhOOi DiStriOt 13. C. 8. PfigOand BZO., (CO&. rpp.) 48 9.x.
(2a) 9133,rersrAag (ciiil AQp8alS) 23 s.::. (2) 829; R0780
In&open&eat Sohool Metrlot TS. Ileinharat(cir. ~pp.) 159 8.
Y. 1010, error raru806.
ThW MS0 Of ~a68187 ~8. TrUSteeS Of COlvOe adO-
pm&ant soh001 DIStiiCt, supra, at06 by 70~ la 7our briar,
poesib ni8.8 th4 qUO#tiOE atallable SO-h001fUnd8
Of U8i.iig
ror ths 8notloa 0s the p~0p30a inprorsments. This oass,
houeror, on17 aonoerns a partlaular Ox~naitUre out 0s a sur-
QlUS @XiStbg in the naInt4nanoe aOh itma, and ia not an
authorIt on the.qUestIon subaItt96.
Whether 'SWirmPingpOO18' Or '003PIMitJ hOU8~8" 0011
br rr00t0a by the trustees and paid for out 0r arallablo rohool
fund@, 18 not a question upon which this arpsmfmt oaa render
Eoaorablo U. C. LoClaIa, Far0 4
aa op*I+ . Ufiny mia Ot8 lntor Ini? tho quortloa of ouoh
units being upheld a slaooossar7 in the 00nau0t 0s the pub-
ii8 OOhOOiw, suoh as the looal ~4468 and a4maaa ror their
010 as a nroo88ar7 and aocopta4 part 0s the 8ohool~8 ourrlou-
ium ma raoil1tio8. AS the oontrol or thr Wbllo r-0
8ohoo18 Of 7our di#triet, and the expenditure or rohool
iWAd an T48tOd b7 tho UgiShtUT. in the trUSt408, this
Departaent 18 not la the po8ItIon or SUOh trustees, dth
knowledge of all faots lssrntlal to pass upon tho quortlon
0r whother tho trwtorr oan oxpeaa the arallablo rohool
rmyt8ror the lreotlon of the above mentlonod reoreatlonal
.
four lttentloa is X%Sp4Otrtii7 on1146 to the pro-
rl8lon8 of Art1014 28020-1 vernon*s Revised Civil Statute@.
Indrpendeat rohool dIStri~t8, b7 the Q~vlSiOM 0s this ar-
tlole, ara authorlzod to bdld or purohasr bulldlngs and
yowl8 loo&e& wlthln or without the dlstrlot or oIt7, for
the purpose or oonrtruotlng gymnasia, 8tadIa, or other reore-
atloaal faOilitie8, by the 188uan08 or revenue bonds in-
oordanco with the prorl8Ion8 thereor. vnder this law, as
lnaotad by tb Fort7-sixth Leglslrture, the tru8toos 0s a
rohool 6iStrlOt are luthorixed to lreot a swimming pool aa
a oomunity houso by the lrsuanoo or bonds, obligatrd to k
paid who117 rrom revenuas obtain06 through the operation 0s
SUOh Swi#imingpOO1 and/Or 00.mUiunit7 house. It appears, how-
over, rroa an examlnatlon or this StatUt4, that no bonds
-7 be i8SR4d in looordanoe with the aot after two tsars
rromYaroh 85, loso it8 lrrOotir0 date. Art1010 le8Ot0,
supra, Seotlon l-7 Loluslte, oontemp1ate8 a r8a80nab10 oharge
and ruoh taoi1itla8 ma7 .bs op8n to the pub110 at a11 time
lxoopt when lt8~o~ratlons ma7 00nrii0t with their ill4 r0r
sOhO pUQO808, ilth thr trUSt4.0 Of tho 6iStTiOt having
8Up4~1810n and oontrol 0s aam*
YOU are thenfore r48p4Otfti17 8d7l8ed that it 18
the opinion oi this lmpartment, that tho truSte.8 Of the Con-
roe Independent 5ohool Dietriot are 8xpr08817 authorized to
.roOt a llIif~UUl~ pool, OODRMit7 hOU84, tM5iS OOWt, ltO.,
for the reoreatlonal US0 or tho pup118 within it8 di8triOt
during the sohool season and; through the summer season under
tho SU~~iSiOn in& OOntrO1 Of the SOho trUSt448, Ova 8uOh
Eonorablo w. C. UoClaIn, Fag* 5
reoreatlonal faollitIe8 to the u;e of t&J plbllo for whlah
a naronablo fee 18 to be ohargrd, under rna by virtue 0r
krtlelo 20024-1 vornon~s 8Wi846 Cltll statctter.
Tours rar7 truly
A8YI8tant
APPROVEDJUN
8, 1940
AT+ORNNGEMZRAL
OF TEXAS