Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Bonorable L. A. Uoods State Superintendent of Public Insmuctl AUStlIl, Texsa Dear Sir: opinion Iio. O-6535 Re: Whether under fat haa been recairbd urd oarafully COESI We Quote from your request as toll 2 of House Bill islature, vhich On Aid IAV, pro- vocational agrl- approved for 12 1 that ArtiCi8 2657 8 Superlntandent t0 is8Ue regulations, or intsrpreta- sohool lav. e the lav does not deilne voca- th8 Comittee on the classi- 6 ACCr8ditatiOn of Schools, of vNch I a chairmm, and vhich aonslsts of 20 memb8rs and represents all types of achoola and colleges and aerv8s a8 my advisory committee in making such regula- tions pnd lnterpretationo h8s defined vocational woric on page 18 of Bulletin 438. This deflnltlon stat88 in part: 5tiS eon. L. A. Woods - Page 2 "Whe;;her or not the credit 15 VoCatiOnCtl depends upon th8 subject matter offered and credits 8arn8d rather than the method Of fiXlanCing the Cost Of instruction.' 'Thie means that If the work is accrediLed, it is vocational; and if it la not accredited, it la simply agriculture, Or Vhat8V8r the subject might be. "TheSweet Home School Districr in Guadalupe County has a tVO-teacher colored school .that 16 uneccrsdited. The principal, Mr. Robert V. Arnold, teaches agrAoultur8 a8 0n8 of his aubjeota, and they have requested $127.50 per month for 12 months from ~quallcatlon Aid Funds for his annual salary. We have approved him for $127.50 per month on an 8-months' basis for a total of $1,020 for the reason that the work is not accredited. The State Board for Vocational Education has added $43 State and Federal subsidy to this amount. “This qwstion: Since bhe vork is not Bccrsdited and since the teacher is not a full- time agriculture teacher, are ve authorleed to approve his salary on a 12-months' basis?" Section 2 of Article 3, H. B. 176 of the 48th Legislature of Texas, as amended~by II. B. 3, Acts of the 49th Legislature of Texas, 1945, reads as follow8t "'Section 2. Salary Schedule and Zength of Term. The base pay for classroom teachers in unaccredited schools shall be Xinetg-five Dollars ($95) per month for eight (8) months. The baae pay for classroom teachers in accredited schools shall b8 One Hundred Dollar8 ($100) per month for nine (9) months. Two Dollars and Fifty Cent5 ($2.%) per month shall be added for each year of college credit over one year not to exceed Ten Dollars ($10). One Dollar and Fifty Cents ($1.50) per month shall be added for eaah year of teaching experience; provided such EUUOtIXILadded for experience shall not exceed Fifteen Dollars ($15) per month. Additional allowances for teachers serving as prdacipala and/or superintendent5 non. L. A. Woods - P438 3 shall be the seme as was provided for the year 1942-43. The annual ealary of teachers in accredited schools shall be the monthly salary multlplled by nine (9). The annual monthly salary a8 det8wined by said schedule multiplied by ten (10). All euoh euthorieed ealrrlee may be paid in twelve (12) equal paymenU, vhioh shall not exceed the contract or the' salary ech8dul8, beginulng with Septsm- b8r let Of each year. SE&lari88 Of SUperill- ,tendente and Vocstioxlal teachers may begin on July 1st rather than SepteeIb8r let. All echoole of th8 oocredited clase receiving aid shall provide a tsrat of approximately nine (9) montha, and achoole of the UWCCredit8d class receiving aid shall provide a term of approximately eight (8) months. An accredited school is herein defined as a school teaching either the elementary grades, the 8lWWItary grades plus tvo (2) yeare of hi h echool, or the elementary grades and fOUr 7 4) years of high echool~and recognieed by the State Depart- ment of Eduoation as doing standard work. Should any echo01 district eligible to receive Salary Aid under the provisions of this Act maintain a salary schedule fn exceee of the 8elary ecbedule 8tat8d herein with revenue listed as receipts in the budget, the amount of salary aid r8GeiV8d by euah school dietrior; shall be reduced by the amount of such excese. It. is further provided as a teeIporary method to more adequately Compensate teachers in State aid sohoole for the echo01 year 1944-45, that in addltlon to the base salary, Increments, and 83.1OWlLnC88, authoriesd iu this SeCtiOn, there shall be paid t0 t8aoh8re, teaching in State 531 [on.L. A. Uoode - page 4 bid schools, an amount not to exoeed aeventy- fiVS DOllam ($75) at tb 8ad Of each of the laet four (4) eohool rant&e of the school year 1944-4~5;provided, hoverer, thle in- creeee shall lpply only to those teaohere vho reoeive their salary uolu8ively from Stat0 AvaUabls, Looal nalntuunoe and Rural Aid Funds.'" (mphaelr oura.) Under the faotr 8tated,ve think you have oorreotl~ daaldeilthe utter. Your quo8tlon, therefore, i8 rooordinglyaa8vered In ths rugetlvs. ATTO= ORBRRAL OF TEXAS UJFabt