OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable Borrlr Hasrell
countyAttorney
Charokoe County
Rusk, Texar
Deer sirr
or of
dealg-
fall
..
rtrlot
of the
said
I
ter dated Heroh 23,
1943, reqwrtlag on the above
captioned subject
and ln acid0
vlasd Statu
941, the Rusk Xndependeat
tared into (I aoatraot with
, of Rusk, Tsrar, de-
wld bank 08 tho oohool
001 diatrlot. There-
voter8 of the Rusk Independent sahool Dirtriat
wrotb the name of Jamen I. Perkins in the offi-
ala1 ballot ln the sohool truatrs rtleotion in
aeld dlstrlot. Ra vaa tlaoted a mrwber OS the
oaid sohool board durlag hlr absoaoe and vlth-
out his knowlsdgo that such aotlon va8 being
Honorable Morris Hassell, Page 2
taken. Upon his return h4 vaa Induoed to dual-
lfy Sor trust4o of said school dlstriat ior
the waaon that he vas President of the Rusk
Chwsberor Ccsmeroe and It vas thought ho vould
b4 of o4nsIderabl4 benefit In rewl.ng on th4
sbhool board.
“For several years and duw all of th4
above mcmtlon4d time, as ~011 as at th4 present
tlmo, the #ala Jam05 I. P4rkIns has been a mQpI-
bar of th4 Board ot.Dlnoton of the OItIsons
state Bank, of Rusk, Texas, arid the question now
presents itsrlf for your deolaion aa to vhether
or not the raid James x. Pe'rklna vauld be dis-
qualified i’ra serving en said sohool board.
The d4poaItow aontraot vlth the CItIsens State
Bank havias boa mad4 long prior to the eleotion
of: the raid Jsm4a I. Perkins and bbl.ng a oontxaot
to oontInu4 until A-t, 1943, the said Jasws I.
Perkins vas in no manner Involved ln tha daposl-
tory llootloa and oould not at this tlmo 14gal4
do asq act or thIag to invalidate or iPapa%r, or
lnor4ase or doorease any liability or advmtage
ealrtlng in ravor OS the aald bank vlth r4fer4no4
to the said sahool depository.
“In vleu of the abovo admlttod taotr rad In
view of the op&Ion of the departaent rendered
by Olea ft. Invls dated April 22, 1939, oplnlon '
Hp. o-667, cliroated to Hon. TMIOtt Huggard, Coun-
ty AttOmey, Canton, Texas, pretaInIng to a sohool
matter, .I am oonstrainmed to Feel that the rald
Jomer I. Perklkm vould not b4 diaqualliied to
541~4 as trttsteo during the existence oi thenpro.
sent aontraot vhloh ax&es In August, 1943.
Tb.4 Attorney (benoral’s Department in an opinion
data& September 16, 1929, to Honorable 3. )I. R. Hans, State
QupsrIntendent of Pub110 Instruotion, rUl1~ oonsldemd a sit-
uation analogous to the situation prosanted In your letter
requesting an opinion on the subject in qusstlw, salcl opln-
.lon mada:
, I/
Bonocabla Xorrta Haaaoll, Page 3
“llonorablo S. )d. H. #Iarra
State 3uperintendent of Publlo Instruatlon
Aus tin, Texaa
Dear sirs
v&l1 aoknovlrdge noaipt
"This of our
lott4r of Segtmb4r lUth, 4ddr4ssed to L
Attorney iNneral. Ry thI5 favor, you ask
the opinion of th4 departmat aa to vhethor
a stookholdoa or direotor of a oorporatton
aorvlng as depository 0~ troaaursr 0r an
Indsponduit 5ohool distrlot vcmld be till-
gIbl4 for. appointment end qualifloation 8s
trustee of said 5ohool dlstrlot.
5r 8m o? the opinion that tiie two
po5ItIons pmaent 5uah a oonfliot of Intcir-
oats a8 to prevent the holding of the two
rwlatlcn5hlps at one snd the 54m4 time. The
trurt448 of u1 lndopendont 5ohool dI5trlot
h4ve 85 part of their duty th4 taak of see-
ing that the tmarumr or depository prop4r-
ly rem&es the fund and 5~meys of th4 '5ohool
dlstrlut. It IS also inoumbent upon the
truat44s to 544 that th4 school funds acb
properly proteoted by bonda and that the
solvency of tkm boada and also th4 aolvancy
OS the Institution should ba vatchad after
to tha end that tha mneys may alvsya be
properly protW+d. Znmmerabla ins tnnoes
oould be recount& vhusr the peountary la-
torests of a stool&older In a corporation
would sway the trust44 to s9 aot of favor&
tIamr at least that an uablared and non-in-
tor45t4d truotee vauld r4aolve agalzmt 5wh
depository or treaaurw) without attomptlng
to mnam4rato th4as varlou5 obJrotIon5 v4 OOA-
aluao that upon th4 grtnmd5 of pub110 pullay
the two po5Itloa5 ar4 Inoomp5tIble ud th4t,
therefon, we swat ansvor your quaatlon by
saying that a 5tookboldor or offioer or a
aorporation sating as a depository for an
Indepondont sahool district vould not be
llIglbl4 for a p p o intmentor ll$wtIon as
iionorabla Saris Haaaall, Faga 4
trustee of aeid sob001 dlatriot . . lu
i?e think that the quoted opinion states thr Isa oorrsotlr,
an& applias to the altwtion sat out in your latter.
Haat Is said in tha ebova quoted opinion i8 not
In ooafliot with tha opinion OS thir drpartmant rsndorad by
Glenn R. Laul5 on April 22 1939, OpinionSlo. O-667, 6irOotad
to Ifanorabls Truatt Ru r , County Attoraay, Canton, Taxaa,
baoauss Opinion 30. Q- + 7 ralatrs to 8 dimrant stat5 o?
taats. xn oplnlon No. Q-667 it waa oorreotty bald that a
teacher’s oontraot, being valid t&an ontoted into, rsmalned
50 notrlthrbsndlng a relative ot thr teacher thareattar be-
cam a nember of the school board.
Very ml19 yours
I
49\ I t---
39
E. P. Prior,
Aasiataat
AT’l’ORl?X~
GliN@ALOli’-8