Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

., “. OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTlN Honormblo I..A. Woo&m Stat. Su~mrlntmn&.rnt of Publlo Inmtruotioa Aumtio, Tmxmm wo lra in rmomlpt 0 1940, rmqommting thm opini OH 80 Or the r8880n or th thim emotion ai ng thm prorimionm of at a lomm to know odure for the dim- 6lmtrlotm having lrrrmity land. plmamm a&rime III. when and how above mmntioned mohool dfmtriotm undmrmtand your pummtion you rlmh to know whether gantm under Smotioa 80 of li.Be #or 939, Aotm 46th t@& , 1939, lhould bo prorated,and paid along with salary aid grant8 allooatmd on the bamim of budgmtmry nmmd or mhould br olammirie4 am an eroeption and paid am provided in sootion 88. Y91 EWI. La A.WWdkS,pa&8Z SeatlO8i820 and 28 or H. a. wo. 933, 44th tag., reed aa rollowat "SEC11010SO. ?BDBRAL 00Vi4lRLiWTLAND PU'RCE&3ES. The State Superintendent,mubjeot to the approval Of the Joint Le&lslatlv3 Adv~moryCommittee,shall take into eonsl4eratlon, in ri* mllowanomm to mohool 4lmtrlotm any 1088 mumtalne4by arah dlm- triotm by reamon of the Federal oovmmment buylq lm!Ulm iOr ItatiOml iOre@t@, and by reason at the lo- oatlon ln lmld 4lmtriotmof Univtmity hn4m and the stata SuperlntwUlsnt,am sioreaaid,l h& be authorized to make allooations to ma14 dimtrimtm by virtue of lommem mumtalned by maid dimtrlats by rea- eon 0r Fe&oral purmhase or land8 the amounts to be rlxed by the St&r Superlntendmn~ as aforemald bmsed upon exlmtlng famtm and oir&mstanmes ap ii- oablm to all other mohool dirtriots, aa4 la a s ex- oeptlona prorlded herein the oonmentor the Jous tegimlative uviao commuttee ahall me rirmt nab Rna obtal ea Pz adtht ao1m8tit mustal& i~mmmm feamot o?tht’l$ation ~"ma.i4 blstriot of university lands, mhall be held to be in aotual need. The State Superintendent,mm arore- add, 8#allmake alloaatlansto maid dlstrlotm by virtue or lommem so sustained by maid reasons,a&l the amount8to be fixed by the State Superintendent, as mforemmld, ehmll be on the amount or loemem mo sumtained, baa1 d hem on the rate of tax and valuation umed n said oounty ior State and oounty purpomem. It Is expressly undermtood that any remme received by meld mohool dietriots by virtue or this seotion rnumtbe inoluded as reve- nue in the budget before oaloulatinga budgetary nee4 ror mohoolm applying for malary aid.* “SBCTIOW 22. ALLOCATIOR3 Il?FATCR OF EXOEP- TIOWS TO TEE OY!Z?X?AL FROVISIONS ALLOCATING AID. al applieatlonm for salary aid oomlllg tithln the general provimlonm0r thlm Act, ap lloatlonm.ror high mohool tuition aid coming witE in the general prorislonm0r seetlon 9 or this Aot, and all appll- omtlonmror transportationaid ooming wtthln the general provisions 0r Seotlon 10 0r thin Aot ah6311 rlrst be oonsldered,an4 ii approved in the manner authorized and dlreoted herein, mhalliirmt be pkid out or the appro rlatlon rrulde ior each of the years of the current bPennlum in the mennor and method herein dlreoted, and maid aid, Ii mo granted, @hall , - 792 Bon. L. A. Too48, page 3 be rlrmt pal4 out o? the appropriationsan& allooatlonsherein made to cm amount not a- oeeding one hundred per oant (lOO$) dr the approved grant themror and all exceptions to the general law penit& and granting ai4 to the several mohool 4lmtrlote of this State @hall be paid only if and when those approved applloationmooming wlthin the general prori- slonm or thim Act hate rirmt been paid, and muoh exeeptlonm @hall then be allowed sn4 ad- mitted am approved,and upon approval they @hall be paid out of muah alloeationm remaining unex- pended and then upon a pro rata psi aa ita bamim out of the fundm'remalnlng unexpended Pn eaoh or the allooationm herein made and not otheruime. And it shall be the duty of maid Joint Legfmla- tire .44rimory commsittmeto alasairy all appllaa- ttonm whioh are exoeptlonato the general pro- ~lslons allowlng aid In this Lot.* The Rural Aid l5qualimationLaw la designed to equalize e4UOatlO~l opportunitiesthroughout the state, by sup~lesaentingthe inoome or aohools coming within the pro- visions of the ,wt, baaed upon the need oi dimtriota as shown by budgeted reoel ta and expendlturam. This was pdinted out in our don Wo. O-334 (Conterenoa Opinion x0. 3040). m audit Ofon to the general prorislons r0r grant- ing aid, the sot provides for rarioum exoeptlons not neoes- sary to be enumerated. titer proriding for grants baaed upon the budgeted needs of school 418trletm provision is made in Seotlon 20 for granting aid based upon lommee sustained by reason of university lands or yederal tweet lands being loaated in a distriot. Mot only la the provision ror allocations based ; upon the location of suoh lands within a dlstrlot in the nature ot an exoeptlon rmm the general provisions based up- on budgeted need, but the Legislature axpremely recognized it e4 much by providing in seotion ZXJr"and in all uxaep- tlons provided herein the eonmeantof the Joint Legislatfre 2idvisoryConauitteeshall be ffrst had and obtained.* Thfs provision olearly relates to allocations by virtue of losses sustained by reason of the Federal Government buying lands for National rorastm, and the looation of vnlteraity lands in such distrlots. 793 Boo. L. A. Woods, page 4 SectIon 22 provides that all allooationsror aid under the general provisions or the Aot shall rirst be paid “and all exoeptions to the generallaw permitting and granting aid to the several mohool districts of this State shall be paid only If and when those approved appli- oationm ooming within the general prorimlonm of this Act have first been paid, and such exceptions shall then be allowed and admItted 58 approved, and upon approval they shall be paid out of suoh allocations remaining unexpended and then upon a pro rata per oapita basis out of the funds rexalning unexpended In eaoh of the allocations herein mmide and not otherwise.W Having determined that alloaatlom provided by Seotion 20 are exceptionswithin the meaning or Seotion 22, it Is our opinion that such allocations should not be ap- proved and paid until approved applicationsooming within the general provisions of the act based upon budgeted need have first been paid; money remaining unexpended may then be used to pay approved exceptions. Yours very truly aTi’- O- CF TZXAS By A5lL-r#d-d- Cccl C. cammaok Assistant ccc:Jm APPROVEUMAY 2, 1940 f6iLLum ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS