., “.
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