OFFICE OF THE AITORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
a- 0. I*AWI(
mTommw--
Honorable IL H. dritfln
County Attorney
Young county
Graham, ‘Pox.66
Dear Blrr
opinion Ro. O-l&U
Rat Docl~an in8uiri0i
lrr40tth4 ~4udi
a oop~llott
oonrolid
we 4r4 in rroelpt 0r
1939, in which you rtate t
in Young County 4oonsollda
80lidat4a Bohool Mstrlot
4pp0lnt4a 4e ll40t4d but
time the board 0r tru
trlot ha8 been oompo8
whether a failure to
Rerlred Clrll 8ta-
tut40 0r um, it of sohool taxes
ror the abore me 8ohool dlatrlot.
vi1 Statute4 of 1985, pro-
n laoh Or 8uoh dlstrlOt8. Ths oounty
not104 0r the date 0r 8uoh dleotlon8
r the order in some newapaprr publlahed
In the OOunty for tw4nty (iSI)days prior to the date
On rhloh 8uoh elsotlonr are ordered or by posting a
notloe ot euoh eleotion in la o hOr the dl8triOt8 or by
both aoh publloatlon and posted notlor. Th4 OOBURl8-
8iOn4r8' OOUrt 8hall at it8 n4Xt m44tlng oanYa86 the
return8 or suoh 414otlon and ii the rot48 oaat In eaoh
HOG. E. H. Grirrin, Page e.
and all distrlcte 8hoR a majority In laoh dlrtrlct
voting 84parately In raror 0r ruoh oonsolldatlon the
00": ty-1 d4Ol.ar4the 8ohoo1 bi8triot.sOonrolidat-
ed.
At the time the rohool dl8triots were ooneolldated, the
statute oorltalnedthe 8-4 prOVisiOn although with Slightly dir-
rerent wordlog. Artiole Ml7 l/C, Complete Texas Statutes, 1920.
Artlole 8808, Revised Civil Statutes of 19135,provides
that "The oounty board of rohoo1 trustees it it8 next meeting
arter suoh oon8olldatlon 0r rchool districts Is deolared, rhall
appoint a board cb 84V4n tru8tees far the ooneolideted distriOt.*
Provlalon Is al80 rmde ror the t4llll8 0r 0rflOe 0r raid tN8t448,
their 414otlon and illllng or raoanciee. Slmllar requlrrmnts
were oontalned In Artlole t817 1/4b, Complete Texas Statute8,
1920. ~844 al80 Aots 19300;U8t Legislature, Fifth Called Se84ion,
p. Zle, Ch. 66, Seotion 5, appearing as Artiole 8774a, VernpIIcin18
Texss Civil Statutes, lQZ6, Pooket Part.
Art1014 e814, ReYi8ed Civil Statutea of 1925, provides
In part a8 r0110w8:
Vaxlng and bonding pfnversas are provided for
rlrewhere In the laws of this State are.hereby guaran-
teed to ruoh oonsolldated dlstriote, * * **
At the date or the oonsolldation of the dlstrlots In quer-
t&on, Artlole 2817 1/4(h), Complete T4Xa8 Statutes, lQZ0, provided:
"It is hsreln expressly provided that taxing and
bonding power8 as are provided for 4184where in the law8
of this State are hereby guaranteed to the dlstrlot oon-
solidatlng under the provisions ,oPthis Act, either oom-
20: tfhool dlstrlote.or lndepsndent 8OhOO1 districts,
Artlole Z704, Revleed Civil Statutes of 19Z5, oontain8
the following provision:
*The Commissioners* court tor the aommon sohool
distriota in it8 oounty and the di8triot 8OhOO1 truetees
ror the lndependent~dletrlots lnoorporated ror 8ohool
purposes only bhall have power to levy and oauee to be
oollooted the.annual taxes and to Issue the bonds hsre-
In authorized subjsot to the following provlslons:n
HOG. 35.E. twrrin, Page 3.
It will be noted that under Artlole 2806 the Commls-
slonere’ Court oanvasaea the returns of the election and declares
the eohool distrlote ooneolldated baaed upon the result of euch
election. Thereafter the.-oounty board or e.ohool trustees In
oompllanoe with Article 2800 appoints a board composed of seven
trustees. It was held in our opinion No. O-1229, addressed to
the Hon. Loule T. Holland, County Attorney, Montague County,
that :
RThe oonsolldatlon of school di8triots b4COm48
srrectlve upon the oanvaaa of the election and deolara-
tlon of the result by the CommlssionersV Court as
provided In Artiole 2806. Bland vs. Orangerisld In-
tlpendant Sohool DistriOt (T.C.A.1929) 24 6.1. (26)
.0
The oon8olldatlon having been orreoted by the do-
olaratlon or the oommlee.lonersl oourt alter the canva88 or the
election returns and the taxing power being lodged In the oom-
miseioner81 oourt and not In the looal board or txu6tee8 for
oommon rohool diBtriOt8, it Is our opinion that the raiiw4
of the oounty board of rch001 trustees to appoint the proper
number or trustees for the newly rormed oonsolldated oommon
echo01 biatrlot would not Invalidate a tax levy made ror such
district ae provided by law.
Yours very truly
ATTORNEY G- OF TEXAS
BY
Cecil C'8%,"""!k
h3lstant
ccctm
APPROVEDCCT 10, 1939 (STAMPED) Approved
Opinion Committee
Robert E. Kepke By: B.W.B. ,Ohalrman
ACTINGATTORNEY GENERALOF TEXAS