Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

:onornblo Theo. i,.Cheat, ILI!rch ~1, 1939, i'.q:e 2 trlct ah311 be un:ar tkolr oontrol; GJ~C? t~'~cy shall hev0 the ~XC~U~~VO ;?o~der to lylnage 121~ ‘-;ovcI:~~ e:zla sohoole, md rtilrizhtn nnd titles to g-operti~for mhool purposes heretoforevaateb in tk12myor, olty oollno1lt3, or 6ChOOl tnurtees by articles 3995, 4013 cne 4032, 1k4ssa Statutes or 1.005,or other rtatutor, @meml ~l6 spoolal, except such cities aa are a~pted by-this title, shall bo vostad in raid b0m-d 0r truetces fmi their 8u00e880r9 in or- rlatt;me tiiolrclalxm stir311 apply to nny ootion or cult w?dch ray orlns to *oh said born? i.6a party." Sootian 2 of hrticla 2%27 ndm as iollover "Looal~~hool runde from dimtriot tars8 tu- ition ~HIJ or pupils not antitled to rree tultiolr an6 other lo-1 sourcem my be u8ed fbr the pur- poaom amaeratedrar State ma oountynmaeand ror puroheaing applinnoes sad upDUes, ror the payrnolltor :nsurance premlualn janitorsand otbr aaployw, ror buyln& sohool site., buying, build- ingand repedrin~ Md rtmtlng sohoolhouses, and for other purposee neo*saary in the oonduct of t&a publla sobools to be d8termlned by the limed OS Trwteos, lb aooount8 and vmwher8 for oounty diatrlotsto bo approved by the county uuperlntai- &Mat; provldeb, that when the State avallablo mhool fund In any olty or tlisttiotis etiriolent to mlntaln the schools thermi in any year Sor at least eight months, md leave a surplus, suoh sur- plus may be eqxmded for ths purpo6es mntiowd hareln.* The first above quoted Aztiola, to-wit, Artlole t780, WUJ pased ln 1906 as a *art 0: 8 lony,Md cosprahmsive school aot (Senate Bill No. E10, Chqtor 1X!!,Aot8 lQO5, pp. 263-311), and a reading of the orl~nnl act skews that tbla partiaulnrprovidon n~?lles to all indepmdent oofiool6ietriets. In la11 t&lo hrtiole wss r~dlfied aa Art1010 2092; and rofmrlxg, to it by that number f.ntho ease or Teupls Mepmdent Sohool Dlstfiot vs. Prootor (Clv. Qp.) 97 S.W. (2d) 1047, the oourt tide l + l *artlola 2SQ2, R.8. lQll, MUoh brought for- u8rd in part motion 168, &te lWBI olaarly ap- pllai, we think, to i%lJ.tmt0e8 of lndopendrat &triote, whether appolntad.bl the oity oounoil or oleoted by popu&w WA& * A relerutoa bo ' tih0 oited 1rti0i0e 0r th0 I.896 a.~. 0l0arl..y ah0wa that it WQM the Intent of the Le&islatUm that said article 2S92, R&i. 1.911,should apply to all type8 0r independent diatrlota,* * + n "Lock1 school CUII~~, tkt lo, ?uti~i~:lot do- riV9d fro:3 t::t: EtAtO ~213 Cou-ity, L1T.r ‘JO U35t: (CA) ?OS the ~J,U-~OClOf3 fO‘or V:::Ch L.‘vltO cud ‘,Oilllty funds nay bo used; (b) ror imrck~nln;:ox~llonceeo nnd su~~lloo; (c) for t&c poy:iohtof ~nsuronce :me- siwns, jnaftors, rml otknora~loyees; (d) for buy- in? r&toe buylnc, builiing cmc repirini: wld rent- 1n1;ochooi-houaao; and (0) other ?ur~oaos ncoesccry to conduot the public ooi;ool:: to be dotcrAned by the borlril of trusteee. Subdlviulon 2, artiole 282'7." Let us3now try to deter&he wht uuthorlty the trwteeu of tneae two ortioles. :Wtlolo 2780 ln this cnee hsve by virt-tu, says that *they shall hme the exclusive power to paw aaC Lpvsra aaid B&oolS". Artlels 2827, in zection 2, says that "local school fund* frou diotriottaxes * * + fmc other locul souroos may be UEed + * * for puralraslngappllnnoes and eu?plfce, for the pq-zont of ln- 3lr r a na e p r tiumu + l * r0r buying 5c:1001 sites, buyiog. bulldin:: findropalrlngand renting sahool housea, mc for ot.her~mrooses nsOww in the ooaduot of the mbllo sohoole to be detstined bx the Board 0r nwtaee**. i:e tShk these hrtlclea olsarly aut.3orize the Board of Trustee:,in t&is CL~GDto spend t!ic .aoney in r,uootlon for a school bus. Cm nonoy in quontion 5.0Lioundto be low1 sohool funds :~~OZUCJ~ tho o.?lydhar kink of school ,%r16~we ;t.iito ricdoounty school funds, rendt!ioy connot Cc used Tar builkihs school houeec, ~:~iilch is by vLrtuo 0;' Amtlon 1 of :ztlcla Z327, which retie rm .nllov:s: "Yhe Stciteand county nV:lllL~blo Tunrlsstill be ueud eri.AunivolyCur t!lapqI3ent or tefiOlieI73’ and uuperintendentu* sularlo~, fooe for taking the saholestlo oehsus, and intoroot on noney borrowed on s::orttin0 to 3ay t-~lc.rloo of tenohere and sup erlntezdonts, when t!rosescilarlosbooom &MI be- fore t!loschool *aImisfnr U:u current yew bocolle a~allc.Llo; poviCo9 tht IIC lcnnti:'UStAc :mrpom of pnymnt 01 tauchcre &xl). be Snid out of Zundc other t>nn ti;oco:':IIt:;othorimrrunt :mnr." ,.- Aan t!ILsacl.mrl!mueo *a built, it ::2;1:wilt 3&t!;idCU1 rumba of eosm kind, -:ni now t&t it has burneC tir>liu we think t&t ::a ln6urfmas2.oscyLxll:.SC conniiiemdhn lo& ;u!!.c. In thk day em.?w den travel by bus hu becow so zu%atlaalthat Per; fc~ people objact to it, m(: mweying sohool &UTUA by bus la SODC 1~ mst oazuunlties,.HIZbelieve that the buy&n& of t&5 bus ootitdbc d8a;ord.a purgose .xmmmx-y IIIt210eon- dot.-of the ~obocl, and, t!mmf~e, justified\itier%ctlon 2 of- rtiole 2327, Ua rinllas under Art1cl.e2730; ,wovWu~, d' aourso, z.!! tru6tee~ are actin:: In GgLv3drnltp. *ochoOl tl'U6tt3~6 OrdllltUd.1~ hZYCt tohe t3XOhI- sivo c0ntrol rmc ~~~~pient 0r so3001 property tM sxolualvsposssoslonthereof. In excrclsin~ this dlscret~oathey.zmy looate and constzuctdin- trlct buUln.@ upon spph altsa,an4 in aoaordauee vdth mah plaxs rpb spealflcatlons9~ in theair ---.,.I$~~~~-=~~~~ ~,~n$e;--& o;f& didrotion will not b; revi&& T'ls p&r must, horsrer, bdexorclsed 80 as host to sarvc the %i=--- .- tarestsof t30 ,?ubl.lo." Our 6nawer to your 1fhquix-y 1s t&m: Go ii&i offTxuatees 0: Qo lmlepoB6*ntsohoolhave the euthorlty to tee the ~Omy col- leoted as flro insuraxtoson a aohoolhouse destroyedby fire and userthl~lxaoeyTV buy a school b;Lawithrhlah tu transporttha C*;fidTeain thcf vicirrityto anot!mr school in that Uatrlot, pm- ridlug the tnurteae.areaotlng in good faith. roll& vary truly