OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

3omr8ble A. Y. Read~rr, Director 

2~x88 hrOn8UticS ComiZIEdOB 

Crpltol BullA88th, Fex88 

questing this de 

your letter qu 

6, 1946, n8 set out in 

u please frrrnlsh UII an opinion 8s to 

t this term ~*publlc agencf vould inIndependent school district, (2) 8 cornmoh\sc&Ool district, 8s to the oimer8hlp end OpP8- 

t1on-6f an airport. Also, vhether the above school 

diatrlct, lf permitted to own an airport, vzuld have 

8UthOdty to le88e to lndfvldusl Oper8tON. 

School districts are qussl public corporations. 

It 1s 88ld by the courts, particularly vlth reference to 
Bsnor8ble A. W. Xwdovs, p8ge 2 

indepsndent sohool dlrlxlct8, that they 81% of the smne gene7Td uhar8Oter 80 mUalcip8l aorpor8tfone; ln othbr words, 

"qu8slmalolp8l Qorpor8tlonea, whiah derive their powers 

by delegation *as4 thb st8ts. Attansy oenersl oplnloll 

Book, 19144916, pb 585: Love v. Cltr of D8ll8s, 120 Tu. 

351; v= V. sum. 170 9. w. a3a1 2hma~ V* rib0 ~nde- peadent Sahool W8trLat, 269 9. U. 868. SahOol dlstriots 

a r C l t8te 8@3~1elss erecrtpd 8fd eaplagad ior t&8 purpose of 

edtd13&alt0rin13 th0 8t8tdO mBtW Of pa&i0 MhOOiB, LOW 9. 

Ci~oi~M;ru~s,arganlwdforeonreniOn~ ia~~~lalng the goveraabnt8l fnnutlon of eot8bll&lrq ad raaintalalq publle free sohools Inr thm beaetlt d t&s p6opie. Lee 

v. Leonard Iadependent Soheol Mstrlot, 24 8. W. (26) 449. 

&MtiOl! u ei &tO 195, 49th bgiti8tlEW, ohapter 

344, reearded a0 Artlele 460-l in Vernon~r Aaaotrted 01~11 

8t8tUtn8, ~OVid@B 8B tOllOV8: 

"%mlolpallty~ me8ns uq aotmty, inoorporsted alty, 

tlll8ge e trnm or thl8 state wd 8ny other polltlo8l 

BUbdiViBiOXl Or diBtriat in this StHie whloh is Oc BSJ be 

8utkorlxed by lw to saqulre, estsbllsh, construct, maintoin, lmprwe, and operate lalrport8 and other 8l.r navigstion i8ailitiea.s 

.-_ Bwad on said oplalon and oases~, VW believe that 

a eoaran or lndopeadetit whool dlstrlot -1s a state agenay 

aomlngrithia,t&e tex'n~"publia e&$etwysaadeflnedmdumWnpl8ted within- the provlrlonr of the Federal Airport Aet, 

?ubllo &air 377, &to of the 79th C0ngr888j and $htst the fedaal ,lrv, in8ala 80 the IRder8l Aot i8~f3onaern8d, k8s given 

at8 ~Pl&88bBl t8 - WkOdl diBtd.Ct t0 8Vsil it-l? Of the 

'b8Miit8 0f #a mbra &Bt* 

BOWTOP, II 88hOO1 diEtriOt, lifa, 8 Ciw OF COUntJ, 

hu kmly smh povero M me mm&y oonferred upon It 8ad 

8llUh istpli8d pOWOr M SPO DOMS- t0 UsWiW eXpDaB8 POWWB. 

myse Xndepsndsnt School Dlstrlot '1. Relnhardt, 159 b. If. 1010: 

!m~~tees of Xndepaxlent 3ohool District of Clbburrs v. Johnson 

County, 52 8. l?. (26) 71. Tba Texas h9gitiStUIW h88 f OUDd it 

awa8~8ry to ~peclflc8lly confer oa oltlea end eountles the 

power to oyn and operate airports, Articles 126911, 126gj, 

V.A.C.S., snd hoa also found It necessarg to confer 88ld paver 

011 oertoln State oolleges. A??iiicles 26150, 26508, V.A.C.S. 
~OnOl’8ble A. W. %8dWB, p8@3 3 

lo BUf3h 8utharity QT power to ovn and operate sn 

8bPOl.t h8B beCm oonferred * 8t8te Bt8tllb UpOn BOhOOl dirtriots, snd ve find no statute giving express or implied power 

to sshooltrustsestopurahase,rarintain,saquirs or operste 

M r irpor It n 8a d for the l ohOOl distriat 8ntruBted to their 

aOnkd Uld BU~l’ViBbUl. &tiCiBB -80, 2754, 2756, 2772, 

2773 V.A.C.S. Xt Is of further slgnlfla8nce, ve think, th8t 

the kgth L0gl818%~~0 In lkotloa 12 of Artlale 460-1, herelnabove quoted, limited it8 definition ai the ~WIVI "EIunioi#titf 

as used in tbs state &ron8utloB M8tute to a pGlltlos3. SubdiYiBiOll OF di8tTiet in th0 8t8tO 'whlah 18 OP -w b0 OuthOPlredtqirrto aOqtiIV,Oltoblibb, 8ollBtPWt,neintoin, ~IIIpave 8nd oper8te 8irpWtB 8nd Other 8f.r nwig8tiOU f8+litiOB”r 

ft Is, thsrefore,the opinion of thi8 depertmnt 

th8t a BOhOOl dlstrlat hss not been authmieed er empwered 

by State law O~BBly OE w imfiiC8tiOn t0 OVD 8nd OpUl’8te 

8i srirpert. 

Trusting 

qulrleB, lfe nm8ln 

the above 88tiBfMtWil~ 8IlBW9l’B YOU2 inVery truly yOUt?B 

Charter =a 0l118On 

JbBiBtBiDt