Honorable T. Il. Trimble 

First As,&itaA State gupsrlatendmt 

Austlr, Texas 

Dear sir, 

see L8tter oplnlon Boor 80. 188 

t8gs 61g;m~ 4, 19l4, M. OS mute*8 ot XSD are not rai&ubed 

to ednr8ln iw bids for the 

l no tio n of 8ehoOl’ hou808 bunt 

ta nc tlheor - lp er r i8io n 

OpimiOB HO. 0-62s*i 

RIB: msthsr bumtoss or oomon~sohool 

distriub zmy,auaM a buildiag ORBtract without admrtia~ for Mds. 

(Bee rots klew) 

Ws an ia rsseipt of your lettsr of Huoh 17, 1939, whsr~im$ou 

request our oplaion.i* respoaso to the followlag questions: 

*l@'ti trGtesi of a o-c& sohool distriot legally bt a building oo* 

traot agaiti thCbolla,ft+d withouttflrsf hrpI% adwrtissd fisr Mds? If ths 

tmstssi tie not psrmittsd to do tbls,rhat would bs the required ldmd of 

adwrtisiag?* 

!&s authori* for ths trustws of ocwoa,soimol distriots IW mrrh 

suoh oomtraats is folud In Artiole 2762, Rsvistid Civil 6tatntss,lhioh ma&s 

as follows: 

"The trust088 of a sohool dirtriot shall ooatraot, for the ereotioa of ths 

&buildings ad ~mperl~o~d,tha ooartraotiom of the 8a-w~~~ udtho oouaty sup 

erimttidat Shilldr*ohis wuramt upoa the sohool fund so appropriated 

oaly upon the aoooumts first apprmsd bp them. 1po msohanio, oomtraotor, 

matsrlal mm, or other psnoa, oam ocmtraot for, or ia my otbsr.mmmsr 

have or aoqaire w Lisa npo~ Mm houn so oreoted or the lamd upon whioh 

the same is situated; and all oontraots with suoh parties shall qossly 

stipulate for a miwr of such lien." 

It till la loted that same oontains no requirsmsat for the trustees to sulmit woh oo~~traots to oompstitlve biddimg. Wtiole 2566a, 

Revised 8tatats8, make* rsquiremmnts of that nature psrtaini8g to osrtda 

oontraots of oitiss aad ooumtiss (the latter aoting through their oonmissior 

ers( oourts), but neither that statuts nor w other ekes q suoh pro~isioa relative to the oontraots mentioned in your inquiry. 

++ Rote: f?ss Letter Opinion &ok 166, Page 619. Bard of trustees of indepemdsllt sohool distriots not required to advertise for bids for the 

erection of sohool houses bailt under their supervision. July 14, 1914. 
Hon. T. M. Trimble, page 2 (0.525) 

The aearsst case la point rbiohws have been able to Piad Is 

that of Staplubon v. Trussall, 196 S.W. 269. Therein the trustw had 

a@mrtiwd for bids lxatut had not 1st the oontraot to the lowsrt Udder. 

Mter.quotiag ths abwe,Artiols 2762, ths Court said: 

*So doubtless the tmstw oomplaimd of la this aotior had 

the pcmer, under ths law, to advertise amd rsoelve Mds for 

th& ersotiox of a sohoolhouss la oomo8 school distrlot Ro. 

673 but thsrs is nothlag ir the la1 that'arbltrarily rsquirw 

such 'board to aooept the lowest Md that may be rsoslted. As 

speoiflsd in the law, thsir power in making suoh oomtraots 

IS g8n0ral, d ix the m83t00 0r mitatm8, thsp PTO 

required merely to aot faithfully aad la the oxoroiss of their 

best judgmsprt so as to best remoths iatsrwt of their distriot.* 

In wrigh% v. Jomos, 120 5.X 1190, It -8 heldtit the trustaos 

of m independent school could cppoiti a oomittos to lot suoh a oontraot, 

tho board of trustsos authorizing and adopting the same. 

There is mo xosd to answsr your sooond question, siaoo m 

answer your first imtho afflrmatioe. 

Your0 wly lmlly 

ATTQRNZY GENERAL OF BXAS 

Ey /s/~Glon B. Lawis 

GFiL:N:egw 

APPROWD: .- 

/s/ H. F. Moore 

FIRsTASSIS!r!mT 

ATTORNEY GRNRRU 

Gleap R. Inrim 

Assistant