**OFFICE OF**  **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS AUSTIN** 

iionorable RoYO~ R. &tkins, Presideat 4at.0 BOaT.3

Of Eduoatlon ,utstfn, Texas

hue been furnished with data snd ~hersimfter qusstiou propoudea never been.snswerad by you Dep3rtnent took the posit!m province of the State Botlreof Zlucation only to ask tho question propoun&- ed; therefore nt the lust meeting above referred to, ths Stotc Board of Eduontion autho?Azed ne, as Prea- ~’ i&Et Of thC str\tfJBoard Of 'cdUOE&iOn, t0 prOpCWRd
..

. the question heretofore submitCed to-wit:,

“‘Since the contrncdiog &.atri& bed * ConQlled with all requircmnts for rcwiving nid in this case, cauld the’ failUS0Oi'~hcS0 b.V GfflChl3 to pcSfO?iu8 d.nisz~crlaL duty, wsausc of .m alloW cation, at Areocnt : resolution setting
. the .plaiR of the tuition of pupili%. nttetding the Athens

### 475

**erroneoue iutbrprettition**  **of** the law, deprim the oontraating aietri0ta or the legal right which they had **IMd8r** the **pro** visions of the rural aid lew, wimn the **failure to**  **perform their**  **duty was**  **without ftiult,**  knowledge or consent of eith-r of the contrsoting parties?*

“Let me **suggest** that yoa oarefully review the attached correrpondeutie in **ordbr** that you osu have before you all of the fabts and aircumstanae8 surrounding this aituat1on.e
Weunderrtmndthe raots to **be** that the Kalnut Creak CommaSchool District No, 1Cof Benderson County oontraotsd with the Athena Independent Lohool Distr,fot,in whioh contraot It was speed that all white and colored aoholartioe were tranrferred to the AobsnsIndependent liohool Distriat, exoept those transferred to another district prior to August 1, 194E.

The oontraoted (sending) dlstriot agreed to paymonthly to ths reoelving aohool:

(a) All State and oounty available funds ns received; (b) All local saintennnoe funds as oollsoted. The receiving aahool agreed to furnlah aooredlted sohool faailitiee for a term of nine (9) month8to all White and colored aoholaetloe of the sending district, end to oooperate wfth the County Board in furnlrhing transportation faoifities to all it;,‘,‘; llv1ng more than two and one-halt miles rrom the reo8lving

It **we8 furtter**  **agreed tbat**  **the receiving**  school shall colleo; additional tuition **provided in**  **the Rural**  **Alb Law.** 

The contract ma duly exeacltstlend filed la the QiilCe **of** the **County Sur&rintendent**  **of** libndoraon **County on**  **SUly 6,**  **1948, but**  wasnot approved by the County Superintendent andwasnot forwarded to **kuetin** for approval of the State Superintendent o? Publio **Instruct** ion. neither sohool blatriot was notified that thb oontraot wasnot approved andthe Superintendent OSthe Athens sohoolr **was** of the opioion that it had been approved until elementary **tuition aid**  **k** was refuerfi the following summer.1.. .i f
. :.. . ,

.., It is admitted that the pupils of the Vialnut Creek Jlstxfct wsre taught, la the Athew Independent School Dir;trlct rccoxding to the **term** of the contra&, and the only question: ),,wheth:.rthe failure of the ,CountySuperintendent aud the State ,,,exlnteudent to approve the contract operi+cs to “deprive the contracting districts of their legal ri&htsnhich they had under 1~ provisions of the Rural Aid Law.- TV The budeet of Walnut Creek Distriat and all other re- &rem?tltS prerequisite for receioine State Aid were duly filed vlth the State Superintendent prior .t.oCotober 1, 1942.

The County Superintendent &a as a reason for not \.' ;pprovin& the contract that.'sho had a conversation over the telephmowith an assistant in the State Superintendent’s office, in uhlchconversstioa she **was** told that ‘It viould bobest to secure individual transfers and not send in the oontract, and that this rauldin nowaylessen the amount of moneythat the Athens dj.strlct would receive. This~ihforsation was given to the County~ Superintendent a few days prior to our Opinion No. O-5413, in Which opinion we held that Individual transfers do not comewithin **the** provisions of. Section 2 of Article .8of the Rural Aid J&v, becausethey are not contracted under ,the provisions thereof.

1 

### 8alaSeot&on 2, ‘Article 2’ o?Tsaid law in effeot At tho the the contract was executed- reads as f ’ollowsf *ior the s&o01 years thereaft~er, up’onthe agreement of the Roard of **!l!ructees** of the dlsttiicts concerned or on petition signed,bg a majority of the qualified voters of thendistrict and subject to the approval.of the oounty superintendent, and the State Superintendent,. a district which. maybe unable to maintain ~asutisfactory school maytransfer its entire .soholastic enrollment for one year to an aocredited sohool of higher rank. 'If' the rticeiving school recelves State Aid, the scholastic ccusus rolls both white and oolorcd shall be combined, the per capita appoPtionmnt shall be paid direct to the receiving school, all local taxes of the sending contracting~ district, except those going tothe interest and sinkine fund shall be credited to 4he receiving school by the Tux Collector as oollectctd, and the,teacher-pupil quota shall begbased on tho coubined census total. ~Xf the rocoiving school is eat a State Aid school, the scholastio cenms rolls .both white aad colored shall bo oombined, the per capita apportiomeut st:all bo paid direct to the recolv$.ng school, all local taxes of the i seu$ng contracting district except those going to the; . . :.. . .a. i

-.

.: i

. liop..Rayall H?.bo,t+ns, pa&e

### 4

:. 4...

. lat&est,siid sinkiu~ f&z? eh%ll be Omdittd to the r6celvir.g school by the Tax Colleotor as mllectca,

. and the, sending oontrocting district will be eligible for 58 I-,uoh.Selary AId **as 1s**  necessary to supplsaont the Ctste Available end Loo51 ::uin$ag$xo9 Funds, cn the.-schol5sticsfrm the ecud1r.g%istPict nttendiug 8 school in tho rC;cePvIszg district, to oovez the ep- )“ pl?OyGd

oost 0r instmctioa per scholsotlo in the reoeiviag eahool, provided .t!mt such app3+0vea cost shall not eroeed Seven Dollarn ena FiSty Cent6 ($7.50) por moathfor h&h sohool. student5 or Five. Dollsirs ($s.CO) .' .p6r fionth for elcmntory studcnto." It Ml1 bs ObSerQodthet ?ectlcn 2 OSArtio1.o 8 of tic; Rural'Aid Lsc: in effedt 'et the tiae this contract wss executed pravLde5Tibetssne atsl.l. be QlsubJcotto" the opprovol of the County3geriutenacnt 5nd the Stetc ?uparintenCent. .: TheraSore; the question .preBented for our deter&no-. c tLonIs this: Does the transfer or egreenent in question kequire the apvrolsl of.the Countr ~~u3erintenden~am3 the *t&e FUD9rintchdint before either of the- contrmting distriotx .Zilj$Eie S0.r sslery eid urkier Dectioc 2 of Art. 8 aforeseia? :. In our'opilihion, suoh,,approval ,isreq.&o+

. '. -Iti the 6ase'of'HcCorkcl v. Distiict Trustees, ttc., (civ. &.I 121 s. 3. (2) 1048, 

### 1052,5 sinIlar provieion contolned ia e previous &ma3 Aid and ?.quolizoCion Fund~;Ipproprlotion, WRS

consiaerea by..tha Ccurt., Thefollowing guototiono

. A-053soid opinion ore enl&htcoing;:

'?A160 ) in either c%se (elthor by agroa&ot of tho ‘tl’UStG~0

OSthe district9 CoNWIIea or on siguea petition by n mjo?ity of the quellfied voters), we think the transScr is to be mae 'subjcot'ti, J& apmovcll OStho County ~uwrinteaannt end YtEto 3wmr-

-e -- int.endc9t.r
. . The oi&?Lm ue do oxprsno I.0that th6 wZ5ttcr OSscct.ion 

### .17(of Chop. 

### ,474, Cen'l. ona ??peo. I,cws of 

### 197, p. 1259).is.not the authorizetion of controdts, but of transfers to be made, not by the CourttyTluperintmasrlt 53 in cssc OSother' transfers .~ .(Vernon’s JimI.Civil ?tetutoa, Art. 26961, but by the trunteco cf the 2istrict (which.my .zloumble. to n;aIu- .ta,in 0 aetisfectory school), b&r t&c~Pcwin&q~ and conditl~nns Dr0scd.bw-i." mseis Ouru,P - ,,'
.
_.

.. : eon. Royal1 R.‘Watklns, page 5 I i (, ,;.-j ;_ ., ~‘,

..

- Certatnly, the Legislature had renson tor recuir-
- lng the apjirooal of both County and State ~Up@r~nt6nCkIit6 of all transfers to be effected under.the pro+fons of ?ection 2 of Apt. 8, supro. It must not be overlooked thvt transfers o$ cntire scholestic ecrollmsnts, allowed under this section, are only authorlzcd rbon pistrlcts m unhbio to nointsin

sohoo~s, am?then only i’or 0110yeFin e%ch the trustece of t&e proposed sending district &&&etermino that It Is nnatle to, maintain a sat1sfaotory

‘Iha County ana State tiuperLntsndcnts,or elthor of then, &ter investl@tion and Bue consideration, might ages or disagree s3.t.hSaid conclusion. If they agreed, th8ir aPprovsl-would be-given to the trsnstar. Otherwise it would be iithhelb. It is olesr, thareforc, that nuoh approve1 is not aio?ply a ministeriel requiresent. It is to be based upon dlsoret$on endjuogment
. It le a quosl-judicial fuwtion. t’henan ezecutive offioor, in the ‘exeroise of NE functions, is roqtired to Pass uponroots anO to betsrm1ne his action by the rocts round, suoh is sometimes called a gU6bjUaichd ~tlmotlon.Ry. Co. v. Shamon, 100 Tox. 379, 100 Z. Gi;.138; 10I,. R. A. (X.5.) 681. A130 **300** Beldscchi v. Coo&et (Civ. ;\PP.).

### 145s. **w. 325,**  

### 328, (Error Refused)
.’

Thefile submitted contrjlns a lcttor from the County ‘
. S!upe&sndnat to tir. PI. B. gin&, **AuOltor,** 3teto Board’of Xduce **ti0n;** bt6a AUK. 

### 30,. 1343. Tbe follovi@g paragrsgh is quoted thersircw **Tl!h ’** **h ’** **ero ~103**  **no lntontlon**  **oft in**  **UP to**  **Atbtins** in ----J-4 any wepana wewera assurea by **the** .X&e Department that no injury would be dmo in chani&un& from fi dlstriet contr%cS to inaividusl tr*nsPers.e

. This letter clearly intiicateo that the procedure Protided‘ for ‘in ?!oc. 2 of Art. 8.aforoonid wnoabandoned md that individual transfers ‘YIereeffected.

**Also,** the coPy of the nOontraot’to Tronsfur Districts %ccdrding **to Article**  8 of the Equelizotion’Iew For 1942-1$43”, contained in the fi.le subxitte4, shOpiSno EP$WOVO~ t!lcr~~f by either tho County Zuperj.ntendc;nt ox the !Xetc~ Superintendent.

., .

. .,

. Kenowoall attention to t% nature of H. B. 2Sl,, Chap. 519, Aots **Of** the 47th **LGgiShtUJ'e,** R. S. Itrj ’ baadine is “Appro,7ristion - Rural Aid ToPublio !Zahool.n.* It is osseatlelly a? appropriation bill. Lpeo;2 of Art. 8, $cpri3, is a oofcponent part t&roof. It is elmentary that oonditioncr of sn.approprlatloa bill atiat be conplied with before xconcys am ba paid out thereunder. Nalthcr cm moneybe drawntron tho Trcesury but in SJhif~C EDDrOpri~tiO~S~D!-C&bJ &. **C~astitution of**  Taras.

.Thhsol.roua&anoea surrounding tha quontlon **sub** mitted ov3.deMly oooarrcd OS 8 result CZ nn erroncowinterpqetstion of law. Ehhilethis is unfortunate end is to boregrettad, the law oannot be changed thereby. steted. Our opinion in this oonmotion ia as above

.” . Very truly youra : .

‘
. . Asa.ifitant

.: