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

Honorable Traylor Ruesell County Attorney Titur Count? Ht. Flearant, Texas
Dear Sir:

b'eare In reoel 1941 requesting an oplnio in part 88 r0il0w88 er of January 24, tment whleh reulr

elementary sohoolr.

o rahool (Ilrtrlct 13. Vhe queetlonr are as r0mm: ::?Flret: Canoohoolr A an%5be aoneoll%ate% with aahool Dfor elementary sohool purpose89

In the event sahoole A andBoan fJ&ggg: be oomoli%ate% with rohool Dfor elsesentary sohool ptlrpoctea, what eifeHi, If any, would thita have ongonorable TreyLor Rt~eeell, peg8 2

the prerlouely fore~ed rural high eohool dirtrlct, If any, andwhat erreot would l uoh a ooneolldation have on the eohool funds of eohoole A an%Bt

w: In the event AandBmaybe ooneolldated with eohool Doan thle be done by the County Board of Trustee8 without an election or shell an election be’had by the quellfled reeldent voter8 of dirtMote A, Bend Dt

“In oonneotlon with the flrrt queotion I alte you Art. 29&2f, R.C.S., 1926, whloh portion of the artlole applying to this requeet read8 ae r0il0we :

“The County Board of Sohool Trueteee l hall not have the authority to abolleh or ooneoll%ate an7 elesentarr eohool dletrlot already eetabllehed exoept upon the vote or asaJority or the qortified l leotore lrlng in euoh elementary &l&riot; prorid* ,e% that whenennfeohool withln anr elementary dletriot ralle to have an average daily attendemoe the preoeding year of at least. twenty pupil8 lt mar be dieoontinued bf the Board of 

### Trueteeeo? aal& rural high l

ohoo dletrlot, ma eald dletrlot maybe ooneoltdated by the Qounty Bowd of Sohool Trueteee with eoe18athor dietrlot or dletrlote ior elementary l

ohool purpoeee; provldeti that 21 there 18more then one white or one oolored eohool In enoh elementary eohool dletrlot the board of truetbee of the l

a,ld rural high eohool dletrlote or an lndepenbent dletrlot, a8the oaee maybe, mayooneolidete euoh white or solored l ohoolr of the elementary dietrlot; 

### andprovided that the board of trueteee of a rural high l ahool dletrlot maytranrfer the pup118 of one elementary dletriot to another within the rural high eohool %letrloD, whenthe tranefer ie madefraa en 8lementa.r~ dietriot of lower olaeelrloa.tlon to one or higher olaeelfloatlon; and provided further that the boar% of trustee8 of a rural hlgh l

ohool dietriot may tranefer pupiZ8 from en elementary dletriot to MI other elementary dletrlot within the rural high eohool dletriot upon applioatton of the parents or guar%lan of the 

### eal% puplle.'*Honorable Traylor Rueeell, page S

Wealso 01311attentlon to that part 0r Artiole 

### Bega, Vernon’s 

### Texas Civil Statutes, reaalng as follower

*Provided that the county eohool trumteee shallhave the authorltg to abolleh a rurel high school dietrict on a petItion elgne% by a majorltJrof the votere of each elementary dletrlot oomposing the rural high school aletrlot andwhen euah dletrlot has been abollehe% the elementary dletrlote shell automatlorlly revert baok to their orlglnal etatue, with the exoeptlon that In the event there are any outstanding Indebtedness agalnet the raid rural eohool dietrlot l aoh elementary dtetrlot shell assume Its proportlonal part of the debts. ” It la noted from your rtatemsnt of faote that the l ohoole A, 13,and Cwere grouped under Arttale 

### 2922a,Vernon’s Texas Clrll Strtutre, Into 

### arural high eohool %letrlot, and br virtue of the terme of Artlole 2922b, Vernon’s Texas Civil Statutes, ebPohof eald dietrlote oomooelng the rural high eohool dletriat beoame elementary eohool %letrlote wlthin the rural hlgh l

ohool dIetrIot feeMy. Sohool District DI8 entire17 separate andher no relatlonehlp whatever to the rural high l ohool dletrlot 

### orany of lte oomponent parts. There 

### maybe 8-c question or oomfllot 

### asto whether 

### arural high school dietrlot 

### maybe dlememberea by removing an elementary Qletrlot, exoept by dieeolutlon 

### asprovide% la Artlole 29228, quote% above, Elliott QoeueonSohool Dletrlot No. 48vs. County Board or Sohool Trustees, (T.C.A. 1934, writ dlea~eeeU) 5’6S.W. tea) 786; Willow Role Independent Sohool Dletrlot vs. smith, 

### (T.C.A.1938, writ refused), 125 S.W. (2%) 708; but aeeumlng that an eleaentarf l ohool aletrZot 

### maybe *ungrouped’ or *dieannexeda rrom the rural hlgb eohool al8trlot without the rursl high wahoo1%letrlot being dleeoloed aa 

### a whole ae provided in Artlole 

### 29228,eupra, itdoe8 not neoeeeerily follow that the aotlon mentioned tn your first question would **be** authcricea. In thatquestion you wleh to knowwhether the elementary dletrlot maybe ooneolldated with en unrelated Qletr;ot *for elementary school purpoeee.N Noetatute expreeel~ authorlrlng this aotlon has someto our attention unless Artlole 2922f, quoted in your letter of request, maybe so oonetrued. ConeolldatIone areprovl%e% for In Artlalee 2806 %- riee,d 

### Civil Statutes, 1926 and 

### 2742b, ‘Uernon ’e Teur Cld Statutes, but these statutes oontaln no express mention of

,Bonorable Traylor Fluesell, page 4

*elementary dletrlcte.* Whena ooneolldatlon under either of there statutes Is effected, a newand dtetlnot entity oomee into exletenoe andthe ioreier %letrIots’~loee their ldentlty. Zhenewooneolidated dletrlot la governed by Its board of trustees with authorltr to eetablleh, maintain and oontrol all eohoole, both high l ohool andgrade eohool, wlthln the llmlte of the bounderlee of the dietriot. Authority la oon- *._- ferred to vote, levy and oolleot trxee whioh a,re uniform over the entire %l#trlOt. It la oontemplated that all resident I eoholaetloe of the ooneolldated %ietrIot shall attend the

l ohoole thereln unleee transferred to another aletriot under the provleIone of the applioable transfer etatutee.

A rural high eohool dietriot la 

### agrouping or annexation for high l

ohool purposes only, andunlere oertaln oon%Itione exist, elementery eohoole must be maintainedin eaoh of the elementary %latrlote. Phle I8 not true of ooneolidated dletrlote. For oertaln purpoee8, In the aotlve operatloa 0r the grouped dletrlot, the orlglnal dletrlote brought vlthln the group retain their Identity. Therural high l ohool dletrlot la governed by aboard of trustees eleoted from the grouped aietriot as a whole, with authority to lerr an%oollest taxer over euoh dletrlot as awhole, andthe elementary l ohoole for eaoh of the underlying dIetrlote are **governed**by the oentral board **of trustees,**  **Nauldln,** 32 S.W. (2d), 235; **As** pointed out In Chaetaln vs.

** l l &e grouping provided for doe8 not have the efieot of abollehlng the several dletrlote In the group. * l * It merely groups themfor high l ohaol txmpoeee andplaoee the grouprd board ln oharge of all the eohoole in the aietrlot, thus abolishing the several dletrlot boards. l l l The trustees of the grouped dletrlot were Invested with the power and **oharged**with the duty **of** oonduotlng eohoole and tilnleterlng all l ohool property and runde of all bhe dletrlote within the boun%arlee of the ooneolIdate% dletrIote.* (The oourt In epeakIng of eooneolI%ate% dietrIots* had reference to the rural high wahoo1grouping.) Thetaxes and runde oolleoted over the rural high eohaol %Ietriot are managedby the rural high eohool board for the maintenanae and eupbort, not only of the oentral hlgh l ohool ror the benerlt of all thoee within the unit but also the varlo;; ;;mentary eohoole wIthin eaoh of the elementary UIrtrlote. readily be eeen that anattempt to leave an elementary dIetrIOt grouped with others ln the rural high eohool district for high wahoo2purposes, and at the lLpLe time ooneolldate it with another district outride the group ror elementary purposes, woulh neoee-genorabl8 Troylor kreoll, page 6

raIly lead to numerous oonfllotr In authority between the verlou8 governing boardo; an overlapplng of taxing authorltr rlth noeeanr for dividing or 8egregatIng the dlrtrlot for tax PUrPO8.8, oonfurlon In election8 and ths right to vote, andmanyother queetlonr whlsh would neoe88arlly arise.

Thelcglrleture ha8 not attempted to makemy provlrlon for any of there oontlngenoler, nor ha8 It oloarly provlded that an elementary dirtriot maybe detaohed from the Ural high rohool dirtrlot from the ravonth **grade** downand oonrolldated wlth an adJoIning dlrtrlot outride the group.

It I8 our oplnlon that the r8a8onab1e and prop8r OOn8tNOtiOn OfArtlolo 2922f, **Vernon ’** **8 ToXa8**  Civil **8tBtUt88,** rhould be that the OOUntyboard of 8OhOO1tN8t.88 8ay, when the oondltlon8 therein provided 8xl8t, **aon8Olidat8** or oollblnr anelementary dirtrlct with another e18mentary dl8trl6t withlath8 high 8ohool **group** for 0188l8nta~ rohool ~0lp08.8, but ur not oon8olldate ruoh 8lsIaentary rohool dlrtrlot for *lo88ntary rohool purporer only with another dI8tPlOt **oUtrid** th8 Rural **High** Sohool **DI8trIot.** Your flr8t qur86lon 18therefore l n8UOmdln th8 n8gatlve and it beOOme8unneoe88uy to anlwer tour reoond andthird que8tlons.

**YOUI ’** **8** V8m 6NlJ ATTORHEX

OEWERAL

OFTIEA%

**Dix: Jr**  

# B’-4idti
i88i8tMt
I,PPROVEDm I, 1941