OFFICE OF 

TEE ATTORNEY GENERAL 

AUSTIN.TEXAS 

Honorable Joe P. Rlaok 

Qounty Attorney 

"II= , ";Z: L 

Dear Slrr 

Opinion No. O-5462 

Rez Dlspositlon of money amI 

proper~p of d4strlota 

upon fornatlm 0r rural 

high sob01 distzlot. 

We have reoofved your letter of July 19, 1943, 

whloh we quote in part a8 tollowsr 

“The Gounty Judge of Menard Oounty, has a&- 

eU me for an opinion BEI to the following mtter. 

I have advised h5.m In answer to said question, 

but a8 usual, he thinka thst he'should have an 

opinion from your Department. 

*On June 19, 1943, an election waa held and 

was carried anuerlng oertain oommn aohool &latrlote wlth the lWmrdrille independent Sahool 

Dletriot or oonaolidatlng said distrlots under 

the Rural Iii& School Act. 

Vlome of these sohool distrlota have money 

on hand and own property, the question ie: what 

1s to beoome of eald aroperty and rooaey? That 

is, said dlatrlots have looal tax money on hand 

and own busses and other property, but as 1 understand they have no banded indebtedners and the 

question la, as state6 ebove:, whet should be %ane 

with thl6 property?* 

316 
,317 

Eon. Jo. P. Flask, pade 2 

Wa do not hare bsfore ua the quastlon of tha o#tablf& 

msnt of the aalarged Uf8trlot, snd for tha purpoaea of thj,a 

opinion, W aPStUES that tb sadbe MS 1S@dly eatnbllshad. Our 

aa&wer till, tharafere ba oonii5ad to the quaatlon of t&a 

proper dloposltlon of ihe fu5da v5d property Of tha Individual 

Ogt;;ttEV350hry dkZitdOt UpOn ths ,: :fOI25EtifM ‘Of the Oa2gOh ah- 

. 

Artiimi 2922a, vsrnon'll &ADRtmteii Clril 8ta0otea, rrrta 

forth the prooedure wherabp a rural hl&h oohwJ,4lstriet w br 

roradl. !&a a&hod nhatoby such a df8triot aay'be eboliahod la 

also girtlo. Buoh aethod la aa followar 

"* * + ~erldad that tha eouaty aah& 

tru8teer.shall hawe the autkumlty to aboUah 

a ruml high aoboti dlotrlot on a petltien 

ilgneil by a majority or tha *btcrrs of eaoh ' 

alamantary dirtriot ~onipo~ the rural high 

school dlstrlot and whan euoh district haa 

baan absllshad the elasmntar~ districta shall 

automatioally rsoact baok to their arfgiaal 

etattls, *.ith the ez0egtian~that in the otont 

there a?3 tiny OUtEkDding inde~tOdne~@ k?k&atnst 

the 8ald rural aohoel Ulatrlot eash ela~~aatary 

dlstriot ahall l aaum its porportlonal part OS 

the dabts." 

%han aahool dS8triota are oonaoltdatad.tmdsr A&201@ 

2806, Var5on~*~Anrmtati&l Qiril Miatota8, the~diatriota oonaolldated lose thair'saparata ldentlty. Bowever tha fomation of 

a rural high school dlatrlot doss riot abolia6 the olamntary 

bishrlots, 

theraln. 

a5d aeparats.elanreatary soh~oJ.8 mst be maintained 

Artiole 2922f Chaatain v. Waul&ln, 32 S, Wi (2&j 

2371 MoPhall v, Tax Co 9 eotor or Van Zadlt~Oounty, SO S, A. 

2603 Qounty Roam3 or sohool Trusteea of Ligsstons Oounty V. 

Wilson, 9.8, W. (2d) 805 

01s 2922~ upon the abol f 

Opinion No. O-308$. AntI under Artltlon or the rural hi&& aoheel dlatriot, 

the eLomenta,ry distriota return to thalr original atatun. 
318 

Honr.Joe P. l”bok, we ) 

In the oaae of ChmtaI~ v. ?dauldln, supra, 't&q eaart 

bad before it ths gueetion rbAlth6r, the truateee of a roral. 

high sc~ol dlstriot oould rccnove the sohoalhmm or en elementary district to another Qletrtota 'So quote the foXle 

Sraa the oainfon sf the eouxtt 

* * * * In tiie MaPhall Case above, Judge 

Loaney in holding oonstltatloha~ the prorialona 

of ahepter 19a, title 49, e&8 forth very clear4 the purpoeee and offee+ of the le,@slcitloa. 

As there potnted out, the ereupine 

doea not have the afSe&of abd.h 

sohooln in the distriot, $h~e*aboll8hhfng the 

ssrexel diotriat bmtbs, ate trulte.l 

or the grouped Qietrfot were itweated with the 

parrer and oherged with thhs.dut Of coadudtiag 

aahools and of abl.nlaterin@ a f aoho81 property 

and fund8 rd 6.U the dlstriota wlth3.n the baunhave the ~wer 

to removo the eohool of the, Panther creek 

distrlot to the Sroavenor dietriot, a6 that would 

have been a dioeroion of the property from It8 

proper purpoee an& object, The on3.0 eonsoXidatIon 

a.ff%oted by the ~rou&xg wu that or the Tunbi a,el- 

'leoted fron taxation for gsneraZ fualnCfmwmr The 

ownership or schml build~Iu@ of the several dietrlota rmalned thir propertg or those dlstriete 

end oould tat be divested or Intpatra& by the-trueteea of the mouped dietriot. %I believe and 80 

hold that In at;teqMn.$ to X$ROQ~ the %CrhQOl bull& 

im3 the trustees were c&out ti3 p43rtomn a wbri;lly 

unauthorized aat." 
%a. Joe P. FlRok, page 4 

Upon the dlsnolakion of a rural h&h soho& distriali, 

oartald questions tight be ralud ao to the propiwty r 

or the varloua aletriots if the money aad preparty ari 

belong&g to the lndlvidusl dlstriots had bean used in 0th~ 

dlstrlats or-in the edlerged dfatriat. 

Evidently~under the Pauldin ease, and you are so a& 

vised, upon the roneetlon of s rural.high sahool dirtriot, the 

trustees or aaid dbtrlat my uwthe rUnas and zaparty or an 

‘tlameatary dietriot only fdr the beaetlt of said eleeeatary 

dlstriot. 

Eowever, we call~your attention to that 

opinion or the aourt.in the Mauldin ease whioh rea r 

rt 0r the 

8 aa fellmat 

a * * * Tha trurtees sr the goupea Biatrlot 

have themamqamaat and control or the bulld&g 

in'puestlcm, and we do not hold that they are 

without a,uthorltg under proper safeguards 1161: 

it8 return or replilomnaat te remve It p-mpolr2, rily to the Brenrenor 4lrrtrio0, TtUt Quertioa, 

;- -however, is hot presantaU by &ha pleading or 

proof before ah I The oas+ a8 aado by the moor4 

/. preaanta only the puestion or Ihe poaior or the 

?’ Groirenor trusteea Lo ooavsto the aohool. bulldb 

1. 

or the Panther Crbrk &+rlOl.w 

!: We~bsllsre that~uadar t&la laaguags It my by that bua- 

.< mw aad other property of’ the elfmeatary di6trlot uhieh 18 mwi$ oeptibls .or Iming used DV~P. tho 3nlarged tietrlot nay ba LO 

.I used lr proper saf%gt~~Ie are takait t0 preasrva and p%WWt the ’ 

.progf&iy rights OS ths elmentaiy iU&riot. 

ii 

,~. 

p: Yourn very truly, 

A”PROVXD JtZY 31, 1943 ATTOm G53Wl?AL OB TEZAl3 

(slgnsd) Waver Seller8 

opiaba hmaittee %r