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1 OFFlCEOFTJ+EATTORNEYGENERALOFTEXA~ **AUSTIN**
**~JAoYER SUERS**  **#moIYcI**

**GDtmuL** ***, 1** **;**

**. I** 

**.** Ronorablr John C. Marburger **county** Attorney .'., **Fayette** county .'

. LaOrange, Teraa "I mar Six: Oplnlon~100. o-6968 ~~

,’ : R*s Authority of the

Journal, which 1

Ycur letter of.reornt i?oi~this department 

### ORthe abov ri iollowrr

tuatlon, could the .~ ownerlsgallg file raot with the Comnia-

, prevent it tron competing with era rorthe furnishing ot 

### orrio aupArticle 2688, v. A. c. s bntf Superintendent, provides1 ., cr6atlng tha 

### 0rriOr of 

### 804’::.

,- Eomrab~lo John C. karburgdr, page 2

~. The C~issioners~ -Court

### or everyoountp hWl~!&three thnusand (3,000) eahalastio population or QOI%as ahoun bytha preoeding acholaati0 oehsuu, shall at aGeharal 4lsotlon provide for the eleotion of a Count mrte ior aterm of rour (47Suparlntendent~ to years, .whoi&all br aparson of educational attainraants, gocd maral oharaater, and executive ability, and I&Oahall be provided by the Commissioners* Court with an 

### oiri08 in thecourt.i10us6,and

## with hecessary 

## atricr rumiture and 

### rtitum. Heshell ba the holder of a teacher’s first grade oertliioate or teaoher’ apemanant certirioata. county that ehall attain three thouss~$ y;“%O) saholaatio population or mre the Co&~&&s* Court ~sha11appoint such Supcrln~tandcnt whoshall 

## psrrorm

the duties or such ofrice until the elco- 

## tion and qurilirioation 

### 0rhis suocesaor. Ih uoamties having lass than thre6 thousand (3,000) roholastio population whenever xore than tiestyfire per oent (255) or tha qualiried voters of #aid county aa sham **b- the**  vote for Governox at the praoediag General Election shall petltion the Comnlssloners~ Couvt therei*ir, said Court shall orderan elsotlon for said county ta datsrmine~ whether or not the oiiioe of’County Superintendent shall be arsatcd in said oo’!aty$ and, If a najorltp I or the qualirfed property taxpaying voters voting aa

said sleotioh shall vote ror ths creation or.the oftie0 

### or county Superintendent in said county, the Coiimiasioners~ Court, at its next rsgulsr tzrz artcr the holding ot said election, shall orate _, the offlae or Cnuhtp Superintendent, and mm a Cotmty Superint,zudsnt rho shall qualify under this Chapter and hold su?h offiae until ‘the nsxt Gensral ;flaotion. ?2cvlded, that In all cou.aYea having a population la exoess at three hundred and tlfty I thousand (350,000) iuhabitants aocor4tng to the last t ~available Federal Csnsus the County Superintendent

~shall be a-pointad by the County Board of Education / and shall hold o?flcs ior two (2) years, provided I 

### father, that this provision shall not operate so
1 as to deprive any elaoted Superintendent oi his

office pri,or to the expiration of the tam ior *hiah he has bean slcoted; provided further thst

/ 

### ;805

.

.-ffanordle John C.Llarburger., peg6 3

:,. ,:, fi oouutles havinga scholastic population of batwoan three thousaBd (j,OOO) and five thousand (5,000) soholeatlcs, wherein the offica oi County Buparintandaht hes not been oraated end aSupariotaudant alaotad, than in such counties the question abwhathar or not such offloa is astabllsha& shell ba determined **by** tha **qualified** voters or said o’ouutp in ospaoial aleotion celled tharafcv **by** the comlsslon- ,.aZs’ Court of said oounty, upoh petltlon tharafor a6 horainebova apadtiad.”

:‘Avtlola 2689, Y. At C. S., is as tollotis: 91s oounty superintendent shell iirst tek8 the official oath eud ahell enter 

### into a bard in the sumof one thousand dollars, with good **end** suffialant auratl~as, to be payebla to and approved by tha coamiseianara oourt, ooaditionad under the ialthiul psrfonenoe of his duties. Any suu oolleoted ona iorfelture of said bond shell beooma a pert of the avai&able cauntp sohool fund.,* *

9

. i‘~ Artiole 2690, V..A. C..8., provider, 5.~pea: e.aTha eountf suparintendt3t shell have, under the direction of the State S~.parihtandant, the lamedleta aupervlsion of 811 mttars pertainihg to publio aduostion’in his 60~1‘8. Hashell confer .rith the teaohcrs and trust~ae end give thaemadvice when needed, visit end examine sohools, and dellver ,lsotures that shall tend to oraate en interest in public ,aduoation. Hashell spend four I d;:a;;;hmwaak visiting the eohools while they ere ,~ .i, -

, ivhen It is possible. for hlia to do so.. Hashell have authority ovar ell of the public schools within his county, axoept such of the independent school dletriata es have e aoholaatlo .~ populetlon of five hundred OT&ore. In such inda- .\ : pendant aohool districts es have lass then five hundred soholastio population, the raparts of the principals and traeeurera to the State Depert;lenU of .Eduoation shell be approved by tha OOLIhtYsuperlntandent before they are icswardad to tha Stat6 Superintendcat.

. . . .apa 323i ?Wquota the follow from 34 Taxer Jurlaprudanoe,
0 *Cfiioe* ambrac6r the ideas of tenure, dur&n; ;nolument andduties. Amongtha criteria TV determlng whathar an employment la a pub110 offloe are the followingt tha delegation of 8 portion of the sovaraigu funotlons of the government3 the raQuirament at an offiofal oaths that the poware anCruatad era conferred by law andnot by contreot.

. .a Eased upon the foregoing, it 1s our opinion that a County 8Uperii3tCBdCBt ia a County ofrioer.

Weoell your attention to Artiole 373, V. A. P. C., uhioh reed8 86 iollowsr

.,

*Xi any offloar of any oounty, or ol any oity or tarol shell become in any manner paounlarllp 

### interested In any oontracts madeby~auohcounty; aity or tomux,through its agents, orotharwlea, for the oonstruotlon or repair of eny brldga, reed, atract, alley orhouse or any other work under- .teken **by** suoh **oounty,** olty~ or towa, or shall becomeinterested In any bid 

### or proposal ior such work or in tha purehaae or eele or anything made 

### ’for or 

### onhocant 

### of such county, city 

### ortown, or who ahsll ocntraot for or raoalva any money,

or the raprasantative OSeither; 01: $%%g'&t or advantaCa whateoaver In ooneidaration oi ewh bid, proposal, oontreot, puroheae or sela ha shall be fined not lose than Fifty 50.00f'Dollera end notmgci than Five Hindred 500.00) Dollerr.” Sinoa the County Suparlntaudant ia the owner bf the I.6Orange Journal, it is the opinion of this department thet the La Grangr Journal or County Suparintandant is prohibited ‘fromtiling bids cod entering into LIoantraot with Feyatta Couqty by~.Arttiola 373, V.A. P. C. 

### 807