Gerald C. Mann
HonorableR. C. Xusslewhite ~ DistrictAttorney L&kin, Texas
Dear Sir; OpinionNo. O-1087 ,Rer Essentialelementsof contracltbetweentrus- tees and teachers.
Ue are in reoeiptof your letter of June 30, 1939,,whichreads, in part, as followsi
"The schoolboard, canposedof 8even members --.. ofta consolidatedschooldistrict ~~~ ~. in,b@y of this year, eleoteda,sahoolteaoh- er,,andentered,themajoiityvote for the teaoher in the minutes; Two weeks later the same board rescindedits aotioa in electing the schoolteaaherand voted to deolarethe place vaoant and releasethe teaoher. No contractwas exeoutedbetweenthe school teacherand the schoolboard and no contract has been approvedby the CountySchoolSupsr- intendentof this aounty.
"Pleaseadviseme at your earliestoon- vsnienoeif the teacherreferredto has an en- foroeablecontractor if he can oompelthe schooltrusteesand County SchoolSuperinten- dent to recognizeand approve his emploJrment under the ciroumstanaesfor the following schoolyear."
Article 2809, Revised Civil Statutes,1925, relatingto cqmeon consolidatedschool districts,containsthe followingprovisionr I( . . . Contra&s betweenthe trustees and t,hedistrictsuperintendentand teachers shall be in writingand subjectto the approv- al of the countysuperintendentof the county wherein such distriotis situated." HonorableB. C. Musslewhite,Rage 2 (o-1087)
It is essentialto the oonsummation of any oontrad, either oral or written,that there bs an offer and an acae@r~ce. Theremust bs mutual assent of the partieswith respsotto the subjectmatter of the agreementand its essentialterms. 10 Tex. Jur., p. 12, et seq.
56 C.J., p. 386, Section315 (3) oontainsthe following statementa
"The mere vote of a sohool board in favor of employinga certainpersonas teacherdoes not aonstitutea contractof employmentof such person,but amountsonly to an offer of smploy- ment which the board may revokeor oanoelat any time before acceptance."
.In quotingthe foregoingws are not to bs understoodas hold- ing that under certainoircumstancessuch action of the boardmight or mightnot constituteau aaceptanoeof sn offer.
It is our opinionthat a mere eleationof ateaoher at a sohool board meeting,and entr$ of theeleotion in the minutes,is not enough,standingalone, to constitutea eontract,whetherwritten or oral, sinoe this,.tithinitself,is laokingin the essentialelements of a oontraot. &der the facts stated,no oontraotof employmentwas ever enteredinto betweenthe sohoolboard and the teacher,and, there- fore, there is no contrad to be approvedby the oounty superintendent.
Yours very truly *
By -~ s/Ceciii6. C*maak Cecil c. Cemmack Assistant
APPROVED JUL 8, 1939
s/W.F. Moore FIRSTASSISTAN!! ATTORNEY GNNERAL
hpprqed,OpinionComnnittee ByRWFChairman