Opinion ID: 2509859
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: 1945 to 1960: Consolidation of School Creation in the Counties

Text: The 1945 Constitution reflected a major shift in authority over public schools to the county boards of education. The new Constitution grandfathered existing independent school systems, but it otherwise merged all local school districts in a county into one county-wide school district with an improved ad valorem tax system. The exclusive authority to operate each county school system was given to the county board of education, and the creation of new independent school systems was prohibited. See McDaniel, 248 Ga. at 642, 285 S.E.2d 156; Veal v. Smith, 221 Ga. 712, 714, 146 S.E.2d 751 (1966). [16] But the pendulum seems to have swung too far in preventing the creation of new schools outside the control of an individual local system. In 1955, this Court held that the Thomas County Board of Education could not, under the 1945 Constitution, contract to build a new high school to be operated and governed jointly with the independent City of Thomasville Board of Education. See Tipton v. Speer, 211 Ga. 886, 886, 89 S.E.2d 633 (1955).