Art. 2740b. COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION AND SUPERINTENDENT IN CERTAIN COUNTIES, POWERS AND DUTIES.
Section 1. COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION IN COUNTIES OF 15,000 TO 20,000.  The general management, supervision, and control of the public free schools of counties with an area of nine hundred and seventy-seven square miles and a population of not less than 15,000 nor more than 20,000 according to the last preceding Federal census, shall be vested in the County Board of Education composed of seven members elected by the qualified voters of the county and at least one member shall reside in each Commissioners' precinct, and shall be elected for a term of three years.  At the first election on the first Saturday in April, 1930, two shall be elected for one year, two for two years, and three for three years and at the first meeting they shall determine by lot who shall serve for one year, two years and three years.  All vacancies on said Board shall be filled by the remaining members.  The County Board of Education shall be persons of progressive educational attainments, good moral character, and executive ability.  They shall have the powers and duties as now provided by the General Laws of the State governing County Boards in addition to those provided by this Act.  All candidates for County Boards of Education shall file an application with the County Judge requesting their names to be placed on said ballots for the election of County Boards of Education at least 15 days prior to said election.  If no one makes application for name on the ballot, then ten (10) qualified voters of the county may petition the County Judge to place certain names on the ballots provided this is done at least ten (10) days prior to said election.  The County Judge shall be required to furnish all election supplies as now provided under the General Law.
The first members of the County Board of Education after this Act shall become effective shall be as follows:  B.G. Graham, J.F. Parnell, M.K. Withers, R.F. Smith, and J.W. Langley who compose the present Board.  The County Board of Education as named in this Act, before organizing and entering upon their official duties as such, shall appoint two additional members who shall subscribe to the official oath provided by the General Statutes of the State of Texas.  They shall continue in office until the first election provided for in this Act or until their successors are elected or appointed and qualified.
The members of the County Board of Education of the public schools of any county affected by this Act shall receive $5.00 per day for their services not to exceed twelve days per year in complying with the duties imposed upon them by this Act, to be allowed by the Commissioners' Court and paid out of the General Fund of the county, and the expense of making maps and plats provided for by this Act and all other expenses incident to carrying out its provisions shall be similarly allowed and paid.
Sec. 2. REARRANGEMENT AND RESUBDIVISION OF TERRITORY;  ALTERATION.  It shall be the duty of the County Board of Education of the public schools in every county in this State affected by this Act as soon as may be after this Act shall take effect, to rearrange and resubdivide all the territory of their respective counties into such number of convenient school districts as it shall deem advisable and designate them by number.
Such rearrangement and resubdivision shall be accomplished by constituting such existing Independent School Districts as the Board shall deem advisable, together with such territory adjacent to such Independent School Districts as it may deem advisable to add thereto, the new districts into which such county shall be subdivided;  and such existing Independent School Districts, so enlarged shall continue to have and exercise all the powers and duties now provided by Law and shall continue to be governed by existing law and by this Act.
The words, "School District," as herein used, shall refer to Common School Districts or to Independent School Districts, however created.
The County Board of Education shall have the power, from time to time, to alter or amend the rearrangement and the resubdivision of school districts herein provided for, and in amending or altering same may increase or reduce the area of any school district;  create additional school districts;  consolidate two or more adjacent districts;  revise or rearrange the boundaries of any school district;  attach territory thereto or detach territory therefrom, if necessary for the best interest of the school children, provided that the territory of no Independent School District shall be changed without the consent of its Board of Trustees, and provided further that said Board shall not subtract from the territory of any school district in such way as to leave any portion thereof remaining in such district with insufficient taxable wealth to raise revenue sufficient to pay interest and create a sinking fund for outstanding bonds;  and provided that no portion of the territory of the county shall be left in a school district, after such subdivision shall have been made, with insufficient taxable wealth within such district with proper and convenient school facilities, both in the elementary and high school grades.
Sec. 3. PLAN AND MAP.  Before undertaking to create, revise or rearrange the boundaries or to change the territory in any school district, the County Board of Education shall cause a plan and a map to be made showing the boundaries of all districts affected and of the new districts, if any to be created, with the area, taxable wealth and scholastic population of such districts so affected or to be created, and before such action is taken, all interested persons shall be given an opportunity to be heard.
Sec. 4. ADJUSTMENT OF INDEBTEDNESS AND PROPERTIES ON DIVISION OR CONSOLIDATION.  When the boundaries of any school district having an outstanding bonded indebtedness have been changed or its territory divided or two or more such districts consolidated, it shall be the duty of the County Board of Education to make such an adjustment of such indebtedness and district properties between the districts affected and between the territory divided, detached or added, as may be just and equitable, taking into consideration the value of the school properties and the taxable wealth of the districts affected and the territory so divided, detached or added, as the case may be.  And when said Board has arrived at a satisfactory basis of such an adjustment, it shall have the power to make such orders in relation thereto as shall be conclusive and binding upon the districts and the territory thereby affected.
Sec. 5. REFUNDING BONDS;  ELECTION;  TAX TO PAY BONDS.  To carry into effect orders adjusting bonded indebtedness when changes are made in school districts, the County Board of Education shall have the power to order the trustees of the districts affected, to order an election for the issuing of such refunding bonds as may be necessary to carry out the purpose of such order;  and, in such case it shall be the duty of the district trustees to order such election, cause the same to be held, and if the proposition is carried, to issue the bonds voted.  Such bonds shall be of the same denomination and carry the same interest rate and mature at the same time as the outstanding bonds owing by the district issuing them, and when so issued, shall, if possible be exchanged for the outstanding bonds for which the district issuing them shall still be liable, according to the order adjusting such indebtedness;  and in cases where such an exchange can not be made, the new bonds of the district, to the amount of the old bonds for which it is still liable, and for which no exchange can be made, shall be deposited in the County Treasury to the account of such district.  Thereafter taxes shall be levied and assessed only for the payment of the interest, sinking fund and principal of the new bonds so issued;  and the funds arising from such taxation shall be used to discharge the principal and interest of such new bonds as have been issued and exchanged, and such old bonds as have not been exchanged and the proceeds applied to payment on old bonds not exchanged, the corresponding new bonds in the County Treasury shall be credited with such payment and retired as the old unexchanged bonds are retired.
Sec. 6. PROCEDURE WHERE REFUNDING BONDS ARE VOTED DOWN.  In cases where changes are made in districts having outstanding bonded indebtedness and where the necessary refunding bonds are voted down or where the County Board of Education is otherwise unable to arrange an adjustment or settlement of such bonded indebtedness, it shall be the duty of the trustee to certify the fact and the territories affected by such changes, to the Commissioners' Court and thereupon it shall become the duty of the Commissioners' Court to thereafter annually levy and cause to be assessed and collected from the taxpayers of such districts as existed before the changes were made, and tax necessary to pay the interest, the sinking fund and discharge the principal of such indebtedness as it matures.  And it shall be the duty of each Independent School District so affected, to cause all funds in its hands, whether sinking funds or otherwise, which have been collected on account of such bonded indebtedness, to be transferred to the County Treasurer of the county in which such district is situated and such district shall thereafter cease to levy and collect any tax on account of such bonds;  and it shall be the duty of the County Treasurer to keep the funds so transferred and those arising from taxation, in separate accounts and apply the same only to the discharge of such bonded indebtedness and the interest thereon, as the same matures.
Sec. 7. OTHER METHODS OF SETTLING OUTSTANDING BONDED INDEBTEDNESS.  Nothing in the provisions of this Act shall prevent the County Board of Education from arranging any other method for the adjustment and settlement of outstanding bonded indebtedness of school districts in which changes are made, but they shall have full power and authority to make any legal and equitable adjustment and settlement in such cases that can be affected.
Sec. 8. CONDEMNATION PROCEEDINGS.  Said County Board of Education shall have the power to condemn land for free school purposes and may institute, maintain and prosecute suits for that purpose following the procedure applicable to condemnation of lands by railways or any other method authorized by law.
Sec. 9. TRANSPORTATION.  It shall be the duty of any school district into which the county shall be subdivided under this Act to provide adequate and convenient means of transportation to and from the schools of such school children in any district as it may be reasonably necessary to make such provision for, and to establish such routes for that purpose as the Board of Trustees of such district may deem advisable and to alter and change the same from time to time and the expense of such transportation shall be paid by the district in which such children may reside.
Sec. 10. APPEAL.  In all cases where changes have been made in the territory of existing school districts, any party aggrieved shall have the right to appeal to a District Court of the county in which such school district is located and the decision of such Court on such appeal shall be final;  provided notice of such appeal is given to the County Board of Education within ten (10) days after the passage of any such order making such changes;  and provided further that such appeal to the District Court shall be perfected within thirty (30) days from date of such order.
Sec. 11. COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT.  The County Board of Education shall appoint during the month of May at a regular or called meeting by a majority vote subject to the provisions of this Act, as its executive officer a County Superintendent of Education for a term of not less than three (3) years and not more than five (5) years and whose term shall begin July 1st after the enactment of this Law and shall serve until his successor is appointed and qualified.  The County Board of Education shall not appoint any person except the present incumbent before the expiration of said incumbents' term of office as now elected under the General Laws of this State.  They shall not appoint to the office of County Superintendent any person who has not at least completed two years' work of a College or University and who has not had at least four years teaching experience, or who does not hold a High School or permanent certificate and shall be a person of educational attainments and vision, good moral character, and executive ability.
The County Superintendent appointed under the provisions of this Act shall receive a salary of not less than $2,000.00 nor more than $2,400.00 per annum.  The compensation herein provided for shall be paid in equal monthly payments upon the order of the County Board of Education;  provided that the salary for the month of September shall not be paid until the County Superintendent presents a receipt showing that he has made all reports to the State Department of Education required of him;  provided that whenever the General Laws of this State shall provide an annual salary for said County Superintendent in an amount greater than the salary as herein provided, then and only in that event, the General Law as to said salary will and shall control, otherwise the salary as herein fixed shall be in full force and effect.
The County Board of Education shall make provisions for the employment of a competent assistant for the County Superintendent, who shall, in addition to his other duties, act as attendance officer;  and said Board is hereby authorized to fix the salary of such assistant and pay the same out of the same funds from which the salary of the County Superintendent is paid.
It shall be the duty of the County Board of Education during the month of June of each year to make an assessment of $160.00 per annum from each independent School District of said county and shall make an assessment of not less than eighty (80) cents nor more than one dollar and fifty cents ($1.50) per scholastic from each Common School District for the salary of the County Superintendent, assistant County Superintendent and for making the consolidated census roll of the Common School Districts.  It shall be the further duty of the County Board of Education to apportion the county available fund on a per capita basis as shown by the last scholastic census to all Common and Independent Districts of the county.
Sec. 12. EXPENSES OF COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT.  It shall be the duty of the Commissioners' Court as soon as this Act shall become effective, on a written order of the County Board of Education, to pay from the general fund of the county to the County Superintendent not less than $600.00 nor more than $800.00 per annum in equal monthly payments for stamps, stationery, express, printing and all other expenses incidental and necessary in the administration of his office.  The County Board of Education shall have the authority to fix the amount to be paid for the expenses of the County Superintendent as provided for in this Act and shall notify the Commissioners' Court of the amount to be paid not later than August 1st of each year.
Sec. 13. JOINT MEETINGS.  The County Board of Education shall call an annual joint meeting of the County Board of Education and the Common and Independent District School Trustees at the County Seat or some other convenient place during the month of May of each year, said meeting to be presided over by the chairman of the County Board of Education for the purpose of classifying the schools, and to discuss and make provisions for the location, conduct, maintenance and discipline of schools, and other matters of interest for a constructive school program.  The County Superintendent, as secretary of the County Board of Education, shall be required to keep a complete record of all transactions of this meeting on the Minutes of said County Board of Education.
Sec. 14. PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS.  The County Board of Education shall appoint, upon the written recommendation of the County Superintendent all principals and teachers in the county except those of independent districts, but this nomination shall be subject to the confirmation by the district trustees.  The district trustees shall have the power to refuse to confirm the nomination of the County Superintendent, and when such confirmation is refused the County Superintendent shall nominate another teacher for such school, provided, however, that not more than two such teachers shall be nominated for any one place under provisions of this Section.  If the two nominations are not accepted, then the nominations shall be made by joint action of the district trustees of the County Board of Education, in which case a majority vote shall prevail.  All applications for principals and teachers must be filed with the County Superintendent as provided for in this Section.
Sec. 15. EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES.  The County Superintendent shall make all purchases of equipment and supplies for the various Common School Districts where the consideration involves more than $25.00.
Acts 1929, 41st Leg., p. 641, ch. 289.