School Board contracts -- If a school board makes a contract in February to extend an existing contract and grant a raise to the superintendent and principals, by a majority vote of the existing school board, can a newly elected board, during the March meeting, by majority vote, disappr

STATE OF ARKANSAS — -OFFICE OF-THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL -—- s -—- -—- JUSTICE BUILDING, LITTLE ROCK 72201 STEVE CLARK (501) 371-2007 ATTORNEY GENERAL OPINION NO. 85-106 April 16, 1985 Honorable Jon S. Fitch State Senator Route 1 Hindsville, AR 72738 Dear Senator Fitch: This is in response to your opinion request wherein you posed the following inquiry: If a school board makes a contract in February to extend an existing contract and grant a raise to the superintendent and principals, by a majority vote of the existing school board, can a newly elected board, during the March meeting, by majority vote, disapprove the minutes of that Feburary meeting which applied to ) the extention and raises of those people and issue new contracts with different terms. For the following reasons, it is the opinion of this Office that the answer to your question is no. The essence of your question is whether an incoming school board is bound by the actions of its predecessors. Obvious- ly, the answer to that question is yes. Furthermore, it appears from your question that the outgoing school board made a contractual offer in February which was accepted by the superintendent and principals affected. Once the offer was accepted in February, the incoming school board is bound by the contract and cannot withdraw the offer previously accepted. The foregoing opinion, which I hereby approve, was prepared by Assistant Attorney General C. Randy McNair, IIT. ew STEVE (CLARK Attorney General Sincerely, JSC:CRM: jk