Section 20-2-520. Acquiring and disposing of school sites; building, repairing, renting, and furnishing schoolhouses

   (a) The county boards of education shall have the power to purchase, lease, or rent school sites; build, repair, or rent schoolhouses; purchase maps, globes, and school furniture; and make all arrangements necessary to the efficient operation of the schools. Such county boards are invested with the title, care, and custody of all schoolhouses or other property, with the power to control such property in such manner as they think will best serve the interests of the public schools; and when, in the opinion of the county board, any schoolhouse site has become unnecessary or inconvenient, they may sell it in the name of the county board; and the conveyance for any such sale shall be executed by the president or secretary of the county board, according to the order of the county board. Such county boards shall have the power to receive any gift, grant, donation, or devise made for the use of the public schools within the respective counties; and all conveyances of real estate which may be made to such a county board shall vest the property in such county board and its successors in office. Such county board may provide for the building of schoolhouses by a tax on all property located in the county and outside the territorial limits of any independent school system. The construction of all public school buildings must be approved by the county school superintendent and county board and must be according to the plans furnished by the county school authorities and the State Board of Education. All public school construction contracts in excess of $100,000.00 shall be publicly advertised and awarded through an open and competitive process, regardless of the funding source.

(b) If a schoolhouse site has become unnecessary or inconvenient, as provided by subsection (a) of this Code section, and if the state or the county or municipality whose territorial boundaries include such schoolhouse site needs such site for any governmental purpose, then the county board may sell or convey such schoolhouse site to the state or such county or municipality for such consideration and subject to such conditions, if any, as may be determined by such county board.

(c) In addition to school property and facilities provided for in subsection (a) of this Code section, a county board of education or an area board of education is authorized to expend educational funds available to it for the purpose of acquiring, improving, and selling real or personal property in connection with its secondary and postsecondary vocational education curricula or program.

Ga. L. 1919, p. 288, § 84; Code 1933, § 32-909; Ga. L. 1937, p. 882, § 18; Ga. L. 1946, p. 206, § 1; Ga. L. 1961, p. 35, § 9; Ga. L. 1962, p. 654, § 1; Ga. L. 1979, p. 657, § 1; Ga. L. 1984, p. 373, § 1; Ga. L. 1985, p. 149, § 20; Ga. L. 1999, p. 1236, § 1; Ga. L. 2010, p. 746, § 0.5/HB 703.