Fuller v. Berkeley School District

40 P.2d 831, 2 Cal. 2d 152
CourtCalifornia Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 27, 1934
DocketS. F. 15077
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 40 P.2d 831 (Fuller v. Berkeley School District) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fuller v. Berkeley School District, 40 P.2d 831, 2 Cal. 2d 152 (Cal. 1934).

Opinions

THE COURT.

A petition for hearing in this case was granted for the purpose of giving further consideration to the questions presented. After a full consideration of the evidence and the arguments, we conclude that the findings and conclusions of the trial court that the particular kind of service rendered by the plaintiff as a teacher in the Berkeley [155]*155School District of Alameda County was discontinued, that the discontinuance thereof was not a subterfuge nor an expedient for the purpose of evading the Teachers’ Tenure Act, and that the plaintiff was not entitled to a writ of mandate to compel her reinstatement as a teacher in the district, are sustained by the facts and the law. We therefore adopt the following portions of the opinion of the District Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division Two, prepared by Mr. Justice Sturtevant, as the opinion of this court:

“From a judgment refusing to her a writ of mandate the plaintiff has appealed. From 1923 down to the end of the school year, June, 1932, the plaintiff was a teacher in the defendant district. At that time the defendant board, claiming to act under the statute, made certain changes regarding the teachers. By virtue of that change the plaintiff and all others holding the same status were dismissed. ■ The plaintiff contends that the change was wrongful. These conflicting contentions arise out of the following facts: During the entire period of plaintiff’s employment by the district there were three classes of teachers teaching in the kindergartens of the Berkeley School District: directors, assistant directors and associate directors. Each kindergarten class was in the independent charge of a kindergarten director who was responsible to the principal of her school and to the superintendent of schools of the city of Berkeley for the conduct of the kindergarten in her charge. The assistant and associate kindergarten directors took orders from the directors and were responsible only to the director under whom they taught. The assistant and associate kindergarten directors were employed to assist the kindergarten directors when the number of children in any one kindergarten exceeded a specified number. If the number of children was over thirty and under fifty-six an assistant kindergarten director was employed to assist the director, and if the number was fifty-six and over an associate kindergarten director was employed to assist the director. Kindergarten directors, assistant kindergarten directors and associate kindergarten directors rendered only a half day’s service during the entire period of plaintiff’s employment until the second term of the year 1931-1932.
[156]*156“The rate of compensation of the three classes of kindergarten teachers was different. A‘kindergarten director received seven-eighths of the amount fixed in salary schedule for a full-time teacher and this amount increased automatically with the length of service in accordance with the salary schedule. The salaries of assistant directors remained at $4 per day and the salaries of associate directors remained at $5 per day regardless of the length of service. The director in each case determined the program and activities for each week and day.
“The director in addition to teaching performed the following duties which the assistant and associate- directors were not required or permitted to perform: Kept the school register ; made and swore to the correctness of the annual report to the county superintendent of schools; prepared and signed the requisitions for supplies needed to conduct the kindergarten in her charge; gave directions to her assistant and associate directors as to the duties they were to perform; prepared monthly reports required by the Berkeley board of education; received orders from the principal; and determined the weekly and daily programs and activities for the kindergarten in her charge.
“The record of plaintiff shows that she entered the employment of the Berkeley School District in August, 1923, and served during the school year of 1923-1924 as an assistant kindergarten director; that during the first term of the school year 1925-1926 she served as a kindergarten director, substituting for the regular teacher; that during the second term of the school year 1925-1926 she served as an associate kindergarten director; that during the school year 1926-1927 she served as an acting kindergarten director ; that during the school years 1927-1928, 1928-1929, 1929-1930 and 1930-1931 she served as an assistant kindergarten director; that during the first term of the school year 1931-1932 she served as an assistant kindergarten director, and that during the second term of the school year 1931-1932 she served as an associate kindergarten director.
“From the time plaintiff became an employee of the Berkeley School District until March, 1925, she held a kindergarten primary certificate qualifying her to teach kindergarten and the first grade. Later she obtained a kindergarten, first, second and third grade certificate, and [157]*157at the time of her dismissal at the close of the school year 1931-1932' she held a life certificate qualifying her to teach kindergarten and the first, second and third grades.
“During the school year 1931-1932 the board of education of the Berkeley School District reorganized the administration of the kindergartens of the district, effective July 1, 1932. The kindergarten director, as a result of this change, taught one class in the morning and one in the afternoon, instead of one class only in the morning. On April 25, 1932, the board of education of the city of Berkeley and the Berkeley School District of Alameda County resolved and ordered that on account of the reorganization of the kindergartens during the school year 1931-1932, the kind of service rendered by assistant and associate kindergarten directors be discontinued at the close of the school year 1931-1932, and that all assistant and associate kindergarten directors be dismissed at the close of the school year 1931-1932. Plaintiff was given a written notice of dismissal in accordance with this resolution, which was dated April 29, 1932, and was received by plaintiff on or about May 1, 1932.
“All other assistant and associate kindergarten directors of the Berkeley School District were also dismissed at the close of the school year 1931-1932, and since that time the only kindergarten teachers in the district are kindergarten directors.
“On June 30, 1932, the particular kind of service rendered by assistant and associate kindergarten directors was discontinued.

“ It may be conceded that there was some evidence in conflict with some of the foregoing statements. However, it must also be conceded that there was evidence supporting each of said statements and that all of said statements are substantially in the language of the findings of the trial court. Under these circumstances the findings may not be ignored by this court.

“ Plaintiff asserts that she was wrongfully dismissed and she cites and relies on Kennedy v. Board of Education, 82 Cal. 483 [22 Pac. 1042], and other cases following the doctrine of that case. However, both parties concede that the exact question before us has never before been decided. The defendants claim they acted within the clear terms of the statute. (School Code, sec. 5.710.) They quote as follows:

[158]

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Bluebook (online)
40 P.2d 831, 2 Cal. 2d 152, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fuller-v-berkeley-school-district-cal-1934.