Independent School District No. 6 v. Common School District No. 38

131 P.2d 786, 64 Idaho 303
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 6, 1942
DocketNos. 6980-6981
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 131 P.2d 786 (Independent School District No. 6 v. Common School District No. 38) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Independent School District No. 6 v. Common School District No. 38, 131 P.2d 786, 64 Idaho 303 (Idaho 1942).

Opinion

AILSHIE, J.

Independent School District No. 6 of Twin Falls County filed two actions, one against Common School District No. 41 of Twin Falls County and the other against Common School District No. 38,of Twin Falls County, seeking to recover from each of the districts sums claimed as balances due for attendance of pupils from these two districts at the school maintained by the plaintiff for the period of three school years. Both cases involve the same legal question and have been consolidated on this appeal. We shall hereinafter refer to respondent as plaintiff and to appellants as defendants.

September 7, 1936, plaintiff entered into a contract with the trustees of Common School District No. 38, as follows:

“Be It Agreed: That the Board of Trustees of Independent School District No. 6 will accept and cause to be instructed with pupils of their own district, the elementary school pupils residing in Common School District No. 38.
“In consideration of the above arrangements, the Board of Trustees of Common School District No. 38 agrees to pay to the Treasurer of Independent School District No. 6, the sum of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per pupil per year for each child attending Independent School District No. 6 from Common School District No. 38.”

This contract was complied with in all respects and was renewed for the school years of 1937-38 and 1938-39. The [307]*307same form of contract was entered into between the plaintiff and the trustees of Common School District No. 41 and was likewise complied with. For the years mentioned, School District Nos. 88 and 41 did not maintain any school but sent their pupils to Independent School District No. 6, under the terms of the foregoing agreement.

Independent School District No. 6 instituted these actions to recover the “difference between the per capita cost of education in the plaintiff school district for the three academic years commencing in September, 1936, and concluding in May, 1939, and the amounts previously paid to the plaintiff school district by the defendant districts”, under the agreements above mentioned. The actions are based upon the theory, that the statute under which these contracts were made (sec. 2, chap. 184, 1933 Sess. Laws, p. 340) did not authorize, and was not intended to authorize, the making of such contracts for a lesser consideration than “the actual average cost per capita for education . . . . based upon the total average daily attendance” in the district receiving the pupils.

There is no dispute or controversy over the facts of the case; and our decision must necessarily turn upon the conclusions of law reached by the trial court. They are as follows:

“I.
“That insofar as Sec. 2, Chapt. 184, Session Laws of 1933 provides for the prorating of the costs of the school wherein one district sends the children residing therein to the school of another district by agreement of the boards of trustees of the districts concerned that such language means such a pro-rating as will give to the district where the outside pupils attend at least an amount equal to the per capita cost of education in such district, and that a contract providing for the payment of an amount less than the per capita cost of education in such district is ultra vires and void, and that any other or different construction of said statutory provision would cause the said statutory provisions to be unconstitutional and void.
“II.
“That the written agreements entered into between the plaintiff school district and the defendant school district prior to the commencement of the school terms beginning [308]*308the 7th day of September, 1936, and terminating the 21st day of May, 1937, and beginning the 13th day of September, 1937, and terminating the 27th day of May, 1938, providing for the payment of a tuition less than the per capita cost of education, and the oral agreement entered into between said school districts prior to the commencement of the school term beginning the 5th day of September, 1938, and terminating the 19th day of May, 1939, providing for the payment of tuition in an amount less than the per capita cost of education in such plaintiff school district, are ultra vires and void from their inception and beginning.”

The reasoning of counsel for plaintiff, and likewise of the trial court, seems to be that, if sec. 2 of chap. 184, 1933' Sess. Laws, was intended to authorize a district to contract for the reception of students from another. district, at a lesser rate of compensation than “the actual average cost per capita for education”, in the receiving district, then it would be unconstitutional as violative of art. 1, sec. 13, art. 7, secs. 5 and 6, art. 8, secs. 3, 4, state constitution; and art. 14, sec. 1 of United States constitution.

We must approach the consideration of the statute, under whiph plaintiff and defendants contracted, with certain well settled rules of constitutional and statutory construction in mind: First, that every presumption must be indulged and every doubt resolved in favor of the validity of a legislative act; (Ada County v. Wright, 60 Ida. 394, 411, 92 P. (2d) 134, and cases cited; Robinson v. Enking, 58 Ida. 24, 27, 69 P. (2d) 603) ; second, that, where a statute is susceptible of two constructions, one of which would render the statute valid and the other would invalidate it, the court must give to the act a construction that will permit the statute to have force and effect. (Grice v. Clearwater Timber Co., 20 Ida. 70, 77, 117 P. 112; Johnson v. Diefendorf, 56 Ida. 620, 637, 57 P. (2d) 1068; Robinson v. Enking, supra; State ex rel Graham v. Enking, 59 Ida. 321, 345, 82 P. (2d) 649; Scandrett v. Shoshone County et al., 63 Ida. 46, 116 P. (2d) 225, 227, and cases cited therein.) Furthermore, the constitution commands the legislature to “establish and maintain a general, uniform and thorough system of public, free common schools.” (Sec. 1, Art. 9, Const.)

Sec. 2 of Chap. 184,1933 Sess. Laws, provided:

“In any year two or more districts may combine for educational purposes upon the initiative and agreement of [309]*309the school trustees of such districts. The place of holding the school, the number of months of school, the pro-rating of the costs of such school shall be arranged by agreement of the boards of trustees of the districts concerned. In case of such combination each district will continue its organization and shall receive its legal state and county apportionment and shall not be lapsed under the provisions _ of 32-327, Idaho Code Annotated, so long as the combination agreement is effective.”

It will be observed that the plain and unambiguous language of the statute says that “The place of holding the school, the number of months of school, the pro-rating of the costs of such school shall be arranged by agreement of the Boards of Trustees of the districts concerned.” (Italics supplied.) If we accept this statute as meaning what its language clearly imparts, does it violate or contravene any one of the above enumerated provisions of the constitution, state or federal?

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Bluebook (online)
131 P.2d 786, 64 Idaho 303, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/independent-school-district-no-6-v-common-school-district-no-38-idaho-1942.