Independent School District v. Carter

168 Iowa 311
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedJanuary 12, 1915
StatusPublished

This text of 168 Iowa 311 (Independent School District v. Carter) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Independent School District v. Carter, 168 Iowa 311 (iowa 1915).

Opinion

Ladd, J.

„ „ 1. Schools and school Distkicts : statution- C“offei,uc" course”fcl1001 tuition. The plaintiff district maintains a high school in Stuart with a four-year course of studies. The' defendants, who are husband and wife, reside in the adjoining district, known as the Rural Independent School District of Long Branch, which does not main-D ’ a ^0tlr years’ high school course within its territorial limits. Four of defendants’ children attended plaintiff’s high school, about two miles from their home, Earl and Lorena Carter, during the school year beginning in the fall of 1911, and Lorena, Weir and Marie Carter, the year following. All were of school age and had completed the course of study taught within the district of their residence. For the first year, the secretary of the Rural Independent School District of Long Branch furnished certificates as to age and residence, but for the second year, both he and the president thereof declined to do so, but the children were admitted to the plaintiff’s school without objection. Prior to the fall of 1911, defendants had paid the tuition of Earl and Lorena according to plaintiff’s rules, but none was demanded thereafter until May, 1913, and the defendants supposed that payment was to be made by the district of their residence, under Chapter 146 of the Acts of the Thirty-fourth General Assembly. For the year beginning in the fall of 1911, a statement of the amount owing for tuition was sent by plaintiff to the secretary of the Rural Independent School District of Long Branch and as payment was refused, it certified the amount due to the county auditor, who refused to draw an order on the county treasurer, and the tuition for neither year has been paid. The reasonableness thereof was not questioned, the sole ground for the refusal by the officers [313]*313of the district and of the county auditor being that a county high school had been established and was being maintained in Guthrie County under Chapter 12 of Title XIII of the Code, as amended. This school furnished a four-year high school course, was situated thirteen miles from defendants’ home, and had a daily attendance of 160 pupils. Privileges of attendance were apportioned to the several school districts of the county at the ratio of one for every seventeen pupils of school age. This gave to the Rural Independent School District of Long Branch the right to free tuition for two pupils, but none from that district attended. Such were the facts as stipulated by the parties and upon which the district court based its judgment against the defendants for the tuition of their children in plaintiff’s school. That plaintiff is entitled to recover for such tuition from someone, and that but for Chapter 146 of the Acts of the Thirty-fourth General Assembly it would be chargeable to the defendants, is not questioned. Prior to the enactment of this chapter, the benefits of such an education as the high school affords were not equally available to all children of school age. Those not residing within districts maintaining a high school and not in a county having a county high school were not entitled to the privileges thereof without payment of such tuition as might be exacted, while residents of such a county or of a district maintaining a high school might attend gratuitously. To obviate this discrimination and to open the door of opportunity to the advantages of a four years’ high school course to all children of school age on equal terms, as nearly as possible, and to compel taxpayers, who would otherwise avoid, to bear the burden of affording such opportunity to the children of their locality, the chapter mentioned was enacted.

“Any person of school age, who is a resident of a school corporation not offering a four-year high school course, and who has completed the course of study offered in such school corporation shall be permitted to attend any high school that' will receive him, provided the average cost of tuition allowed [314]*314shall not exceed the average cost of tuition in the nearest high school, under the conditions and provisions of section two (2) of this act.” (See. 1, Ch. 146, 34 G. A.).

The second section relates to admission to the high school and is not involved here.

“See. 3. The school corporation in which such student resides shall pay to the treasurer of the school corporation in which such student shall be permitted to enter, a tuition fee equal to the average cost of tuition and the average proportion of contingent expenses in the high school department in the latter corporation during the time he so attends, not exceeding, however, a total period of four (4) school years. Such payment to be made out of the teachers fund and contingent fund of the debtor corporation.

“Sec. 4. If payment is refused or neglected the board of the creditor corporation shall file with the auditor of the county of the pupil’s residence a statement certified by its president specifying the amount due for tuition and for contingent expenses respectively, and the time for which the same is claimed; and the auditor shall transmit to the county treasurer an order directing such treasurer to transfer the amount of such account from the debtor corporation to the creditor corporation, and the treasurer shall pay the same out in accordance therewith. ’ ’

Plainly enough, the school corporations which are to pay tuition are those furnishing schooling only preliminary to and but a part, if any, of a full high school course, — such corporations as are, or have been, organized under Chapter 14 of Title 13 of the Code, — and the controlling question is whether the Rural Independent School District of Long Branch actually “offered a four-year high school course.” There was no school within its limits where other than the common school branches of learning were taught. The most done was to prepare for entrance into the high school. This, however, was [315]*315not enough to put it in the class of corporations intended, for the district might offer the advantages of a high school course without maintaining a high school within the district. This is precisely what each school corporation of Guthrie County did. A county high school with a four-year course had been established under Chapter 12 of Title XIII of the Code at Panora many years previous and was maintained during the period involved in this action from taxes levied on all the taxable property of the county. It was established by a vote of the electors of the county and managed by six trustees appointed by the board of supervisors. Section 2732 of Code Supplement provides that “The principal of any such high school, with the approval of the board of trustees, shall make such rules and regulations as is deemed proper in regard to the studies, conduct and government of the pupils, and such rules and regulations shall prohibit the use of tobacco in any form by any student of such school; and any pupil who will not conform to and obey such rules may be suspended or expelled therefrom by the board of trustees.

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Bluebook (online)
168 Iowa 311, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/independent-school-district-v-carter-iowa-1915.