Kinsinger v. Board of Education

22 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 241
CourtLogan County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedOctober 13, 1919
StatusPublished

This text of 22 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 241 (Kinsinger v. Board of Education) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Logan County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kinsinger v. Board of Education, 22 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 241 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1919).

Opinion

Hover, J.

It appears that the industrial commission of Ohio, by action of one of its departments', condemned the school house of the De Graff village school district; and that there was not in the treasury of the board of education of that district sufficient funds to make the repairs required. Whereupon, the board of education, by its resolution, and in the exercise of its discretion, decided to buy a new site and to erect a new school house. ■ By virtue of such resolution an amount of tax exceeding the authorized levy would be necessary, and the board decided to issue bonds in the sum of one hundred and twenty thousand dollars for the new school building, and bonds in the sum of five thousand' dollars with which to purchase a new site. This proposition.went' before the voters of the district on the 8th day of July, 1919. Both propositions — that for $120,000) for a new school building, and that for $5,000 for a new site — carried.

The' plaintiff brings his action against the board of education to enjoin it from further proceeding under the resolution and vote of the electors held, whereunder said board is about to issue and sell the bonds in the amounts as above described, buy a new site, and erect and equip a new school building, and asks that the board be enjoined from so doing, and that the auditor and the treasurer of Logan county be enjoined from plaeing'upon .the duplicate and from collecting the taxes or any tax thereby levied upon the property of plaintiff or those he represents, for the purpose of collecting, in addition to all other taxes, an amount sufficient' to pay the interest on said bonds and to provide a sinking fund for their final redemption at maturity.

Plaintiff claims:

1. ..That his lands and the lands of these he represents have •not-been legally transferred-from the rural school district to -the Ue'Graff''village school district. ■ '•••.-

That: the board of-'education was without jurisdiction or authority to order an emergency levy for $120,000 of bonds.

[243]*243- 3. ■ That there is no necessity for the erection of a new school building to provide for the needs and requirements-bf- the pupils bf the De Graff village school district. • ■ .

As to the first ground set up — that is, that the lands of plaintiff and those he represents havb not- been legally "transferred from the rural school district; the evidence show's that about three years ago there was a transfer of lands, including those of plaintiff, from Pleasant, Union" and Miami townships, not before included in the- De -Graff village' school district, --to said village school district. The evidence- shows that the plaintiff has since abided by the decision without complaint until now; that he has paid the taxes levied ¿gainst -his -lands in the village school district,- -for about three years, without protest ;- that he has participated in the elections of the village school .district, and--by his acts and conduct has acquisced in the- transfer - of property for such length of time that the court believes plaintiff is estopped •from raising the question of the legality of the transfer at this late day.

The points argued as constituting the illegality of the transfer are, that notice was not published in a newspaper, and that funds were not apportioned between the districts according to the requirements of statute, and these are the only points touching the illegality of the transfer brought to the attention of the court. The court is satisfied from the evidence that publication was had and apportionment made of funds between the districts.

On the third point — that is, that the new building and the new site are not needed — this question is directed to the discretionary powers of the board.

The evidence shows that under an order issued by the industrial commission of Ohio, to put the present buildings in condition and-equip them as required, would have cost the district something like eighty-five thousand to ninety thousand dollars; and with these repairs; the buildings would not be as up-to-date, 'nbias' good and durable, as new buildings."

[244]*244The court believes that it was within the discretion of the ■board of education to determine which should be done — that is, to repair or to build new; and by proper resolution the board of education determined to buy a new site and to erect new buildings and equip them according to law and the requirement of the industrial commission. The court is without authority to disturb the discretion lodged in the board of education. If there was abuse, in a gross form, of discretion a court of equity might intervene, but in this case there doesn’t seem to be any abuse of discretion, and on that point there is no ground for injunction as prayed for against the board of education.

The second ground — that is, that the board- is without jurisdiction or authority to order an emergency levy — presents a much more serious question.

Stating the proposition generally, without citing the sections of the statute in support, taxing boards are limited under the Smith one per cent, law to ten mills, other -than an additional levy to take care of prior existing indebtedness, interest and bonds outstanding. Then, ■ to exceed that amount of levy, it requires certain conditions to exist, and the exercise of certain authority to create what is known as an “ emergency, ’ ’ whereby, upon a vote of the people of the taxing district, a greater levy may be made and collected from property holders and taxpayers of the taxing district.

It has been noted that the industrial commission, by its agents, prohibited the use of the school building and certain equipment of the De Graff village school district, some time during the spring or early summer of 1919.

The statute relied upon by the board is 7630-1, the first part of the section being as follows:

“If a school house is wholly or partly destroyed by fire or other casualty, or if the use of any school house for its intended purpose is prohibited by an order of the chief inspector of workshops and factories, and the board of education of the school district is without sufficient funds applicable to the purpose, with which to build or repair such school house or to construct [245]*245a new school house for the proper accommodation of the school district, and it is not practicable to secure such funds under any of the six preceding sections because of the limits of taxation * * * on the approval of the electors in the manner provicled * * * the board of education * * * may issue bonds for the amount required for such purpose.”

This is known as the “emergency statute,” for school building purposes, for exceeding prescribed limits in the amount of levy that can otherwise be made.

This section provides:

“If destroyed by fire or other casualty, or if the use of any school house, for its intended purpose, is prohibited by any order of the chief inspector of workshops and factories.”

In other words, before the board of education is authorized to issue bonds in excess of the usual limit, one of these conditions must exist — either fire, other casualty, or its use prohibited by order of the chief inspector of workshops and factories.

The chief inspector can not order an election. That depends upon a resolution of the board of education.

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Bluebook (online)
22 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 241, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kinsinger-v-board-of-education-ohctcompllogan-1919.