Pierce v. Douglas School District No. 4

653 P.2d 243, 60 Or. App. 285, 1982 Ore. App. LEXIS 3814
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedNovember 10, 1982
DocketCA A21227
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 653 P.2d 243 (Pierce v. Douglas School District No. 4) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pierce v. Douglas School District No. 4, 653 P.2d 243, 60 Or. App. 285, 1982 Ore. App. LEXIS 3814 (Or. Ct. App. 1982).

Opinion

GILLETTE, P. J.

Petitioner was a permanent teacher formerly employed by respondent Douglas School District No. 4 (District). She seeks judicial review of a decision by the Fair Dismissal Appeals Board (FDAB) dismissing her appeal from the District’s termination of her employment. FDAB had determined that it lacked jurisdiction because, it held, petitioner had not been dismissed from but had resigned her employment. We disagree with FDAB and reverse.

Petitioner, an elementary school teacher, was selected by the District’s school board in early September, 1980, to be transferred from her then teaching assignment to a new assignment in a newly-constituted class at a new school. Upset with this plan, petitioner delivered a letter to her school principal on Friday, September 12, 1980, giving notice as of that day.

When she delivered her letter to her principal, petitioner offered to work an additional 60 days, as she believed she was required by law to do. See ORS 342.553, infra. The principal immediately forwarded her resignation notice to the District’s superintendent. However, the principal did not inform the superintendent that petitioner was prepared to work for another 60 days.

Still on September 12, the superintendent wrote a letter to petitioner purporting to accept her resignation, stating in part:

“* * *[Y]ou are hereby informed that your resignation is accepted effective at the end of work today.”

Also on that same day, the superintendent “employed” a replacement for petitioner. His letter to the replacement stated in pertinent part:

“I am pleased to inform you that you have been recommended for employment with the Roseburg Public Schools, commencing September 15, 1980. * * *
“Though the Board of directors cannot take formal action until its regular meeting of October 8, this letter will confirm your employment as a ‘temporary’ teacher [288]*288until such time that [sic] the board approves our recommendation. * * *1

On September 15, 1980, the next teaching day, petitioner wrote a letter to the superintendent rescinding her resignation. She also reported for work at the new school but was informed that she no longer worked for the District. The next day, the superintendent wrote to petitioner, acknowledging her letter “purporting to rescind your resignation” and informing her that, because her resignation had been accepted on September 12 and because “we have committed employment to another person,” there was no “teaching vacancy.”

On October 8, 1980, the question of petitioner’s resignation came before the District’s school board, but no action was taken. On October 15, 1980, the school board approved the following motion:

“That the superintendent’s acceptance of [petitioner’s] resignation, effective September 12, 1980, is approved and ratified, the resignation is in all respects effective as of the superintendent’s acceptance.”

Petitioner sought FDAB review of the board’s action, contending that it constituted a “dismissal.” FDAB held otherwise and dismissed. Petitioner appeals.

Resolution of this controversy turns on petitioner’s letter of September 12: whether it was an offer to resign; whether it required acceptance; if so, who could accept it and when; whether it could be withdrawn or revoked before acceptance; and, if so, what effect post-revocation “acceptance” would have. We consider the questions in that order.

The District’s written policies provide that termination by a District employe is governed by ORS 342.545 and 342.553. School Board Policy Handbook § 5150. ORS 342.553(1) provides:

[289]*289“(1) Any elementary or secondary teacher who has entered into a contract to teach in any public school and who resigns his position without first providing 60 days’ written notice to the district superintendent or the notice required in the applicable collective bargaining agreement may have his teaching certificate suspended for the remainder of the school year by the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission upon notice of the resignation from the district school board to the commission. The commission shall notify the teacher of the suspension of the teaching certificate held by the teacher.”

We find nothing in the collective bargaining agreement to vary the statutory 60-day notice. Although the parties and FDAB refer to petitioner’s letter of September 12 as her “resignation,” the letter itself states no more than that petitioner gave “notice” effective that date. The letter did not state how much notice, but petitioner did tell her principal that she would continue to teach for 60 days. Petitioner’s letter, when forwarded to the superintendent, gave the notice required under ORS 342.553(1) to the superintendent.

ORS 342.553(1) contemplates that the superintendent will forward a received notice to the school board, because the sanction of suspension for failure to give 60 days’ notice may be imposed only “upon notice of the resignation from the district school board to the commission.” (Emphasis supplied.) Because ORS chapter 342 does not require an additional notice from a teacher to a school board, it appears that notice to the superintendent is notice to the school board, at least if the superintendent forwards the notice to the school board.

ORS 342.545(2) governs termination of teacher contracts on a teacher’s resignation. It provides:

“(2) A district school board may release a teacher from a contract by mutual agreement. No board is required to consider any resignation not in writing.” (Emphasis supplied.)

Assuming that, when the written notice required in ORS 342.553(1) is forwarded to the school board, no further “resignation” need be tendered, the school board must consider the notice because it is in writing. After that [290]*290consideration, the school board “may release” the teacher from the contract “by mutual agreement.”

It is clear from these statutes that a “resignation” or notice of resignation effective within the next 60 days serves as an offer by the teacher to terminate the employment contract, and that the offer is not automatically accepted when tendered. If in writing, it must be first considered by the school board, which may release the teacher, i.e., may accept or reject the offer. A mutual agreement

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Related

Pierce v. Douglas School District No. 4
686 P.2d 332 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1984)
Pierce v. Douglas School District No. 4
680 P.2d 654 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1984)
Allen v. Lankford
317 S.E.2d 645 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1984)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
653 P.2d 243, 60 Or. App. 285, 1982 Ore. App. LEXIS 3814, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pierce-v-douglas-school-district-no-4-orctapp-1982.