Richardson v. McMullan

100 So. 2d 571, 232 Miss. 787, 1958 Miss. LEXIS 330
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 17, 1958
DocketNo. 40749
StatusPublished

This text of 100 So. 2d 571 (Richardson v. McMullan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Richardson v. McMullan, 100 So. 2d 571, 232 Miss. 787, 1958 Miss. LEXIS 330 (Mich. 1958).

Opinion

Ethridge, J.

This suit originated in the Circuit Court of Newton County, with a petition by appellee W. M. McMullan for a writ of mandamus against defendants and appellants here, Bert Richardson, the Superintendent of Education of Newton County, and Barfoot, Johnson, Gordon, Simmons and Blount, members of the Newton County Board of Education. McMullan claimed that the Board con[789]*789tracted with him to serve as principal of a school for the scholastic year 1957-1958 at a stated salary, but it refused to carry out such agreement. The petition sought to enforce the contract of employment, so as to require the county superintendent of education to issue to petitioner pay warrants each month during the stated scholastic year.

The defendants contended that the school district, for which the board had previously authorized a contract for McMullan as superintendent, had been abolished by a lawful reorganization of the school districts in Newton County, and he was not entitled to any relief. The case was submitted on an agreed statement of facts. The circuit court held that Section 28, Miss. Laws 1953, Ex. Sess., Chapter 20, constituted a savings clause in favor of contracts authorized prior to the reorganization of school districts; and therefore McMullan had a valid, enforceable contract. Hence the final judgment directed the county superintendent of education to issue to McMullan monthly pay warrants for the year 1957-1958.

I.

At the 1953 session of the Legislature, there was an almost complete rewriting and reorganization of the school statutes of the state. Existing school districts were abolished, but they were to continue until school districts should be reconstituted or the territory consolidated with other territories. County Boards of Education were required to make detailed studies of the school needs of the counties, and to order consolidation of existing school districts insofar as practical. This was subject to approval of the State Educational Finance Commission (called EFC). Miss. Laws 1953, Ex. Sess., Chapters 11, 12; Miss. Code 1942, Recompiled, Sections 6328-01 to 6328-95. A deadline of July 1,1957, was set for such reorganizations. Section 6328-01. Section 6 of Chapter 66, Miss. Laws 1955, Ex. Secc., being Code Section 6328-17, provides:

[790]*790“Until the date as of which the new district or districts is or are created or until the date set in said order for the schools or any of them within such school district to commence operation thereunder as a part of such newly created district, either or both, the school district or districts, and all schools thereof affected by such order of reconstitution and consolidation, or such order of reconstitution or consolidation, shall continue to operate under the laws applicable thereto as school districts as they now exist, independent of and without regard to the order or orders of reconstitution and consolidation, or reconstitution or consolidation, all subject, however, to the approval of the state educational finance commission. ’ ’

Chapter 20 of Laws 1953, Ex. Sess., described methods of contracting with district superintendents, principals, teachers and other employees of schools. The county superintendent of education is the superintendent of a county-wide school district, which embraces all of the territory of a county exclusive of the territory embraced within the limits of a municipal separate school district. Code Sections 6282-04, 6328-21 (c). The reorganized Newton County School District is a county-wide school district within this definition. The superintendent of each school district recommends and the county board of education approves the principals to be employed for each of the schools of the district. Code Section 6282-05.

Code Section 6282-28, which is Section 28 of Chapter 20, Miss. Laws 1953, Ex. Sess., repeals a large number of statutes dealing with contracts with superintendents, principals and teachers, and then states: “* * * but neither the repeal thereof nor any provision of this act shall impair or affect the validity of any contract previously entered into with any superintendent, principal or teacher, or the election of any superintendent, principal or teacher prior to the passage of this act, and any [791]*791superintendent, principal or teacher elected prior to the passage of this act may he contracted with and serve for the term for which he or she was elected.” The circuit court held that Section 28 was a savings clause in favor of the appellee’s contract, and preserved its validity after reorganization of the school district.

II.

On October 31, 1956, the Newton County Board of Education passed an order reorganizing, consolidating, reconstituting and creating the school districts of Newton County. Miss. Laws 1953, Ex. Sess., Chapter 12; Code Section 6328-01, et seq. This order was not to become effective until finally approved by the State Educational Finance Commission. Code Section 6328-01. The reorganization plan created in the county three school districts: The Special Municipal Separate School Districts of Newton and of Union; and the remainder of the county was to constitute the Newton County School District.

Appellee W. M. McMullan had been employed for thirteen years as Superintendent of the Decatur Consolidated School District. The proposed reorganization of the Newton County schools abolished the Decatur district, but it had not been approved by the EFC on January 21, 1957, when the trustees of the Decatur Consolidated School District elected McMullan as superintendent of that school for 1957-1958. This election was subject to the approval of the county board of education. Code Section 6282-04. On February 5, 1957, the Board approved McMullan’s election as superintendent of the Decatur Consolidated School District.

However, after October 31, 1956, when the county board passed the order for reorganization of school districts, it was manifest to all parties concerned, including appellants and appellee, that the Decatur Consolidated School District was going to be abolished as soon as the [792]*792EFC approved the reorganization plan. The statutes expressly fixed July 1, 1957, as the final date for completion of reorganization of school districts in all counties. Code Section 6328-01.

On May 7, 1957, the county board of education passed by a vote of three to two an order refusing to give Mc-Mullan a contract as superintendent of the Decatur Consolidated School District for 1957-1958. At the same time the secretary of the board wrote appellee so advising him, in order that he could obtain employment elsewhere. On May 24,1957, the EFC approved the reorganization of the Newton County school districts, as originally adopted by the county board of education in its order of October 31, 1956.

Although the county board had refused to approve a contract with McMullan, and although the reorganization order for county schools went into effect on May 24, 1957, abolishing the Decatur School District, nevertheless on July 1, 1957, appellant Richardson, County Superintendent of Education, executed with appellee a contract of employment for the school year 1957-1958, by which appellee was employed for the position of principal of the Decatur Attendance Center, Newton County School District. The contract erroneously recites that McMullan had been selected by the county board for this position.

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Bluebook (online)
100 So. 2d 571, 232 Miss. 787, 1958 Miss. LEXIS 330, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/richardson-v-mcmullan-miss-1958.