State v. SECONDARY SCH. ACTIVITIES COM'N

364 S.E.2d 25
CourtWest Virginia Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 10, 1987
Docket17916
StatusPublished

This text of 364 S.E.2d 25 (State v. SECONDARY SCH. ACTIVITIES COM'N) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. SECONDARY SCH. ACTIVITIES COM'N, 364 S.E.2d 25 (W. Va. 1987).

Opinion

364 S.E.2d 25 (1987)

STATE of West Virginia ex rel. A. James MANCHIN, as Treasurer of the State of West Virginia
v.
The WEST VIRGINIA SECONDARY SCHOOL ACTIVITIES COMMISSION and William Hanlin, as Executive Secretary of the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission.

No. 17916.

Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.

December 10, 1987.

Charles G. Brown, Atty. Gen., Daniel W. Vannoy, Asst. Atty. Gen., for petitioner.

William R. Wooton, Wooton, Wooton & Fragile, Beckley, for respondents.

McHUGH, Justice:

In this mandamus proceeding the petitioner, the State of West Virginia, on the relation of A. James Manchin, as Treasurer of the State of West Virginia ("the relator"), seeks a peremptory writ of mandamus compelling the respondents, the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission ("the SSAC") and its executive secretary, William Hanlin, to transfer immediately all existing funds of the SSAC into an account of the relator and to deposit all future receipts into an account of the relator within twenty-four hours after receipt. After reviewing the petition, the response and the memorandum and supplemental memorandum in support of the response, and after hearing argument of counsel, we conclude that the requested writ should be denied.

*26 I

The West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission ("the SSAC") has been in existence since 1916. Its members are principals (or their representatives) of secondary schools (essentially junior and senior high schools) in those counties which, through their county board of education, have elected to delegate control of their interscholastic athletic events and band activities to the SSAC. Parochial and private schools may also delegate to the SSAC the control of these types of extracurricular activities.[1]

The administrative regulations of the SSAC, approved by the State Board of Education, indicate the following. The executive secretary of the SSAC, subject to review by a Board of Appeals, interprets and enforces the SSAC's regulations pertaining to the interscholastic athletic events and band activities of the member schools.[2] The decisions of the Board of Appeals of the SSAC are, in turn, subject to review by the Review Board of the SSAC.[3] The decisions of the Review Board are final.

The Board of Appeals of the SSAC appoints five secondary school principals to serve as members of the Board of Trustees of the SSAC. The Trustees hold title to all real estate and other property owned by the SSAC. If it so elects, the SSAC's Board of Control (the entire membership of secondary school principals) may direct the Trustees to incorporate the SSAC. The State Board of Education must approve the decision to incorporate.

From its inception in 1916 until January, 1967, the SSAC was an unincorporated association. From January, 1967 until voluntary dissolution in December, 1969, it was a corporation with the name of the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission, Inc. Upon dissolution of the corporation the SSAC reverted to its status as an unincorporated association.[4]

Funds of the SSAC are generated in essentially two ways: (1) receipt of dues of member schools and (2) receipt of entry fees and assessments for conducting interscholastic athletic events or band activities. The executive secretary of the SSAC acts as its treasurer and expends its funds upon order of the president of the SSAC. According to a newspaper article attached as an exhibit to the petition in this proceeding, the SSAC currently maintains about $350,000.00 in a bank account of unspecified type in the name of the SSAC. According to the same exhibit, the SSAC recently deposited about $500,000.00 in the state consolidated investment fund.

II

At the outset we emphasize that the only issue raised and briefed in this case is whether the moneys of the SSAC must be received for deposit in the state treasury as *27 "moneys due the State" under W.Va.Code, 12-2-2 [1983].[5] There are other more troubling issues that are not before us, such as whether the legislature may authorize county boards of education to delegate supervision of certain activities to a commission such as the SSAC or, if so, the permissible extent of such delegation.

The relator contends that the funds of the SSAC must be deposited in the state treasury within twenty-four hours after receipt thereof, pursuant to W.Va.Code, 12-2-2 [1983]. The relator relies upon his assertion that the SSAC is a state agency whose funds are consequently "moneys due the State" under that statutory provision. In support of that assertion the relator cites two opinions of the West Virginia Attorney General's office, one of which opines that the SSAC is a public employer for purposes of the West Virginia Public Employees Retirement Act, W.Va.Code, 5-10-1 to 5-10-52, as amended, and one of which opines that the SSAC is a state agency whose state funds may be made available for investment in the consolidated fund, pursuant to the Investment Management Law, W.Va. Code, 12-6-1 to 12-6-17, as amended.[6]

The respondents argue that the SSAC is a voluntary association of high school principals, not a state agency. They also argue that the SSAC's participation in the public employees' retirement system and in the consolidated investment fund has no bearing on this case because such participation is governed by particular statutory definitions not applicable here. Finally, the respondents argue that, even if the SSAC is a state agency, its funds are still not "moneys due the State" because the legislature has designated such funds as "quasi-public funds" subject to audit by the State Tax Commissioner as chief inspector of local governmental entities, not by the legislative auditor, who audits state spending units.

In March, 1967, W.Va.Code, 18-2-25 was enacted.[7] Under it, the county boards of education were expressly granted authority *28 to control interscholastic athletic events and other extracurricular activities.[8] Also under this statute, the county boards of education were expressly granted the authority to delegate control of interscholastic athletic events and band activities to the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission, "which is hereby established."[9] This statute also provides that "all moneys paid to such commission, as well as moneys derived from any contest or other event sponsored by said commission, shall be quasi-public funds" as the same are defined in W.Va.Code, 18-5-13, as amended. "Quasi-public funds" are there defined as "any money received by any principal, teacher, student or other person for the benefit of the school system as a result of curricular or noncurricular activities."[10]

By its reference in W.Va.Code, 18-2-25 [1967] to W.Va.Code, 18-5-13 [1987], the legislature has deemed the SSAC's funds to be similar in nature to those of county boards of education. W.Va.Code, 18-5-13 [1987] provides for the authority of county boards of education. Among the powers conferred upon the county boards of education under W.Va.Code, 18-5-13 [1987] is the power to control the receipts and disbursements of funds generated by any activities or other endeavors of or in the name of county schools or carried on by any body or organization directly connected with such schools:

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Bluebook (online)
364 S.E.2d 25, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-secondary-sch-activities-comn-wva-1987.