Third Ward School District v. City Board of School Directors

23 La. Ann. 152
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedFebruary 15, 1871
DocketNo. 3054; No. 3055; No. 3056; No. 3057
StatusPublished

This text of 23 La. Ann. 152 (Third Ward School District v. City Board of School Directors) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Third Ward School District v. City Board of School Directors, 23 La. Ann. 152 (La. 1871).

Opinions

Taliaferro, J.

We are asked to dismiss the appeals iu the above entitled causes, on the following allegations:

That the appellants have instituted a new suit in a different capacity and as substituted to the rights and powers of the ward school hoards, in which they claim the same things which were the subject matter of [153]*153the said four suits now pending on appeal, and that the said new suits and judicial demands are antagonistic and can not he reconciled with the intention of the said appellants to prosecute said appeal; and on further suggesting to the court that the said appellants have voluntarily executed and satisfied and acquiesced in the judgments appealed from by them.

We are at a loss to conceive how the appellants have “executed, ratified and acquiesced in the judgments appealed from by them,” because they assert in a new suit a right to the same objects claimed in these cases by another title and “in a different capacity.” There is nothing before us which we can take notice of to establish the facts alleged; but, if they were proved, they would not justify the conclusion that the appellants have acquiesced in the judgments, and there is nothing antagonistic with an intention to appeal.

The motion to dismiss is overruled.

On the Merits.

This is a controversy between two sets of functionaries deriving their powers from the same source and holding their offices under the act of the Legislature approved March 16, 1870, entitled “An Act to regulate public education in the State of Louisiana and city of New Orleans, and to raise a revenue for that purpose,” These contestants are styled “The City Board of School Directors,” and “ The Ward Boards of School Directors.” The contest relates to priority of jurisdiction over the public schools of the city and the right to receive and disburse the school funds apportioned to the city schools. The four cases will all be considered together, as from their general tenor a decision of the question just named will be conclusive of all the issues presented in the four cases. They were in substance so determined by the judgment of the court below, which was in favor of the ward boards. The city board of school directors have appealed.

The first step in the investigation is to inquire, what are the powers and duties of these two orders of school directors; and, first, what is the scope of the powers and the extent of the functions of the city board of school directors “?

We find in section fifty-four of the act before recited, that “the city board of school directors shall have all the powers and perform all the duties in reference to the public schools of the city and to the distribution of the school funds thereof, herein conferred upon the parish boards of school directors for other parishes.”

What then are the powers and duties conferred upon the parish boards of school directors 1 They are detailed in section eighteen of the act, and are as follows:

First — To elect from among their number a president, secretar.’ and [154]*154treasurer. Tlie treasurer shall give bonds in an amount not less than five thousand dollars, to be approved by the Parish or District Judge and the Recorder of the parish, and a copy thereof to bo forwarded to the Superintendent of Public Education, for the faithful performance of his duties under this act. Said bond may, from time to time, be increased by the order of the board or of the District Judge in proportion to the amount of school funds in the hands of the treasurer.

The board shall, from time to time, examine the accounts of the •yeasurer and settle them.

Second — To appoint for each ward School district in their parish a hoard of three district school directors. Said board of district school directors shall hold their office for two years from the time of their appointment and until their successors are duly elected or appointed and qualified.

Third — To visit and examine the schools of the several districts of the parish, from time to time, and to meet and advise with the several boards of district school directors as occasion may require.

Fourth — To report to the State Board of Education and to the Superintendent of Public Education all deficiencies in the schools or neglect of duty on the part of the teachers, directors, division superintendents or other officers.

Fifth — To receive from the State tax collector all proceeds of any parish school tax, levied by the police jury in accordance with this law, and to apportion the same among the several ward school districts of their parish in proportion to the number of persons in their district, between the ages of six and twenty-one years.

Sixth — To make such needful by-laws and regulations for their own government, not inconsistent with this law, as they may deem proper. The treasurer of the board shall receive all money on account of the board and pay out the same on warrants signed by the president and countersigned by the secretary, and he shalL keep a correct account of all expenses and receipts in books provided for that purpose, which shall always be open for inspection. He shall render a monthly report to the board and an annual report to the division superintendent on or before the tenth day of January.

These then, are the powers and duties of the city board of directors. We next inquire what are the duties and powers of the ward board of directors? Section fifty-seven provides “that each ward board of school directors in the city of New Orleans, shall have the powers and duties and be governed by the regulations herein prescribed for district boards of school directors in other parishes.” Here we are again referred to the powers and duties of another class of directors to know what are the powers and duties of the city ward school directors. We turn now to section twenty-two of the act. It [155]*155•may be well in this place to premise that by the section twenty-two, ■each police jury ward' of the country paiishes, is declared to be a school district, and the term, district board of school directors,” is applied to the school directors of each police jury ward. The duties ■of this class or grade of directors are:

First — To make all contracts, purchases, payments and sales necessary to carry out any vote of the district; provided, that before erecting any schoolhouse they shall consult with the Superintendent of Public Education as to the most approved plan of such building.

Second — To admit pupils not belonging to the district, as provided •for in section twenty-five of this act, to their schools on such terms as they may agree upon.

Third — To determine the number of schools which shall be established and the length of time each shall be taught, subject to the provisions of section twenty-three of this act.

Fourth — To fix the site of each schoolhouse, taking into consideration the wants and necessities of the people of each portion of the district.

Fifth — -To establish graded or union schools whenever they may be necessary; and they may, as occasion requires, select a person who shall have the general supervision of the schools in their districts, subject to rules and regulations of the board.

Sixth — To determine what branches shall bo taught in the schools of their districts.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
23 La. Ann. 152, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/third-ward-school-district-v-city-board-of-school-directors-la-1871.