Unified School District 407 v. Fisk

660 P.2d 533, 232 Kan. 820, 1983 Kan. LEXIS 265
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedFebruary 19, 1983
DocketNo. 54,743
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 660 P.2d 533 (Unified School District 407 v. Fisk) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Unified School District 407 v. Fisk, 660 P.2d 533, 232 Kan. 820, 1983 Kan. LEXIS 265 (kan 1983).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Holmes, J.:

This is an appeal by various parties from rulings of the district court in a declaratory judgment action. The action was originally filed on behalf of Unified School District #407, seeking a determination of the number of votes necessary by a school board to legally appoint new members to fill vacant positions created by the resignation of one or more members of the school board and a determination of whether a school board may, at a regular meeting, conduct business which is not listed on the published agenda.

[821]*821As is often heard at sporting events, you can’t tell the players without a program. We will try to set forth the cast of characters in this proceeding and the facts that have led them to this court. Prior to this controversy, the school board of U.S.D. #407 consisted of the following members:

Position 1 Don Rrungardt
Position 2 Cecil Mashburn
Position 3 Elmer Svaty
Position 4 Lynda Keys
Position 5 Charles Willson
Position 6 Richard Reeves
Position 7 Robert McCobb

On February 8 or 9, 1982, Robert McCobb’s resignation from position 7 was accepted by the board. On or about April 26, 1982, Elmer Svaty’s resignation from position 3 was accepted. At the regular meeting of the board held on May 10, 1982, all of the remaining five members were present and a motion was made and seconded that Lee Fisk be appointed to fill position 7 on the board. The vote for Mr. Fisk to fill that vacancy was three to two in his favor. On June 3,1982, Mr. Fisk filed his oath of office with the election commissioner. K.S.A. 25-2024.

On June 10, 1982, this action was filed on behalf of U.S.D. #407 for a determination of whether a three to two vote of a five-member school board was sufficient to legally name Mr. Fisk to fill position No. 7.

Thereafter, while the suit to determine Mr. Fisk’s status was pending, and at the next regular meeting of the school board on June 14, 1982, it was moved and seconded that Mr. Jack Stoller be appointed to fill position No. 3. The vote was again three to two, this time in favor of Mr. Stoller. Mr. Fisk, although notified of the time and place of the meeting, did not attend and therefore did not participate in the vote on Mr. Stoller. Later, during the same meeting, board member Charles Willson, position No. 5, resigned his position. At that point, the board was composed of four of the original members and perhaps Fisk and Stoller. On June 21,1982, the district court held that Mr. Fisk had been duly appointed to position No. 7. On June 22, 1982, Mr. Stoller filed his oath of office. On June 29, 1982, at the next regular board meeting, certain members of the board were of the opinion that as there were six members of the board at the time the vote was [822]*822taken on Mr. Stoller on June 14, 1982, the three to two vote did not constitute a majority of the six-member board and was insufficient and a new vote was taken to fill position No. 3. At this meeting, due to the prior resignation of Mr. Willson, and the district court affirmance of Mr. Fisk, the board was back to five members with the appointment of Mr. Stoller still up in the air. The names of Jay B. Thielen and Jack Stoller were placed before the board and Mr. Thielen was appointed to fill position No. 3 by a three to two vote. Mr. Stoller did not participate in this meeting.

On July 14, 1982, the matter again came before the district court for a determination of whether Mr. Stoller, as a result of the June 14, 1982, vote, or Mr. Thielen, as a result of the June 29, 1982, vote, or either of them, was duly appointed to position No. 3. The court held that Mr. Stoller had been duly appointed to position No. 3 at the June 14, 1982, board meeting. Various parties have appealed from the two court judgments affirming the appointments of Fisk and Stoller. U.S.D. #407 has appealed all rulings of the court solely for the purpose of having a final determination of whether Fisk, Stoller or Thielen, or any of them, are duly appointed members of the school board, and whether a school board may conduct business, at a regular meeting, which was not included in a published agenda. Mr. Fisk and Mr. Thielen appeal from the court’s judgment that Mr. Stoller was appointed to position No. 3, and Mr. Stoller appeals from the judgment that Mr. Fisk was appointed to position No. 7. Fisk and Thielen also appeal from the court’s holding that the published agenda for a regular meeting of the school board may be amended at the meeting.

To further complicate the cast of characters in this action, original board members Cecil Mashburn, position No. 2, and Richard Reeves, position No. 6, were recalled from office at a special election held November 2, 1982. Thus, at this point we have two original board members, Mr. Fisk claiming position No. 7, and both Mr. Stoller and Mr. Thielen claiming position No. 3. Positions 2, 5 and 6 remain vacant. In order that the school board could carry on day-to-day functions, and to prevent the schools from being closed, this court entered an emergency order on the 19th day of November, 1982, authorizing the two remaining original members, along with Mr. Fisk and Mr. Stoller, to carry on the day-to-day routine business of the board.

[823]*823With the facts as set forth above, we now turn to the issues before the court. They are: (1) does a school board have authority to consider matters at a regular meeting which are not contained in a previously prepared and released agenda, and (2) how many votes are required to fill a vacancy on a school board?

In considering the first issue, defendants-appellants Fisk and Thielen contend that as the matter of the filling of position No. 3 was not included in the advance agenda for the June 14, 1982, meeting, the action of the board in voting three to two to appoint Mr. Stoller was void. It is the position of these appellants that once a public agenda has been prepared and published, the board can take no action on any matter not contained in the agenda. They rely upon certain written internal policies of the board and the open meetings statute, K.S.A. 1982 Supp. 75-4318. The statute provides in pertinent part:

“(a)

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Attorney General Opinion No.
Kansas Attorney General Reports, 2002
State Ex Rel. Stephan v. BD. OF SEDGWICK COUNTY COMM'RS
770 P.2d 455 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1989)
Stevens v. City of Hutchinson
726 P.2d 279 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 1986)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
660 P.2d 533, 232 Kan. 820, 1983 Kan. LEXIS 265, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/unified-school-district-407-v-fisk-kan-1983.