Worth v. Board of Public Education

170 S.E. 77, 177 Ga. 166, 1933 Ga. LEXIS 139
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
DecidedJune 14, 1933
DocketNo. 9241
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 170 S.E. 77 (Worth v. Board of Public Education) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Worth v. Board of Public Education, 170 S.E. 77, 177 Ga. 166, 1933 Ga. LEXIS 139 (Ga. 1933).

Opinion

Hill, J.

On February 23, 1917, Congress passed what is commonly known as the Smith-Hughes act (39 Stat., 929), and is contained in IT. S. Code Ann. Title 20, chapter 2. Under this act Congress appropriated three million dollars annually “for the purpose [173]*173of co-operating with the States in paying the salaries of teachers of trade, home economics, and industrial subjects.55 That sum is allotted to the States "in the proportion which their urban population bears to the total urban population in the United States.55 U. S. C. A. § 13. In order to derive the benefit of this appropriation the State must, "through the legislative authority thereof, accept the provisions of this act and designate or create a State board55 to co-operate with the Federal board. § 16. A Federal board for vocational education is created to administer the act. § 17. The State board is required to prepare the plan showing the kinds of vocational education for which it is proposed the appropriation shall be used, the courses of study, etc.; and if the Federal board finds the plan and courses of study in conformity to the provisions of the act, then the same are approved by the Federal board. § 18. The appropriation under the Federal- act is devoted exclusively to the salaries of teachers and supervisors, and the cost of instruction supplementary thereto "shall be borne by the State and local communities, and no part of the cost thereof shall be borne out of the appropriation 55 therein made, and for each dollar of the Federal money so appropriated and expendéd there shall be a similar sum expended by the State or local community. § 19. Other provisions of the act, with reference to agricultural subjects, etc., have no bearing on the instant case.

The opportunity school, so-called, is conducted by the board of education under the provisions of the Smith-Hughes act, and the defendants5 answer fully explains the general characteristics of the opportunity school. There is also evidence of A. F. Canon, the State supervisor of industrial and vocational education of the Georgia State board, and of Perry A. Babcock, the director of vocational education for the County of Chatham, to the same effect. The subjects which are taught in the opportunity school are set forth in the defendants5 answer, from which it appears that among the subjects taught are stenography and typewriting; but the larger part of the work in this opportunity school is general vocational work, that is, teaching English, spelling, writing, and arithmetic. Section 21 of the U. S. Code provides: "In order to receive the benefits of the appropriation for the salaries of teachers of trade, home economics, and industrial subjects, the State board of any State shall provide, in its plan for trade, home economics, and in[174]*174dustrial education, that such education shall be given in schools or classes under public supervision or control; that the controlling purpose of such education shall be to fit for useful employment; that such education shall be of less than college grade, and shall be designed to meet the needs of persons over fourteen years of age who are preparing for a trade or industrial pursuit, or who have entered upon the work of a trade or industrial pursuit.” This section further provides: "That at least one third of the sum appropriated to any State for the salaries of teachers of trade, home economics, and industrial subjects shall, if expended, be applied to part-time schools or schools for workers over fourteen years of age who have entered upon employment, and such subjects in the part-time school or classes may mean any subject given to enlarge the civic or vocational intelligence of such workers over fourteen and less than eighteen years of age.” It appears that the Federal Board for vocational education construes what the. act means to subjects taught; that "the subjects taught must be such as are designed to increase the civic and vocational intelligence of the pupil;” and "part-time schools or classes may be operated for persons over fourteen of age, without upper-age limit, provided that the instruction given is designed for and suitable to enlarge the civic or vocational intelligence of workers over fourteen and less than eighteen years of age.”

The State of Georgia accepted the provisions of the Federal vocational act by the passage of the act of August 19, 1919, which is contained in the code of school laws, § 178; Michie’s Code, § 1551(198) et seq.; 8 Park’s Code Supp. 1922, § 1445(a). According to the evidence in the record, in substantially all opportunity schools it is the practice to teach stenography and typewriting. Under the Federal act such subjects may be taught as will "enlarge the civic or vocational intelligence” of the pupil, and it would seem that stenography and typewriting fall within this broad classification. It appears also that stenography and typewriting are prescribed by the State board as subjects to be taught in the opportunity schools, and that they are approved by the Federal board. The act of the legislature of the State of Georgia (Ga. Laws 1922, p. 82), provides (sec. 1) : "Power is hereby delegated to and conferred upon the several counties of this State to levy and collect taxes for educational purposes in such amounts as the county au[175]*175tborities shall determine, the same to be appropriated to the use of the county board of education, and the educational work directed by them.” By section 2 the boards of education of the several counties of the State are authorized to employ and pay county agents and home demonstration agents. Under the constitution of the State, taxes can be levied for “educational purposes;” and this court has construed the wordseducational purposes” and given to those words the broadest significance. Bowers v. Hanks, 152 Ga. 659, 662 (111 S. E. 38); Hanks v. D’Arcy, 156 Ga. 55, 58 (118 S. E. 656). In Smith v. Tolbert, 160 Ga. 268, 271 (127 S. E. 868), it was said: “Now the legislature can provide for the teaching of any branches of education in the public schools of this State; and these schools can be maintained by taxation within the limits and upon the conditions prescribed in the constitution as now amended. The board of education of any county has the right to establish one or more high schools, or junior high schools, if in its opinion they may be necessary and possible through local taxation.” From the evidence it appears that stenography and typewriting are taught in the senior high schools. The Federal vocational act provides (U. S. C. A. § 21) : “Such schools or classes giving instruction to persons who have not entered upon employment shall require that at least one-half of the time of such instruction be given to practical work on a useful and productive basis, such instruction to extend over not less than nine months per year, and not less than thirty hours per week.” It appears from the language just quoted that the provision applies only to “persons who have not entered upon employment.” The board of education authorizes the teaching of pupils in the opportunity school without any upper-age limit. The only age limit is that the pupil shall be over fourteen years of age. The Federal act (U. S. C. A. § 21) provides: “Such education shall be of less than college grade and especially designed to meet the needs of persons over fourteen years of age Avho are preparing for a trade or industrial pursuit, or who have entered upon the work of a trade or industrial pursuit.” No upper-age limit is declared in this section of the act.

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Related

Crim v. McWhorter
252 S.E.2d 421 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1979)
Wright v. Absalom
159 S.E.2d 413 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1968)
Board of Education v. Young
1 S.E.2d 739 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1939)

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Bluebook (online)
170 S.E. 77, 177 Ga. 166, 1933 Ga. LEXIS 139, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/worth-v-board-of-public-education-ga-1933.