Table Of ContentSUPREME COURT DECISIONS FOR 194S AND 1949
WITH RESPECT TO PUBLIC SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION
A Thesis
Presented to
the Faculty of the School of Education
The U niversity of Southern C alifornia
In P artial Fulfillm ent
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master, of_Science in Education
Raymond Frederick Ellerman
June 1950
UMI Number: EP56129
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This thesis, written under the direction of the
Chairman of the candidate’s Guidance Committee
and approved by all members of the Committee,
has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty
of the School of Education of the University of
Southern California in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Science
in Education.
Dean
Guidance Committee
Chairman
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE PROBLEM.................................................................. 1
The purpose of the study. • • • ....................... 3
Lim itations of the study. « • • • • • • . • • 3
M aterials used........................................................ 5
Method of procedure • • • • • • • • • • . • • 6
Related investigation s. ................................................ 7
D efinition of terms .......................................................... 8
Organization of the remaining chapters. . . . 9
II. RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF PUPILS AND
PARENTS............................................................................ 10
Compulsory school attendance...................
Transportation of pup ils.......................................... . 12
Payment in lieu of tran sp ortation ............... 15
T u itio n ............................ 16
Right to attend a particular sc h o o l.......... 18
The separation of races for school
purposes. ................................. 20
V accin ation ................................................................... 22
R eligious instruction ..................................................... 23
R esidence.......................................... 23
T extbooks......................................................................... . . 24
Educational philosophy............................. -,V' . . . . 24
Summary .............................................................. 25
iii
CHAPTER PAGE
III. TEACHERS............................................................................ 29
Requirements and. e lig ib ilit y ....................... 29
Selection and terms of employment.. . . . . . 33
Teachers1 contracts............................................... 3 8
Resignation and abandonment. . . . . . . . . kZ
Discharge of teachers.......................................... 43
Rate or amount of compensation . . . . . . . 50
Pensions . . . ......................................................... 55
Duties and lia b ilitie s ........................ 60
Summary.................................................... 6 l
IV. BOARDS OF EDUCATION, SUPERINTENDENTS, AND
OTHER OFFICERS......................... . . 64
Powers, d u ties, and lia b ilitie s in general . 64
Contractual authority. ........................................... 70
Bids for co n tra cts............................................... 72
E lig ib ility and qualifications . . . . . . . J2
Appointment or election in.general . . ... . • 74
L ia b ility of members..................................... 74
C onstitutional and statutory provisions. . . 75
Removal or suspension...... • • • • • • • • • . 78
Summary. .................... . . . . . . 80
V. SCHOOL DISTRICTS ................................................................... 83
Establishment and discontinuance of
schools. ..................................... 83
Regulation and supervision of schools. . . . 85
iv
CHAPTER PAGE
Status, as corporations...................................... 86
C onstitutional and statutory provisions. . . 8?
Organization of school d istric ts . .................... 88
Change of boundaries . ...................................... 92
Consolidation. ................................................................... 93
P etition or consent............................................... 95
Orders for consolidation or organization . . 97
Submission of question to popular vote . . . 98
Review of proceedings.......................................... 101
L ia b ilitie s.................................................................. 103
High school and graded school d istr ic ts. . . 104
D issolution ............................................... 106
Summary........................................................ 108
71. DISTRICT DEBT, SECURITIES, ARB TAXATION. . . . I ll
Power to incur indebtedness and
expenditures . . . . . . . . . . .................... I ll
Custody and disbursement of funds.............. 118
Authority of d istric ts to issue bonds. . . . 120
Bond elections ................................. 122
The power and duty to t a x ............................. 12?
Amount of tax......................................................... 129
Persons and property lia b le . ♦ ............................. 131
V alidity of le v y .................................................... 134
Tax electio n s............................................................. 137
Statement of purpose of tax............................ 140
V
CHAPTER PAGE
C ollection and enforcem ent....................................... 141
D isposition of proceeds of taxes and
other r e v e n u e .............................. . ................... 142
Rights and remedies of taxp ayers........................ 144
State a i d ............................................................................. 146
Summary. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . . 147
VII. DISTRICT PROPERTY , LIABILITIES, . AMD . CLAIMS
AGAINST THE DISTRICT . . . . . .................................. 152
A cquisition, use, and d isposition of
p rop erty............................ 152
Location of buildings.......................................... 156
Use of school buildings. ...................................... 157
School furniture, books, apparatus, and
other a p p lia n ces......................................................... 158
Torts........................................................................................... 158
Rights of action and defenses. ............................. 163
Presentation and allowance of claims
against the d is t r ic t ............................. 163
Evidence • • • • .............................................................. 164
T rial...........................................* .......................................... 166
Summary...................................................................................... 16?
VIII. SUMMARY AMD CONCLUSIONS. ........................................... 170
S ta tistic a l d a ta ............................................................. 170
Review of jud icial interpretations ................... 172
Trends * 174
vi
CHAPTER PAGE
BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . ................................... .......................................... 177
Primary sources. ........................................................ 17 8
General references ................................................................. 202
CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM
Public school adm inistration has become a task of
utmost professional importance. Total enrollment in public
schools has increased from 14,539,228 pupils in 1890 to
23,437,546 pupils in 1946, very nearly a one hundred per
cent increase. Total expenditures for a ll purposes have
increased from #214,964,618 in 1900 to #4,167,597,110 in
1946, an increase of twenty tim es.^ In addition to these
enormous increases in the size of the enterprise, small
d istric ts have united to form large adm inistrative units.'
These sta tistic s emphasize the ever, increasing, importance
of the superintendent. The superintendent should be as w ell
qualified and as w ell informed of the present status and
trends in school adm inistration as any executive of any
other private business of comparable siz e .. It can be said
that the need is even more imperative in.the case of a school
superintendent in that he is a servant of the public and is
required by law, in most cases, to report p eriod ically on
the condition of the schools to the patrons. Edward G.
E llio t w rites:
1 U.S. O ffice of Education, ’’Biennial. Survey of Edu
cation, 1945-1946,” S ta tistic a l Summary of Education, Chap
ter I. Washington B.C. Government Printing O ffice., pp.. 6-35.
At no point may the school he more profitably., s&udied,
as a socia l and p o litic a l instrument, than through the
ju d icial determination of its rights and its lim itation s.
E specially is this, true in the United States with each of
the states of the Union possessing.a sovereign authority
over education.2
Disagreements which reach the various, sta te courts
are most often based on statutes which origin ally were not
w ritten clearly or in which the in ten t,of the leg isla to rs
is questionable or debatable. It is important that admini
strators know the courts1 interpretations of these statutes
as a guide to wise action.
A large part of the law of every state has been deter
mined by ju d icial interpretations, rather., than . leg isla tio n .
It would be im possible for statu tes to cover every situ ation
that may arise. Courts often look, to earlier decisions of
not only th eir ow n.state but every state in .th e United States
and by thus doing, maintain, a reasonable degree of conformity.
In as much, as education is almost exclusively a state
and local function, it is exceedingly important, that those
who are responsible for the development of. th is.asp ect of our
so cia l lif e in the several states of the Union be fu lly ac
quainted with what is being said and done by our. courts a ll
over the country in interpreting the law.
2 Edward C. E llio t, The F irst Yearbook of. School Law.
Edited and published by M.M. Chambers. Ohio State U niversity,
Columbus, Ohio. 1933. Foreword.
