Case Title: Padberg v. Martin

Citation: 225 Or. 135, 357 P.2d 255

Docket Number: 

State: oregon

Court: Oregon Supreme Court

Date: 1960-11-23T00:00:00Z

Document:
Affirmed November 23, 1960.
Petition for rehearing denied December 6, 1960.
*136 John H. Kottkamp, Pendleton, argued the cause for appellants. On the briefs were Fabre, Collins & Kottkamp, Pendleton.
P.W. Mahoney, Heppner, argued the cause for respondents. On the brief were Mahoney & Abrams, Heppner.
Robert Y. Thornton, Attorney General, and Cecil H. Quesseth, Special Assistant Attorney General, Salem, filed a brief amicus curiae.
Before McALLISTER, Chief Justice, and ROSSMAN, PERRY, SLOAN, O'CONNELL, GOODWIN and KING, Justices.
AFFIRMED.
*137 SLOAN, J.
On July 1, 1959, the Morrow County Unit School District was reorganized into an administrative school district pursuant to the Administrative School District Act, Oregon Laws 1957, ch 619 (ORS 330.505 et seq). Plaintiffs were residents and taxpayers in the district; their children attended its schools. Defendants constituted the Board of Directors of the newly formed administrative district. Plaintiffs filed these consolidated proceedings to obtain a declaration that the reorganization of the County Unit District to an administrative district was unconstitutional and void. In the alternative plaintiffs asked judicial restraint of the defendants' order transferring the place of attendance of their grade school children from schools within their community of residence to schools in other communities. The trial court sustained a demurrer to plaintiffs' complaint and they appeal from the decree which followed denying them relief.
Oregon Laws 1957, ch 619, hereafter referred to as the Act, was a legislative fiat to require the people in the counties of this state to reorganize the confusing pattern of school districts into more efficiently operable districts to be designated as Administrative School Districts. The Act was comprehensive. It was not permissive but, as indicated, mandatory. It compelled the formation of a county committee in each county to plan for the reorganization of the school districts within the county. Provision was also made to include reorganization of those districts which overlapped into more than one county. The plan was to "afford greater equalization of educational opportunities for the inhabitants of the county, more efficient and economical administration of public schools and a more equitable *138 distribution of public school revenues." ORS 330.535 (9).
When the plan was completed the Act required that various public hearings be held to permit the public to be informed. The Act also required that the plan be submitted to the State Board of Education. The approval of that board was necessary before the plan would go into effect. After the plan was approved by the state board it was necessary that it be submitted to a vote of the people within the area affected. Except, and this is the crucial point in the case, that in the reorganization of those districts where no boundaries were changed, a vote of the people was not required. Approval by the state board was sufficient. ORS 330.625. It is this provision regarding election that plaintiffs claim is invalid. They say it denies equal protection of the law to permit the people in some districts the right to vote on a reorganization plan and to deny it to the people of other districts.
1, 2. Oregon Constitution, Art VIII, § 3, empowered the legislature to adopt the Act in question. There can be no doubt of the constitutional power of the legislature to create, abolish or alter school districts, with or without a vote of the people within the area involved.
See also, Monaghan v. School District No. 1, 1957, 211 Or 360, 315 P2d 797.
3. Since the legislature had the power to dissolve, change or abolish districts without election the reasons for providing an election in those instances when boundaries were changed becomes apparent. A change of boundaries necessarily includes a change of any bonded or other indebtedness, or of any other contractual obligation of an existing district and a change in assets, including property subject to taxation. By providing for an election, accordingly, the legislature wanted to avoid any constitutional objections that might be made to a change in the financial commitments of a district without a vote of the people. A change in boundaries could impose upon the people of the whole new administrative district the bond obligations of one or more of the previously existing districts.
This can be seen, in part, by the provisions of ORS 330.620 which limit the right of judicial review of a reorganization proceeding:
The classification provided by the legislature in respect to elections was reasonable. It is apparent that a change of an established district from one form of administration to another without change of boundary, and the concomitant change of assets and liabilities, *140 would provide no cause to submit the matter to a vote of the people. In such a case as here the purpose of the Act, before stated, was accomplished with the change of administrative policy and power of the district.
If the Act had required that a reorganization accomplished without a change of boundary was to be submitted to the legislature for approval, no one could doubt the validity of such a provision. In this Act the legislature delegated the power of approval to its agent, the State Board of Education. That delegation of power is not challenged.
The objection that the reorganization of this district was void for want of an election is without merit.
4. Plaintifffs also claimed that the previously existing county unit district could not be dissolved without a vote of the people as required by ORS 333.510. The short answer to that is that ORS 330.505 (4), 330.625 and 330.650 make it clear that when the reorganization of an administrative district is completed it supersedes all districts previously existing within the area included within the administrative district boundaries. The Act does not contemplate that existing districts must be dissolved before the administrative district assumes jurisdiction.
5. Plaintiffs, however, argue that even if the district is legally and constitutionally formed, the board still had no authority to transfer pupils and classes from one school to another. ORS 330.650 grants to administrative districts "all the rights, powers, duties and obligations of first class districts as provided by law and as provided under the general school laws applicable to school districts of all classes." The "rights, powers and duties" of school districts include:
Legislative requirements for a "comprehensive reorganization plan" within the Act itself included "* * * recommendations respecting the location of schools, utilization of existing buildings * * *" and the "transportation requirements under the plan." ORS 330.530.
The grant of power to build, furnish and equip school buildings, ORS 332.380, must include the power to assign students to the respective buildings.
The defendant school district had the power to transfer the students in question.
6. Nor will the court interfere with the wisdom of the board's decision.
Other issues were presented which we consider unnecessary to decide in this case.
The decree of the trial court is affirmed.