Title: Gowens v. Cherokee County Bd. of Ed.

State: alabama

Issuer: Alabama Supreme Court

Document:

348 So. 2d 441 (1977)
Charles C. GOWENS
v.
CHEROKEE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION et al.
SC 2299.

Supreme Court of Alabama.
May 20, 1977.
Rehearing Denied August 19, 1977.
W. Troy Massey, Montgomery, for appellant.
Hugh Reed, Centre, for appellees.
Truman Hobbs and Joseph E. Carr IV, Montgomery, for Alabama Education Assn., amicus curiae, in support of appellant's position.
TORBERT, Chief Justice.
Charles Gowens was employed as a teacher by the Cherokee County Board of Education in August 1973 for the 1973-74 school year. He was subsequently re-employed for the next two school years with each year's employment being based on a separate written contract. On May 26, 1976, prior to the close of the 1975-76 school year, Gowens received the following letter:
"Dear Mr. Gowens:
Gowens asked for an opportunity to meet with the Board and on July 6, 1976 was allowed to confer with them. With the assistance of counsel, Gowens requested the Board to give the reason or reasons why he *442 was not rehired for the 1976-77 school term. However, the Board refused to enter into any discussion regarding the reason for their action.
Gowens then filed suit in circuit court seeking declaratory and injunctive relief asking that he be rehired as a teacher. The Board filed a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6), ARCP. After a hearing, the motion to dismiss was granted.
At the time Mr. Gowens received notification from the County Superintendent that he would not be re-employed for the 1976-77 school year, he was classified as a non-continuing service status teacher under Title 52, § 352, Alabama Code of 1940 (Recomp.1958). This designation is most frequently referred to as a non-tenured teacher.
Title 52, § 361(2), Alabama Code of 1940 (Recomp.1958), establishes the statutory guidelines for the re-employment of teachers, and provides in pertinent part:
There is no dispute that the letter Mr. Gowens received on May 26, 1976 complied with the requirements set out in Title 52, § 361(2). The primary issue raised by the appellant, Mr. Gowens, concerns what effect should be given to a particular provision contained in a booklet which outlines the personnel policies of the Cherokee County Board of Education. This manual is entitled, "Cherokee County School System Certified Personnel Policies" and on page 17 the following is found:
"Dismissal
It is Gowens' argument that the Cherokee County Board of Education is bound by the rules and regulations contained in this booklet and that the failure of the Board to follow these steps constituted a violation of his constitutional right to due process. It is pointed out that county boards of education are empowered to establish local rules and regulations under Title 52, § 73 Alabama Code of 1940 (Recomp.1958).
It is not necessary here for this court to consider what effect this local regulation has on this proceeding. Mr. Gowens was not dismissed from his employment as a teacher but rather he was simply not re-employed for the next year. The terms of the 1975-76 contract were fulfilled by both parties to the contract and there is no indication in this record of a breach of the employment contract by dismissal of Mr. Gowens.
The issues raised by Mr. Gowens regarding his claim to a property interest in his job were addressed by this court recently in Foster v. Blount County Board of Education, Ala., 340 So. 2d 751 (1976), wherein it was stated:
340 So. 2d  at 752.
Mr. Gowens was not entitled to a due process hearing regarding the Board's failure to re-employ him because he has not proved that the reasons for the nonrenewal either stigmatized him or injured his prospects for future employment. In fact this record contains no reference to the reasons behind the Board's action and under the requirements of Title 52, § 361(2), Alabama Code of 1940 (Recomp.1958), the Board was not required to specify its reasons.
Finally, Gowens points out that in the letter of May 26th, the following appears:
Gowens argues that because Title 52, § 123, Alabama Code of 1940 (Recomp. 1958), establishes that the responsibility of recommending "dismissal" of teachers is the exclusive prerogative of the County Superintendent the notification he received was faulty and thus void. This issue is not properly raised in this case in that as stated before the action taken by the Cherokee County Board of Education cannot be termed a dismissal, thus it is not proper for this court to address this question here.
Accordingly, the granting of the motion to dismiss was proper and this case is due to be affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
BLOODWORTH, JONES, ALMON and EMBRY, JJ., concur.