Opinion ID: 1607167
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: whether sdcl 13-6-91 permits a school board to close an attendance center in an incorporated municipality without an election when its membership is less than twenty-five students?

Text: SDCL 13-6-91 provides: If a school district is reorganized under chapter 13-6, any attendance center providing educational service in grades kindergarten through eight located within the boundaries of an incorporated municipality and operating prior to reorganization may not be closed nor reduced below grade six if membership is twenty-five or more students in those grades until the voters of the dissolved district may by majority vote taken at a regular or special election as provided in § 13-23-3, agree to the closure or reduction. The trial court read this statute in conjunction with several other provisions on closing schools and held that it unambiguously authorized the board to close the Keystone Center without an election because its membership was less than twenty-five students. Nelson points out that the statute only requires a board to conduct an election if membership is twenty-five or more students and is silent on a board's authority to close a center without an election when its membership is less than twenty-five. He asserts that when membership is less than twenty-five, the question of whether an election is required prior to closure of a center is controlled by SDCL 13-6-9: The school board of a school district shall continue to operate an attendance center or elementary school operated by a former common school district during the 1968-69 school year until such time as only the resident voters of the former common district area which operated the elementary school shall vote to cease operating the school or schools. The election shall be called by the school board of the school district by resolution or upon a petition by twenty percent of the voters residing in the area and shall be conducted in accordance with the laws governing elections in school districts. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any elementary school which by its continued operation would make the district ineligible for state aid under the provisions of §§ 13-13-10 to 13-13-41, inclusive. The board may close such a school when the average daily membership does not exceed five and bus service is provided within two and one-half miles of pupils' residence. When a rural school has been closed for two consecutive years by board action but no election has been held, the school shall be considered to have been closed by the voters, but may be reopened at the option of the board. (emphasis added). SDCL 13-6-9 (rev. 1982). [2] Relying on this statute, Nelson argues that the board was required to hold an election before closing the Keystone Center because its average daily membership exceeded five students. In resolving Nelson's contentions, we note that the facts pertinent to his first issue are not disputed. Neither party contests the fact that the Keystone Attendance Center fell within the category of schools described by both SDCL 13-6-9 (rev. 1982) and SDCL 13-6-91. Thus, resolution of Nelson's argument is solely a question of which of the two statutes is applicable, a matter of statutory construction. [C]onstruction of a statute is a question of law and thus the decision below is fully reviewable without deference to the decision of the trial court. Reid v. Huron Bd. of Educ., 449 N.W.2d 240, 242 (S.D. 1989). The first and most important rule of statutory construction is to determine and give effect to the intention of the legislature. Watertown Independent School Dist. No. 1 v. Thyen, 83 S.D. 309, 314, 159 N.W.2d 122, 125 (1968). Although legislative intent is to be derived primarily from the language expressed in the statute ( Reid, supra ), it is also derived from other enactments relating to the same subject which may modify or limit the effective scope of the statute in issue. Border States Paving v. Dept. of Revenue, 437 N.W.2d 872 (S.D.1989). Moreover, when the question is which of two enactments the legislature intended to apply to a particular situation, terms of a statute relating to a particular subject will prevail over general terms of another statute. Meyerink v. Northwestern Public Service Co., 391 N.W.2d 180, 184 (S.D.1986). Applying these standards, we initially observe that SDCL 13-23-1 gives school boards the general authority to discontinue attendance centers by resolution. Revier v. School Bd. of Sioux Falls, etc., 300 N.W.2d 55 (S.D.1981). The statute provides in pertinent part that, [t]he school board shall have the power to establish and discontinue attendance centers by resolution of the board except as provided in § 13-6-9. SDCL 13-23-1 (emphasis added). SDCL 13-6-9 (rev. 1982) requires a board to continue to operate an attendance center operated by a former common school district during the 1968-69 school year until it is closed by election unless, among other factors, its membership is five or fewer students. Kaberna v. School Bd. of Lead-Deadwood, 438 N.W.2d 542 (S.D. 1989). As noted, there is no dispute over the fact that the Keystone Center fell within the category of attendance centers described in SDCL 13-6-9 (rev. 1982). Absent SDCL 13-6-91, it would be clear that the board was required to hold an election before closing the Center. However, SDCL 13-6-91 specifically addresses attendance centers such as the Keystone Center which are located within the boundaries of incorporated municipalities. The statute explicitly requires an election prior to closing these centers if their membership is twenty-five or more students. The clear intention of the statute is to permit school boards to close these centers by resolution and without an election pursuant to their general authority under SDCL 13-23-1, whenever a center's membership is less than twenty-five students. Nelson's interpretation of SDCL 13-6-91 would render the statute meaningless. Even without the statute, if an attendance center had twenty-five students an election would be required prior to its closure under SDCL 13-6-9 (rev. 1982). It must be presumed that the legislature was aware of the election requirements of SDCL 13-6-9 (rev. 1982) when it enacted SDCL 13-6-91 in 1983. Meyerink, supra . Further, in construing a statute, it must also be presumed that the legislature intended to enact a valid and effective statute and there is a presumption against a construction which would render a statute ineffective or meaningless. City of Sioux Falls v. State Board of Equalization, 87 S.D. 106, 203 N.W.2d 419 (1973). See also, Revier, supra (presumed that legislature does not intend to insert surplusage in its enactments). The law must be so construed as to give effect to all of its provisions, if possible. Beitelspacher v. Winther, 447 N.W.2d 347, 351 (S.D.1989). Inasmuch as the board's interpretation of SDCL 13-6-91 gives the statute effect, while Nelson's does not, the board's interpretation must prevail. The board's interpretation of SDCL 13-6-91 also finds support in SDCL 13-23-3. SDCL 13-23-3 further qualifies a board's authority to close an attendance center by resolution. See, Revier, supra . The statute provides in pertinent part that, [t]he school board may submit the question of discontinuing an attendance center, except as provided in §§ 13-6-9 and 13-6-91, for the next school fiscal year to a vote of the people upon resolution of the board.... SDCL 13-23-3 (emphasis added). As we have discussed, SDCL 13-6-91 only requires an election prior to closure of an attendance center in an incorporated municipality when the center's membership is twenty-five or more students. Thus, when its membership is less than twenty-five, SDCL 13-23-3 gives the board the discretion to submit the closure issue to a vote unless the other mandatory election requirements of the statute (not at issue here) are met. Here, the board chose to close the Keystone Center by resolution without holding an election. Based upon the foregoing reasoning, we hold that its actions were fully authorized by SDCL 13-23-1, SDCL 13-23-3 and SDCL 13-6-91.