Opinion ID: 1669405
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Whether great weight should be given to the decision of Superintendent or School District.

Text: School District claims that the 1983 amendments to SDCL 13-6-85 limited Superintendent's authority to resolve boundary disputes. School District argues that the amendments require the reviewing courts to accord great weight to the decision of the school board, not the Superintendent's. We have long recognized the limited authority of school districts to resolve boundary disputes. School districts do not have a vested right to retain their existing status or territory. As creatures of the legislature they are subject to periodic change, alteration, or abolishment. (citations omitted). Nelson v. Deuel County Bd. of Education, 80 S.D. 559, 563, 128 N.W.2d 554, 556 (1964). By statute, the legislature delegated their authority to change and alter school district boundaries to the Superintendent. SDCL 13-3-25 provides Superintendent with general supervisory powers over all secondary schools in the state. SDCL ch. 13-6, which concerns school district reorganization, grants Superintendent specific powers in the reorganization of school districts. [5] SDCL 13-6-85, which provides for minor boundary changes, grants Superintendent the power to hold a hearing on the petition of anyone aggrieved by the decision of the school board. The intent of the statute is to permit Superintendent to hear testimony from interested parties, including the school district, and in turn, resolve minor boundary disputes. The power of the Superintendent over school district boundaries is also supported by Shumaker. In addressing SDCL 13-6-85 prior to the 1983 amendments, Shumaker stated: [T]he Legislature has deemed that a school district board will not be allowed a free [rein] of discretion in addressing requests by patrons to be transferred out of a school district.... The Legislature specifically delegated to the State Superintendent the authority to resolve boundary disputes. (footnote omitted). Id. at 872. Citing Shumaker, we recently reaffirmed the power of the state superintendent over school districts in Finck v. Northwest School Dist. No. 52-3, 417 N.W. 2d 875 (S.D.1988). Though dealing with a different statutory provision, Finck stated: This court does not substitute its judgment for Superintendent's judgment on the weight of evidence pertaining to questions of fact unless Superintendent's decision is clearly erroneous, or is arbitrary, capricious, or characterized by an abuse of discretion or a clearly unwarranted exercise of discretion. (citations omitted). Id. at 878. SDCL 13-6-85 provides that the decision of the state superintendent may be appealed under SDCL 13-6-89. The statute is clear that it is the Superintendent's decision and not the school board's which is appealed under SDCL 13-6-89. Further, as discussed above, the legislature, in SDCL ch. 13-6, has clearly vested Superintendent with the ultimate authority over school district boundaries. If the legislature really wants the local school board (as an interested party) to be the ultimate authority in determining boundary changes, it need only so state plainly. Until then, we give great weight to Superintendent's decision.