Opinion ID: 2632256
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Educational Institutions

Text: ¶ 16 Petitioners' third constitutional argument is that public schools are educational institutions under Const. Art. 21, § 1 [5] and thus only the State of Oklahoma can support them. We disagree. Const.Art. 10, § 26 concerns indebtedness of political subdivisions and clearly includes school districts as political subdivisions. [6] Although 11 O.S.2001, § 22-159 refers to school systems as opposed to school districts, we determine that the kind of educational institution intended by the legislature to be referenced in Const.Art. 21, § 1 is that of a state institution such as a mental health institution, school for the disabled or a center of higher education. These are the types of institutions we previously have recognized as being referenced by Const.Art. 21, § 1. See, e.g., St. Louis-San Francisco Ry. Co. v. Morris, 1930 OK 247, 288 P. 306 (state institution for treatment of tuberculosis); Battles v. State ex rel. Oklahoma Commission for Crippled Children, 1951 OK 313, 206 Okla. 444, 244 P.2d 320 (University Hospital); Murrow Indian Orphans Home v. Childers, 1946 OK 187, 197 Okla. 249, 171 P.2d 600 (Indian Orphans Home); Montgomery v. State Industrial Commission, 1942 OK 149, 124 P.2d 726 (state hospital for the insane). Accordingly, we hold that Const. Art. 21, § 1 is inapplicable to 11 O.S.2001, § 22-159, because public school districts are not state educational institutions.