Opinion ID: 1937878
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Procedural Challenges.

Text: Petitioners' first three claims concern the procedures used in handling their challenges to the board's action. The first of these procedural complaints is that the board did not make explicit findings and conclusions in its dismissal ruling. We find no merit in this contention. The relevant, uncontested facts were spelled out. In addition, the applicable statute and its interpretation by the board in a prior contested case were noted. Finally, the findings and conclusions of the agency are easily deduced from the language of the board's order and its context. See Hurtado v. Iowa Dep't of Job Serv., 393 N.W.2d 309, 311 (Iowa 1986); Ward v. Iowa Dep't of Transp., 304 N.W.2d 236, 239 (Iowa 1981). Notwithstanding its brevity, the ruling appears to be sufficiently certain to enable a reviewing court to ascertain with reasonable certainty the factual basis and legal principle upon which the administrative body acted. Erb v. Iowa State Bd. of Pub. Instruction, 216 N.W.2d 339, 342 (Iowa 1974). Petitioners' next procedural argumentabsence of agency rules setting forth an appeal procedureis also without merit. A whole-grade sharing agreement is entered into by school districts and signed by the school districts' boards of directors. See Iowa Code § 282.10. Parents may appeal a school district's action under section 282.11. This statute specifies that appeals are to the State Board of Education and does not direct the board to promulgate additional procedural rules governing such appeals. Iowa Code section 290.1 provides a process by which a person aggrieved by a board of directors of a school district may appeal the school district's action. Moreover, procedures for appeals pursuant to chapter 290 are governed by Iowa Administrative Code section 281.6. Given this statutory scheme, it is clear that an established procedure existed for section 282.11 appeals. Further, the record indicates that the specified procedure was followed up to and including the ruling to dismiss the appeals. Petitioners' third procedural claim concerns an alleged right to an evidentiary hearing. The extent and nature of the hearing requirement for due process varies according to the needs of a given case. Auxier v. Woodward State Hosp.-School, 266 N.W.2d 139, 142 (Iowa 1978). In general, an evidentiary hearing is not required if there is no material fact in dispute. Allegre v. Iowa State Bd. of Regents, 349 N.W.2d 112, 114-16 (Iowa 1984). Under the board's interpretation of the statute, the outcome could properly be determined based on facts which were undisputed in the record. Thus, if the board was correct in that interpretation, petitioners have not been prejudiced from lack of an evidentiary hearing.