LAW.coLAW.co

McKenzie et al. v. Board of Education of Floyd County et al.

Supreme Court of Georgia1924-09-30No. No. 3949
158 Ga. 892

Summary

Holding. The judgment denying the plaintiffs' petition for an injunction was affirmed. The county board of education lawfully possessed authority to purchase trucks for transportation using public school funds, and no statutory violation rendered the contract void.

The case addresses whether a county board of education in Georgia could lawfully purchase trucks for pupil and teacher transportation using public school funds. The board of education possessed statutory authority to provide transportation means—defined as vehicles themselves, not merely money—and could fund such purchases from state-derived revenues or county-wide taxation. The court rejected arguments that the transportation contract violated state law prohibiting expenditures exceeding annual appropriations, finding no evidence that the contract amount exceeded total funds available to the board from all sources during the fiscal year.

The plaintiffs sought to enjoin the expenditure, but the court upheld the trial judge's denial of their injunction request. The opinion noted that certain procedural irregularities—such as the board's nonconformity with statutory school-year dates or failure to meet at specified times—did not render the transportation contract void.

Summary generated by law.co from the public-domain opinion. The opinion text itself is public domain.

Key issues

  • Authority of county board of education to purchase and provide transportation vehicles
  • Permissible use of public school funds for transportation expenditures
  • Whether transportation spending must precede equitable fund distribution
  • Validity of contracts allegedly exceeding annual appropriations

Procedural posture

Plaintiffs sought an injunction in Floyd Superior Court to prevent the county board of education from executing a transportation contract; the trial court denied the petition, and plaintiffs appealed.

Authorities cited

No cited authorities resolved to law.co cases yet.

Opinion

majority opinion

Atkinson, J.

1. Whenever a county board of education deems it for the best interest of any school, such board has the right to provide means for the transportation of pupils and teachers to and from such school. Ga. Laws 1919, p. 327, see. 93. Park’s Code Supp. 1922, § 1437 (s). “ Means for the transportation,” as used in this section, contemplates the vehicles or instrumentalities of transportation, and not merely the money for such purposes.

(a) The trustees of a school district which has levied a local tax and has a bonded treasurer are without power to furnish such means of transportation.

No. 3949.

September 30, 1924.

2. Under this law the county board of education can purchase trucks for such transportation and pay therefor from the public-school funds of the county derived from the State, or raised by county-wide taxation as authorized by the constitutional amendment ratified November 2, 1920. Ga. Laws 1919, p. 66. Park’s Code Supp. 1922, § 6579.

3. The county board of education can make such expenditures before making the equitable distribution thereof required by the constitutional amendment which was ratified November 2, 1920. Ga. Laws 1919, p. 66. Park’s Code Supp. 1922, § 6579. Such expenditures, like those for the purchase, lease, or rent of school sites, building, repairing, or renting sehoolhouses, purchase of maps, globes, and school furniture, and making all arrangements necessary to the efficient operation of the schools in the county (Ga. Laws 1919, p. 323, see. 84, Park’s Code Supp. 1922, § 1437(i), precede, and do not constitute a part of, the equitable distribution required in the above-mentioned constitutional amendment.

4. Section 102 of the Code of School Laws (Ga. Laws 1919, p. 329) provides: “It shall be unlawful for any board of education to make any contract involving the expenditure of funds in excess of the total appropriation for the current fiscal year. Any indebtedness created, contract made, or order or draft issued in violation thereof shall be void.” Park’s Code Supp. 1922, § 1437 (bb). It not being alleged in the petition, nor appearing from the evidence, that the contract involved an expenditure in excess of the total appropriation for the support .of the schools in the county for the current fiscal year, it cannot be held that the contract was void as violative of the above-quoted statute.

(а) The appropriation referred to in such section does not relate to funds set aside by the board of education, but to funds received by them from all sources for the support of the public schools in the county for the current fiscal year.

(б) The fact that the county board of education has adopted a school year from October 1st of one year to October the 1st of the next year, in disregard of section 67 of the Code of School Laws (Acts 1919, p. 316, Park’s Code Supp. 1922, § 1436 (n)), and the failure of the county board of education to meet on the first Tuesday in January in each year and make the necessary arrangements for placing the schools in operation for the next school year, will not render such contract null and void.

5. Assignments of error that are not dealt with in the preceding notes were expressly abandoned in the briefs of the attorneys for the plaintiffs in error.

6. The above rulings make it unnecessary to determine the question whether the plaintiffs have such an interest in the subject-matter of litigation as will entitle them to file a petition to enjoin such expenditure.

7. Applying the foregoing principles, the trial judge did not err in refusing to grant an injunction as prayed.

Judgment affirmed.

All the Justices concur.

Petition for injunction. Before Judge Wright. Floyd superior court. August 6, 1923.

Willingham, Wright & Covington, for plaintiffs.

John Camp Davis, Maddox, Lipscomb & Matthews, and L. A. Dean, for defendants.