Filed Date: 6/6/1969
Status: Precedential
Modified Date: 7/6/2016
Boards of Education — Travel Expenses A board of education may legally pay the expenses of one or more of its members to attend the National School Administrators Convention and the National School Boards Association Convention both held outside Oklahoma if such attendance is necessary and is authorized by such board of education. However, since the National School Administrators Convention is not the official convention of school board members, attendance at this convention should not only be necessary, but useful, appropriate, and conducive to the maintenance and operation of a complete public school system in the particular district. The Attorney General has had under consideration your recent letter in which you inquire as follows: 1. May a board of education legally pay the expense of one or more of its members to the National School Administrators Convention held outside Oklahoma if such attendance was authorized by the board o education? 2. May a board of education legally pay the expense of one or more of its members to the National School Boards Association Convention held outside Oklahoma if such attendance was authorized by the board of education?" Title 70 O.S. 4-2 [70-4-2] (1961), specifies the powers of the board of education of each school district and provides in pertinent part as follows: "The Board of Education of each school district shall have power to . . . maintain and operate a complete public school system of such character as the board of education shall deem best suited to the needs of the school districts; . . . to incur all expenses, within the limitations provided by law necessary to carry out and fulfill all powers herein granted, . . . and pay necessary travel expenses of members of the board of education; . . ." (Emphasis added) This statute affirmatively indicates that the board of education of each school district can pay necessary travel expenses of members of the board of education. The board must still determine within its own discretion what travel is necessary, suitable, and proper for the needs of the particular school district. In the case of Kay County, Excise Board v. Atchison, T. S.F.R. Co.,