State ex rel. Thompson v. Ekberg
Oklahoma Supreme Court
613 P.2d 466 (1980)

- Written by Emily Laird, JD
Facts
By Oklahoma statute, the position of school principal could only be filled by a person who held a master’s degree. Despite this statutory requirement, the Vian School District hired a principal, Scott Moxom, who did not have a master’s degree. The local school board hired Moxom after a representative of the Oklahoma department of education promised a waiver of the master’s-degree requirement for Moxom’s position. Moxom worked for a year and then received his master’s degree. Representatives of local taxpayers (the taxpayers) (plaintiffs) brought a lawsuit against the school-board members (defendants) in Oklahoma state court, alleging Moxom was wrongly hired and that his salary equated to a misappropriation of funds. The taxpayers sought damages for double the amount of Moxom’s yearly salary. The state trial court determined that the master’s-degree certification requirement had been waived. The court ruled in favor of the school-board members. The taxpayers appealed to the state supreme court.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Simms, J.)
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