ARTICLE 1. Districts Governed [5200. - 5208.]

Cal. Education Code - EDC 1.

in effect

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 5200. Section 5200.

Any unified school district that is coterminous with or includes within its boundaries a chartered city or city and county shall be governed by the board of education provided for in the charter of the city or city and county. Sections 5000, 5017, 5090, 5091, 35013, 35101, and 35105 shall not apply to such unified school districts, except as follows: (a) As provided in the charter of the city or city and county. (b) If the charter of the city or city and county fails to provide for a board of education or for any or all of the matters specified in Sections 5000, 5017, 5090, 5091, 5222, 35013, 35101, and 35105, those sections shall apply as to the matter not provided for in the charter.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 5201. Section 5201.

A school district, or community college district a portion of which is embraced within the limits of any city governed by a charter proposed and adopted as provided by Section 5 of Article XI of the California Constitution, may be subject to, controlled, and governed by the provisions of the charter relating to and providing for the management of public schools in the manner hereinafter in this article provided, upon approval of a majority of the electors of the districts voting at a regular biennial school district governing board member election. The governing board of any such district may, in the resolution specifying the order of any such regular governing board member election, require that the question of whether the district shall be governed by the provisions of the charter be submitted to the voters of the district. If the governing board so requires, the ballots used at the election shall contain the words “Shall the (name of district) be governed by the charter of the City of ____?” and the words “Yes” and “No” so placed that the voters may clearly indicate their choice in this connection. If it appears from the returns that a majority of the votes cast on the proposition is in favor of the proposal, then the county superintendent of schools having jurisdiction shall certify the result to the board of education provided for in the charter of the city. From and after the date of the certificate the district shall be governed by the provisions of the charter relating to the establishment, management, and control of the public schools, and all of the qualified electors residing in the district, whether residing within or without the boundaries of the city, shall be entitled to vote for members of the board of education at any election held for that purpose.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 5202. Section 5202.

If any school district or community college district or portion of any such district is embraced within the corporate limits of a city having a charter, and the electors of the district have participated in and voted at any school election held subsequent to the adoption of and under the provisions of the charter, they shall be deemed to have submitted to be governed in all matters relating to the management of public schools within the school district or high school district or community college district as fully and to all intents and purposes as though the electors of the district had by their votes elected to be governed by the provisions of the charter.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 5203. Section 5203.

If the charter of any city provides for or has within two years prior to January 1, 1955, provided for a board of education of five members of a unified school district, and such charter has been or is hereafter amended so that it fails to provide for a board of education, a new board of education composed of five members is created under this section immediately upon the effective date of such amendment; the positions thereto shall be filled by appointment of the county superintendent of schools. The terms of the members first so appointed shall expire the first Friday in December of an odd-numbered year next following the effective date of such charter amendment, and an election shall be held for the members of such board at the time fixed by law for the regular election of members of governing boards of school districts, and the members so elected shall assume office on the first Friday in December following. If the effective date of such charter amendment is such that a legal election for board members cannot be held as aforesaid prior to the first day of December of an odd-numbered year next following such charter amendment, then the county superintendent of schools shall again appoint the members of such board who shall assume office on the first Friday in December as aforesaid. The terms of the board members who take office on the first Friday in December as aforesaid and thereafter shall be as follows: (a) If such members were elected, the three receiving the largest number of votes shall serve for four-year terms, and the remaining two members shall serve for two-year terms; and all subsequent members shall serve for four-year terms. (b) If such members were appointed, the county superintendent of schools, upon making the appointments, shall designate three members to serve for four-year terms, and two members to serve for two-year terms. Except as herein otherwise provided, the members of the board shall be elected at the last time fixed by law for the election of members of governing boards of school districts prior to the commencement of a new term of office. If a general municipal election is to be held within 60 days prior to the time when an election for board members would be held as aforesaid, the board of education may, by resolution filed with the governing body of such city at least 60 days prior to such municipal election, call the school district election to coincide with the municipal election and request the governing body of such city to consolidate such elections in that portion of the school district which lies within such city, and the governing body of such city shall order such elections to be consolidated and to be held as are consolidated elections under the provisions of the Elections Code relating to consolidated elections, in which event the school district shall simultaneously with the holding of such consolidated election conduct an election in any portion of the district not included within such municipality. In the event of the holding of such consolidated election, the school district shall reimburse the city for its proportionate share of the costs of conducting such consolidated election in an amount to be agreed upon between the governing bodies of such school district and such city.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 5203.6. Section 5203.6.

If the Charter of the City of San Leandro is amended so that it no longer provides for a board of education of the San Leandro Unified School District, a new board of education composed of seven members is created under this section immediately upon the effective date of such amendment. The San Leandro Unified School District shall be divided into six trustee areas as had been provided in the Charter of the City of San Leandro, and the members thereof shall be elected in the same manner as provided in the Charter of the City of San Leandro, before the effective date of such amendment. The members of the board in office on the effective date of the charter amendments shall each continue in office until the first day of April, or until a successor qualifies therefor, in the year in which their respective term of office would otherwise have terminated.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 5204. Section 5204.

Proceedings pursuant to Section 5203 may be conducted in conjunction with proceedings under Article 1 (commencing with Section 5000) of Chapter 1 of this part, including proceedings by the county committee on school district organization to establish trustee areas or to increase the number of members of the governing board of the school district or community college district from five to seven members, or both. In the event that the number of members of the governing board of the school district is so increased from five to seven members, the terms of office of the board members who take office at the expiration of the terms of office of the board members appointed by the county superintendent of schools shall be determined by lot. The terms of office of the majority of members of the board shall expire on the first Friday in December of the second succeeding odd-numbered year, and the terms of the other members shall expire on the first Friday in December of the first succeeding odd-numbered year. All subsequent members shall serve for four-year terms.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 5205. Section 5205.

The governing board of any elementary school district having an average daily attendance of 1,000 or more pupils and an assessed valuation of twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) or more may, and upon petition signed by 25 percent of the heads of families resident in the district, shall order an election to determine whether or not, it shall have the rights, powers, and duties of a city board of education and whether or not the district shall for all purposes be deemed to be a district governed by a city board of education. If the governing board of the district consists of three members, there shall be elected at the election, to take office if the proposal for change in the rights, powers, and duties of the board is approved, two additional members to the board. If the change is approved by a majority of the qualified electors voting on the proposition at the election, the board shall have the rights, powers, and duties of a city board of education, and the district shall for all purposes be deemed to be a district governed by a city board of education. Also, if the change is so approved, the two additional board members shall take office, the one receiving the highest number of votes to serve until the first day of April following the second succeeding regular election at which board members are elected, and the one receiving the next highest number of votes to serve until the first of April following the next such regular election. Thereafter, the governing board of the district shall consist of five members elected in the manner prescribed for other school districts for terms of four years and until their successors are qualified, provided that vacancies shall be filled in the manner provided for unified school districts.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 5206. Section 5206.

Whenever a unified school district has within its boundaries a chartered city or a city with a population of more than 8,000 or whenever the average daily attendance of a unified school district is 1,500 or more, for all purposes the district shall be deemed a city school district governed by a city board of education and the governing board thereof shall be deemed a city board of education.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 5207. Section 5207.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 5206, whenever the average daily attendance of a unified school district, which becomes effective for all purposes on or after July 1, 1966, is 2,000 or more, for all purposes the district shall be deemed a city school district governed by a city board of education and the governing board thereof shall be deemed a city board of education.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 5208. Section 5208.

When outside territory has been annexed to a city for school purposes, the outside territory shall be deemed to be a part of the city for all matters connected with the school department of the city, for the annual levying and collecting of the property tax for the school fund of the city, and for all purposes specified in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 15100) of Part 10 of this division. The last assessment roll made by the county assessor shall be the only basis of taxation for the school district on the property outside the corporate limits annexed for school purposes.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026