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HomeEducation CodeCh. 2Art. 1§ 5201 Charter Control Of Schools

§ 5201 Charter Control Of Schools

Education Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 5201 Charter Control Of Schools

Key Takeaways

  • •A school district can be run by a city's rules if most voters in the district agree.
  • •The school board can ask voters if they want the city to control the schools.
  • •If more than half say 'yes,' the city takes over running the schools.
  • •Everyone in the district can vote for school leaders, even if they don’t live in the city.

Example

Imagine a small town called Sunnyville has its own school district. The city of Brighttown, which has a charter (like a rulebook for how the city runs things), wants to take over managing Sunnyville’s schools.

The Sunnyville school board can put a question on the ballot during their regular election: 'Should Sunnyville schools be run by Brighttown’s rules?' If most voters say 'yes,' then Brighttown’s city government will start managing Sunnyville’s schools. Even people who live in Sunnyville but outside Brighttown’s city limits get to vote for the school leaders.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 5201 Charter Control Of Schools

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. (Enacted by Stats. 1976, Ch. 1010.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

educationelectionresolutionschoolportmajoritycommunityquestion

Related Statutes

  • § 48202 Pupil Attendance Severance Reporting
  • § 5202 Charter City School Governance
  • § 5227 School District Election Costs
  • § 5228 Community College Ward Elections
  • § 59102.5 Blind School Demonstration Resources

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Education Code. Section 5201.
View Official Source