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HomeEducation CodeCh. 2Art. 1§ 5204 School Board Expansion Proceedings

§ 5204 School Board Expansion Proceedings

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

§ 5204 School Board Expansion Proceedings

Key Takeaways

  • •School boards can grow from 5 to 7 members, but it has to be decided fairly.
  • •If the board grows, some members will serve shorter terms at first to make sure not everyone is up for re-election at the same time.
  • •After the first terms, all board members serve for 4 years.
  • •This rule helps make sure the school board doesn’t change all at once.

Example

A small town’s school board has 5 members, but the town is growing. The board decides to add 2 more members to handle the extra work.

When they add the new members, they draw names (like picking straws) to decide who gets the shorter first terms. Some will serve 2 years, and others will serve 4 years. After that, everyone serves 4-year terms. This way, not all board members are elected at the same time, and the board stays stable.

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 5204 School Board Expansion Proceedings

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. (Amended by Stats. 1990, Ch. 1161, Sec. 9. Effective September 21, 1990.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

schoolcommunityeffective septemberselectionconjunctionorganizationexpirationmajority

Related Statutes

  • § 5201 Charter Control Of Schools
  • § 74100 District Territory Transfer Petition
  • § 74131 Community College Annexation Petition
  • § 74151 Community College District Formation
  • § 4006 County Committee Vacancy Filling

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Education Code. Section 5204.
View Official Source