Article 1. Election, Jurisdiction, Organization And Procedure of California Education Code >> Division 1. >> Title 1. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 1.

Except in a city and county, there shall be a county board of education, which shall consist of five or seven members to be determined by the county committee on school district organization. Each member of the board shall be an elector of the trustee area which he represents and shall be elected by the electors of the trustee area. In chartered counties the manner of selection of the county board of education shall be prescribed in the county charter, or by the county board of supervisors. In a county unified school district or in a unified or elementary school district which includes all of the territory over which a county superintendent of schools has jurisdiction, the governing board of the district shall serve as the county board of education.

(a) In those counties where the county superintendent of schools has jurisdiction over a school district situated in two or more counties, any qualified elector residing in the part of the school district situated in a county whose county superintendent of schools does not have jurisdiction of that school district shall be eligible to vote for one or more members of the county board of education of the county whose county superintendent of schools has jurisdiction over the school district. Each such elector shall be eligible to vote for the member of the county board of education representing the trustee area of that county having jurisdiction as designated by the county committee on school district organization. The committee shall apportion the portion of the school district territory not situated in the county having jurisdiction to one or more trustee areas of the other county so that that territory shall, insofar as possible, be represented as if it were situated in the county having jurisdiction. The territory so apportioned shall not become a part of the trustee area to which apportioned for any other purpose. As used in this subdivision, "school district" means any joint union elementary school district, joint union high school district, or joint unified school district, but does not include any community college district.
  (b) Any person who is a resident of a county and is made eligible to vote for the county board of education of another county pursuant to subdivision (a) shall not be eligible to vote for the county board of education of the county of which he or she is a resident. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this subdivision, a person shall be eligible to vote for both county boards of education if he or she is a resident of an elementary school district of any type that is included in a joint union high school district and the elementary school district and the joint union high school district are each under the jurisdiction of different county superintendents of schools.
  (c) "County," for purposes of this section, includes any county other than a charter county for which the charter specifies that this section does not apply.

(a) Upon being so requested by the county board of education, the county committee on school district organization, by a two-thirds vote of the members, may either change the boundaries of any or all of the trustee areas of the county, or propose to increase or decrease the number of members of the county board of education, or both. The trustee areas shall be as nearly equal in population as may be, except that in establishing or changing the boundaries of the trustee areas the county committee may give consideration to the following factors:
  (1) Topography.
  (2) Geography.
  (3) Cohesiveness, contiguity, integrity, and compactness of territory.
  (4) Community of interests of the trustee areas. In any event, the county committee shall ensure that trustee areas are as nearly equal in population as practicable.
  (b) Following each decennial federal census, and using population figures validated by the Population Research Unit of the Department of Finance as a basis, the county committee shall adjust the boundaries of any or all of the trustee areas of the county board of education as necessary to meet the population criteria set forth in subdivision (a).
  (c) Changes in trustee area boundaries or a proposed reduction in the number of county board of education members shall be made in writing and filed with the county board of supervisors not later than the first day of March of any school year.
  (d) In those counties in which the election of members of county boards of education are required to be held on the same date as prescribed for the election of members of governing boards of school districts, as provided in Section 1007, the county committees on school district organization shall fix the boundaries of trustee areas, insofar as possible, to coincide with the boundaries of school districts.
  (e) Whenever the boundaries of trustee areas are changed so as to be coterminous with those of supervisorial districts of the county, the election for members of the county board of education shall be consolidated with the countywide election.

When a county committee on school district organization proposes to reduce from seven to five or increase from five to seven the number of members of the county board of education, the county committee shall call and conduct a hearing on the matter. At the conclusion of the hearing, the county committee shall, by resolution, approve or disapprove the proposal.

The resolution of the county committee approving a reduction or increase in the number of members of the county board of education shall constitute an order of election, and the proposal shall be presented to the electors of the county not later than the next succeeding election for members of the county board of education. The ballot shall contain the following words, as appropriate: "For decreasing (increasing) the number of members of the county board of education from seven (five) to five (seven)--Yes" "For decreasing (increasing) the number of members of the county board of education from seven (five) to five (seven)--No"

The boundaries of any trustee area shall not at any time be changed so as to affect the term of office of any member of the county board of education who has been elected and whose term of office has not expired.

(a) Any registered voter is eligible to be a member of the county board of education except the county superintendent of schools or any member of his or her staff, or any employee of a school district that is within the jurisdiction of the county board of education.
  (b) Notwithstanding any other law, the county board of education may adopt or the residents of the county may propose, by initiative, a proposal to limit or repeal a limit on the number of terms a member of the county board of education may serve on the county board of education. Any proposal to limit the number of terms a member of the county board of education may serve on the county board of education shall apply prospectively only and shall not become operative unless it is submitted to the electors of the county at a regularly scheduled election and a majority of the votes cast on the question favor the adoption of the proposal.
  (c) An initiative measure proposed pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be subject to the procedures set forth in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 9100) of Division 9 of the Elections Code.

(a) Members of the county board of education shall be elected on the date and in the manner prescribed for the election of members of governing boards of school districts, provided the elections are held throughout the county on the same date; otherwise the election shall be consolidated with the direct primary election. Once established, no subsequent change of circumstances shall require that the time of holding the election be changed. Where the elections for governing board members are held on the same date, then the provisions of Section 5303 shall apply to the election of members of the county board of education. Elections held pursuant to this article shall be conducted by the county board of education. Members elected at the time of the direct primary shall take office on the first day of July, and members elected at the date on which members of school district governing boards are elected shall take office on the last Friday in November subsequent to their election. The county committee on school district organization shall determine the manner in which the county board of education first elected shall effect a staggering of terms.
  (b) This section shall govern the election and term of office of members of a county board of education except as provided under Section 5000.5.

When any vacancy exists on the county board of education of any county on or after December 1, 1978, the vacancy shall be filled in the manner prescribed in Article 3 (commencing with Section 5090) of Chapter 1 of Part 4.

The county board of education shall organize at a meeting held in each year by electing one of their number president of the board. The meeting at which the organization is conducted shall be either the first meeting on or after the last Friday in November, or the first meeting on or after the first day in July, depending upon whether, pursuant to Section 1007, the terms of office of board members commence on the last Friday in November or the first day in July.

The county superintendent of schools is ex officio secretary and executive officer of the board.

Regular meetings of the board shall be held at times it may determine, but not less than once per month and shall be conducted in accordance with Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 54950) of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code.

Special meetings may be called by the president whenever, in his judgment, the exigencies of the schools require them to be held. Upon the request of any three members, in writing, the president shall call a special meeting.

A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

No teacher's certificate shall be issued or renewed, nor shall any books or apparatus be adopted except by an affirmative vote of at least a majority of the members of the board.

On the call of any member, the ayes and nays shall be taken upon any proposition, and the vote shall be recorded in the minutes of the board.

At special meetings, no business shall be transacted other than such as may be specified in the call of the president, except that certificates to teach, upon credentials, may be granted, and unexpired certificates to teach may be renewed at any meeting of the board.

In those counties in which the election of members of county boards of education are required to be held on the same date as prescribed for the election of members of governing boards of school districts, as provided in Section 1007, the offices of those members of the county board of education whose terms have been fixed to expire in even-numbered years shall become vacant upon the expiration of those terms. The vacancies arising shall be filled by the majority of the remaining members of the board, and the appointees shall hold office only until the first day of July following the election of their successors.