Alta Loma School District v. San Bernardino County Committee on School District Reorganization

The San Bernardino County Committee on School District Reorganization (county committee) formulated and recommended a reorganization plan for Cháffey Joint Union -High School District (Chaffey District) which would divide the territory of the district into three separate unified school districts. Chaffey District and five of its component districts which would go out of existence upon effectuation of the reorganization plan sought a writ of mandate to set aside the county committee’s action and to prohibit the county committee and the county superintendent of schools (defendants) from transmitting the plan to the State Board of Education for its approval.

The county committee began discussing and conducting hearings on a reorganization plan for Chaffey District as early as September 1978. On March 21, 1979, following public hearings, the county committee approved a reorganization plan which would divide the territory of Chaffey District into three unified school districts. Plaintiffs’ petition for a writ of mandate assailed the validity of the plan for its alleged failure to meet the statutory criteria prescribed by Education Code section 4200, the county committee’s…