This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Schools

Questions Answered on CVUSD Boundaries

The Castro Valley Unified School District's website now provides information and answers to frequently asked questions regarding the district's boundaries.

A recent "Letter to the Editor" in the Castro Valley Forum generated a number of questions and comments regarding the boundaries of the .

In order to provide accurate information on this subject, I have developed a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to provide background on how school district boundaries are established in California and the Education Code that governs school district boundaries, and will attempt to answer as many of the questions as possible.

BACKGROUND

Find out what's happening in Castro Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In 1965, local voters approved the creation of the Castro Valley Unified School District from the combined areas of the Castro Valley Elementary School, the Independent Elementary School District, the Palomares Elementary School District, and the Canyon Valley Union High School District, which was the remainder of the Hayward Union High School District after the Hayward Unified School District and were established in 1963.

When the Hayward Unified School District and San Lorenzo Unified School District were unified in 1963, the districts included students who had a Castro Valley address.

Find out what's happening in Castro Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In 1957, in fact, Castro Valley residents living in the area of what is now south of Interstate 580 submitted a 25% petition to Alameda County to leave school districts in Castro Valley and become part of the Hayward Elementary School District and the Hayward Union High School District. This area of Castro Valley is still part of the Hayward Unified School District today.

The Castro Valley Unified School District has never served all of the students who have a Castro Valley address.

EDUCATION CODE

California Education Code 35511 outlines the ways voters can take “action to reorganize districts,” but Chapter 5 in the California Department of Education (CDE) District Organization Handbook provides the specific guidelines and details on how voters can change district boundaries, like Castro Valley voters have done in the past.

The flowcharts on pages 40, 44, and 47 in Chapter 5 provide a quick overview of the process. As the chart notes, if all of the schools boards in the affected districts agree or a 10% or 25% petition is submitted, the process then moves forward to the Alameda County Board of Education.

Besides the Castro Valley USD Board of Education, the Hayward USD, San Lorenzo USD, and San Leandro USD would have to agree to the transfer of any district territory, otherwise, it would require a 10% or 25% petition.

There are a number of factors that must be taken into consideration (e.g., assessed value, existing bonds or parcel taxes) that are detailed in the Education Code and the CDE Handbook.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Does having a Castro Valley address guarantee a student enrollment in the Castro Valley Unified School District?

The simple answer is no. The current school district boundaries were established in 1965 by voters. Students with Castro Valley addresses attend school in the Castro Valley USD, the Hayward USD, and the San Lorenzo USD. Many school district boundaries were established long before development occurred or roads/freeways were built.

The Castro Valley USD and Hayward USD boundaries were established at a time when Interstate 580 was being built in the 1960’s. Interstate 580 does not divide the City of Hayward and unincorporated Alameda County. It divides the school districts.

School district and city boundaries are not always contiguous. In the Bay Area, for example, the city of Walnut Creek is served by five school districts, the city of Mountain View by four school districts, and the city of San Jose by eleven school districts.

In other situations, a school district may serve more than one city, such as the San Ramon Valley USD or the West Contra Costa USD. Students in the Sheffield Village area of Oakland attend school in the San Leandro USD. The reality in California is that school district and city boundaries are not one and the same.

Do students without a Castro Valley mailing address attend schools in the Castro Valley Unified School District?

Yes. The boundaries of the Castro Valley USD include territory with San Leandro and Hayward addresses as well as some other cities.

Just as the Hayward USD transferred the Five Canyons area to the Castro Valley USD, territory in the Castro Valley USD has been sold or transferred over the years.

For example, the Schaefer Ranch was sold to the developer and the area later incorporated into the City of Dublin; and the district transferred land at the far end of Palomares Canyon to the New Haven USD.

Would incorporation solve the issue of school district boundaries?

No. As noted in the previous question, school district and city boundaries are not automatically contiguous so incorporating Castro Valley would not change the school district boundaries.

As a city, however, the city council would have the right to submit a 10% or 25% petition, but the process still would go through the Alameda County Board of Education.

I pay taxes in Castro Valley, so why can’t my student attend school in Castro Valley?

Local taxes are collected by the Alameda County Assessor who in turns forwards the tax revenue to the State of California, which in turn funds school districts based on each district’s unique revenue limit.

If one has a Castro Valley address, but has students attending the Hayward USD, the State of California will send the money to the Hayward USD, not the Castro Valley USD.

Local property taxes (i.e., property within the boundaries of the Castro Valley USD) generate only 36% of the Castro Valley USD revenue limit. The remaining 64% comes from the State of California.

The only taxes that property owners pay directly to the Castro Valley USD are the bonds that voters have approved over the years. If one has a Castro Valley address in the Hayward USD or San Lorenzo USD, one pays those districts for voter approved bonds and parcel taxes. They do not pay for the Castro Valley USD bonds. These taxes for bonds and parcel taxes are listed on one’s property tax bill.

If the Castro Valley USD passed another bond or parcel tax, only the owners of property within the boundaries of the Castro Valley USD would pay the tax. As noted above, Castro Valley residents living in another school district pay for the bonds and parcel taxes in those districts.

People move to Castro Valley for the schools, but are surprised to find out that the house is not in the Castro Valley Unified School District.

The Castro Valley USD publishes an online street directory showing the attendance area for all residences in the Castro Valley USD. District staff always encourages potential buyers to check their address with the district office before purchasing a home. Real estate agents should be familiar with the school district boundaries and should disclose this information to the buyer.

Can students who do not live in the Castro Valley Unified School District attend school in the district?

Yes. Under the California Education Code, a student who does not reside in a district may apply for an inter-district transfer based on Castro Valley USD Board Policy (BP) / Administrative Regulations (AR) on a space available basis. The district does enroll inter-district transfer students.

If a district accepts inter-district transfers, the district can’t restrict the transfer requests to certain geographical areas (e.g., Baywood, Upper Grove Way). If there are more requests than spaces, the Education Code requires the district to use a lottery to grant the space.

Under California law, students in a low performing school in another district have the right to transfer to a school in the Castro Valley USD, if space is available. These students have a higher priority, in some cases, over a regular inter-district transfer request.

The Castro Valley USD actively monitors residency by doing residency checks with district staff and, if necessary, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.

Whenever the district finds students falsifying residency, the district acts to send students to their home district. However, the student has the right to appeal to the Alameda County Board of Education, which has the legal right to grant a student an inter-district transfer, even if the district recommends against the transfer.

Why do I see students riding BART to Castro Valley schools?

As noted above, a student not living in the Castro Valley USD can be granted an inter- district transfer to the Castro Valley USD. Under California law, a homeless student whose last address was in the Castro Valley USD retains his/her right to attend school in the Castro Valley USD. These students may use BART to travel from homeless shelters in neighboring communities.

Additionally, the Castro Valley USD does have a bus route that runs near the BART station that provides bus transportation for district students living between Castro Valley Blvd. and Interstate 580, an area which is within the Castro Valley USD.

Addition information will be added to this FAQ as appropriate.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?