Going back to local control after 10 years

For those folks in King City who are anxious to return to local control, here's some encouraging news: California Chief of Schools Tom Torlakson formally returned full local control to Emery Unified School District, 10 years after the school system was taken over by a state administrator as part of a $1.3 million emergency loan. Now the loan has been repaid.

Partial powers were returned to the nearly 800-student district in 2004, although the state trustee continued to have veto power over locally-elected officials.Only eight of California’s 1,043 districts have been placed under state control -- including King City. Emery Unified is the fourth district to fully repay its emergency loan and regain local administrative and financial control.

Because King City's 13-million loan was granted under special legislation that's making it more costly -- and more difficult to pay -- district officials estimate it's going to take 20 years to pay it back.