No school district may adopt or maintain any rule or regulation which requires a candidate for a position requiring certification qualifications to be a resident of the district or to become a resident of the district, or which requires that an employee maintain residency within the district; nor may a district grant any preferential treatment to candidates or employees because they are residents of the district.
The Legislature in enacting this section recognizes that the public school system of this state is the property of all its citizens, and that all qualified candidates for positions of employment with school districts, regardless of residence, should be granted the opportunity to compete for and obtain such positions based solely on merit and fitness.
(Enacted by Stats. 1976, Ch. 1010.)