Article 19 - Part Time Employment With Full Time Retirement Credit

Certificated unit members shall be provided with the opportunity to participate in a District program of Part Time Employment with Full Retirement Credit, subject to the following regulations:

(a)             The unit member must have reached the age of fifty-five (55) prior to reduction in workload. The member's last year of eligibility is the year of his/her seventieth (70^th) birthday.

(b)            The unit member must have been employed full time in a position requiring certification for at least ten (10) years of which the immediately preceding five (5) years were full time employment.  Sabbaticals and other approved leaves do not constitute a break in service. Such leave, however, is not used to compute the five years full-time service requirement prior to entering the program.

(c)             The option of part-time employment must be exercised at the request of the unit member no later than April 1, of the prior year and can be revoked only with the mutual consent of the District and the unit member.  Should the unit member desire to terminate from the program, the unit member shall provide sixty (60) calendar days notice of his/her intention.  The unit member shall be returned to full-time employment by the District subject to the availability of a position for which the unit member qualifies by credential, education and prior work experience.

(d)            The unit member shall be paid a salary which is the pro-rata share of the salary which would have been earned had the unit member not elected to exercise the option of part-time employment but shall retain all other rights and benefits for which the unit member makes the payment that would be required if remaining in full-time employment.  Notwithstanding the limitations of Article 17.1, the unit member shall receive the full fringe benefit allowance in the same manner as a full-time unit member.

(e)             The minimum part-time employment shall be the equivalent of one-half of the number of days of service required by the unit member's contract of employment during the final year of service in a full-time position.  This minimum may be fulfilled by an eligible unit member working a half-day assignment for the entire work year, or by working a full day assignment for one-half of the work year.

(f)             This option is limited in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 to certificated unit members who do not hold positions with salaries above that of a school principal. 

(g)            A unit member participating in this program shall receive the credit under STRS that would be received if the unit member were employed on a full-time basis and have the retirement allowance, as well as any other benefits the unit member is entitled to under Chapter 2 of Division 10 of the Education Code of the State of California, based upon the salary that would have been received if employed on a full-time basis, and both said unit member and the District shall contribute to State Teachers' Retirement System the amount that would have been contrib­uted if said unit member was employed on a full-time basis.

(h)            A unit member in the Part Time Employment with Full Retirement Credit program cannot participate in the plan for more than ten (10) years or beyond the year in which the seventieth (70^th) birthday falls, whichever comes first.

(i)             The District shall determine the number of unit members who may enter the program in any year.  Should applications exceed positions available, seniority in the District service shall be the determining factor.

(j)             Any modification in the level of part-time service of a unit member who has entered into this program or any return to full-time service, shall be permitted only with the mutual consent of the District and the unit member.  It is the intent of this program to provide options for unit members for part-time employment to phase in their retirement program.

(k)            The District shall develop applications, other forms, and administrative procedures necessary to implement and operate this program. Assignment to schools shall also be determined by the District.