Charter schools: State Teachers' Retirement Plan.

Existing law provides that all employees of a charter school who perform creditable service are entitled to have that service covered under the Defined Benefit Program of the State Teachers' Retirement Plan, if the charter school elects to make that plan available. Existing law further requires a charter school that elects to make that or another plan available to inform all applicants for employment of the retirement options for employees of the charter school, as specified. This bill would require charter schools to make the State Teachers' Retirement Plan and the Public Employees' Retirement Plan available to its employees, as specified, and would make corresponding changes to the information charter schools are required to provide regarding retirement options. The bill would provide that these provisions shall not apply to the extent they would cause the State Teachers' Retirement System or the Public Employees' Retirement System or their members to incur adverse tax consequences under federal law. Existing law requires every county superintendent of schools to enter into a contract with the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System for inclusion of the school district's classified employees in the system. Existing law further provides that, if a charter school chooses to participate in the system, its qualified employees shall be covered under the system in the same manner as the employees of the school district that granted the charter. This bill would provide that all qualified employees of a charter school shall be covered under the system in the same manner as the employees of the school district that granted the charter, except as specified. The bill would require the county superintendent of schools to notify the board before a charter school or its employees may be enrolled for membership in the system.