School district employees: merit system: appointments.

Existing law requires all vacancies in the classified service of a school district that has adopted the merit system to be filled from applicants on eligibility lists that are made up from promotional examinations or by appointments made by means of transfer, demotion, reinstatement, or reemployment, as specified. If a vacancy is filled from applicants on an eligibility list, the appointment is required to be made from the eligible candidates having the first 3 ranks on the list who are ready and willing to accept the position. Existing law authorizes, in a school district that has adopted the merit system, an appointment to be made from other than the first 3 ranks on the eligibility list when the ability to speak, read, or write a language in addition to English, or possession of a valid driver's license, is a requirement of the position to be filled, but in that case existing law requires the appointment to be made from among the highest 3 ranks of applicants on the list who meet the special requirements and are ready and willing to accept the position. This bill, until December 31, 2015, in a school district with a pupil population over 400,000, would authorize an appointment to specified classifications of positions to be made from other than the first 3 ranks on the eligibility list if specialized licenses, certifications, knowledge, or ability that cannot reasonably be acquired during the probationary period or a specific gender is required for successful job performance of a position, in which case the appointment would be required to be made from among the highest 3 ranks of applicants on the list who meet the special requirements and are ready and willing to accept the position. The bill also would require a school district that makes an appointment under this provision to study the effectiveness of the selection method, the vacancy rates for each class, and the length of time to hire for each class, and submit a report of its findings to any affected labor union.