School and community college employees: parental leave.

(1) Existing law authorizes, during each school year, a person employed by a school district in a position requiring certification qualifications, and a person employed in an academic position by a community college district, to use his or her sick leave for purposes of parental leave for a period of up to 12 workweeks. Existing law requires, when a person employed in a position requiring certification qualifications in school districts that use a certain differential pay system or a person employed in an academic position in community college districts that use a certain differential pay system has exhausted all available sick leave and continues to be absent from his or her duties on account of parental leave, the amount deducted from the salary due to the employee for any of the remaining portion of the 12-workweek period in which the absence occurs to not exceed the sum that is actually paid, or that would have been paid, to a substitute employee or temporary employee employed to fill his or her position during his or her absence. Existing law additionally requires, when a person employed in a position requiring certification qualifications in school districts that use a certain other differential pay system or a person employed in an academic position in community college districts that use a certain other differential pay system has exhausted all available sick leave and continues to be absent from his or her duties on account of parental leave, that the person is compensated at no less than 50% of his or her regular salary for the remaining portion of the 12-workweek period of parental leave. This bill would instead require, regardless of the type of differential pay system used by the school district or community college district, a person employed in a position requiring certification qualifications and a person employed in an academic position to receive no less than 50% of his or her regular salary for the remaining portion of the 12-workweek period of parental leave. (2) Existing law authorizes, during each school year, a classified employee of a school district or community college district to use his or her sick leave for purposes of parental leave for a period of up to 12 workweeks. Existing law requires, when a classified employee of school districts and community college districts that use a certain differential pay system has exhausted all available sick leave and continues to be absent from his or her duties on account of parental leave, the amount deducted from the salary due to the classified employee for any of the remaining portion of the 12-workweek period in which the absence occurs to not exceed the sum that is actually paid to a substitute employee employed to fill his or her position during his or her absence. Existing law additionally requires, when a classified employee of school districts and community college districts that use a certain other differential pay system has exhausted all available sick leave and continues to be absent from his or her duties on account of parental leave, that the employee is compensated at no less than 50% of the employee's regular salary for the remaining portion of the 12-workweek period of parental leave. This bill would instead require, regardless of the type of differential pay system used by the school district or community college district, a classified employee to receive no less than 50% of his or her regular salary for the remaining portion of the 12-workweek period of parental leave.