Schools: district employees.

(1) Existing law requires school districts and community college districts adopting the merit system in existing law for classified employees to appoint a personnel commission. Existing law requires the personnel commission to appoint a personnel director of the commission who is responsible to the commission for carrying out all procedures in the administration of the classified personnel in accordance with the requirements of existing law and rules of the commission. This bill would require the personnel commission, consistent with the commission rules applicable to all classified employees, to determine the compensation for, evaluate, and supervise the personnel director. The bill would require the personnel commission to make an annual performance evaluation of the personnel director, thus imposing a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize the exclusive representatives of classified employees of the applicable school or community college district and the district administration to participate in the annual performance evaluation of the director of the personnel commission by completing an evaluation or comment form distributed by the commission. The bill would require the personnel commission to review the submitted evaluation and comment forms, if any, and would require the commission to consider them as part of the overall evaluation process. The bill would require the personnel commission to be responsible for completing the final evaluation. The bill would grant the personnel commission the authority to impose discipline upon the personnel director if cause has been established in accordance with commission rules applicable to all classified employees. The bill, in order to ensure due process for the personnel director, would grant the personnel director the option of requesting a hearing from an impartial hearing officer regarding disciplinary action imposed on the personnel director. The bill would require the method for selecting the hearing officer to be designated in commission rules and would bind the commission by the findings of the hearing officer. The bill would require actions taken by the personnel commission relating to the employment of the personnel director, as specified, be ratified by the governing board of the applicable school district or community college district, and would make these actions, when ratified, final and binding on the commission. The bill would require that the procedures authorized by the bill be integrated into the regular personnel commission activities and be conducted within the amount otherwise budgeted for the personnel commission of the district. To the extent that these provisions would impose additional duties on local officials, the bill would establish a state-mandated local program. (2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.