Governor Signs Senator Cortese's Bill to Provide Parity to Classified School Employees

Senator Dave Cortese’s (D-San Jose) bill, SB 874, to provide parity to classified school employees of merit system K-12 and California Community College districts has been signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom.

SB 874 will provide classified employees of merit K-12 and California Community College districts the same clarity that is provided to classified employees in non-merit districts regarding their right to return to their prior classification if they are promoted and fail to complete probation for their new position.

“With our schools facing severe staffing shortages, we must do everything we can to retain our school employees that serve students,” says Senator Cortese. “Qualified applicants should be encouraged to seek promotions without fear of losing their job without cause.”

The absence of promotional probation procedures in the education code allows for the potential termination of permanent employees in merit districts without cause. As a result, without the clarity provided in the non-merit statutes, qualified employees in merit districts may not seek promotions out of fear of losing their job.

SB 874 will remedy this by clarifying that the promotional probationary period for employees in merit districts will not cost them their livelihoods, thus encouraging them to seek promotions.

SB 874 is sponsored by the California School Employees Association (CSEA) with support from the California Labor Federation and the California State Council of Service Employees International Union (SEIU California).

For more information, contact Tara Sreekrishnan, Office of Senator Dave Cortese at 408 480 7833 or tara.sreekrishnan@sen.ca.gov.