The governing board of a school district shall employ persons for food service positions as part of the classified service, except that school districts may utilize the services of volunteers for programs that provide meals for senior citizens as authorized pursuant to Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 9500) of Division 8.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. Wages, salaries, and benefits, including employer retirement contributions for food service personnel, shall be paid from the general fund of the school district or from the cafeteria fund, at the discretion of the governing board and upon approval of the county superintendent of schools who has responsibility for a countywide payroll/retirement system under Sections 42646 and 85260. Expenses of the general fund under this section for the costs of wages, salaries, and benefits, including employer retirement contributions and other purposes classed as food service, shall be excluded from the definition of “current expense of education” as defined in Section 41372. The governing board may, at any time, order reimbursement from the cafeteria fund or account to the general fund of the district for payments under this section in such amounts as it prescribes but not to exceed food service employee salary, wage and benefit costs actually incurred.

Any reimbursements in excess of the amount actually required shall be refunded to the cafeteria fund or account not later than the close of the current fiscal year.

The reimbursements from the cafeteria fund or account shall be considered expenses of the cafeteria fund or account, as the case may be, and only those payments made from the general fund that are not reimbursed from the cafeteria fund or account shall be considered expenses of the general fund.

Accounting for those transactions shall be as prescribed in Section 41010.

(Added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 277, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 1997. Operative January 1, 1998.)