(a) The governing board of a school district shall grant to any employee, upon request, a leave of absence without loss of any compensation for the purpose of enabling the employee to serve on any of the following boards, commissions, committees, or groups, so long as the requirements of subdivision (b) are satisfied:

(1) Advisory Commission on Special Education, as provided for by Section 33590.

(2) Advisory committee for child care and development services, as provided in Section 8286.

(3) Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission, as provided for by Section 33530.

(4) Educational Innovation and Planning Commission, as provided for by Section 33502.

(5) Educational Management and Evaluation Commission, as provided for by Section 33550.

(6) Any other group, commission, or board authorized by statute; or commission or board, any of whose members are appointed by the Governor or the state board; whose purposes and activities are to further public education, exclusive of the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

(b) A leave of absence shall not be granted unless all the following requirements are satisfied:

(1) Service is performed in the State of California.

(2) The board, commission, committee, or group, in writing, informs the employee’s district of the service.

(3) The board, commission, committee, or group agrees, prior to service, to reimburse the school district pursuant to subdivision (d).

(c) The leave of absence shall be limited to 20 schooldays per school year.

(d) Following the school district’s payment of the employee for the leave of absence, the school district shall be reimbursed by the board, commission, committee, or group that the employee serves for the compensation paid to the employee’s substitute and for actual administrative costs related to the leave of absence granted to the employee under this section, upon written request for reimbursement by the school district. Reimbursement by the board, commission, committee, or group shall be made within 10 days after its receipt of the school district’s certification of payment of compensation to the employee and of payment of compensation to the employee’s substitute.

(e) The leave of absence without loss of compensation provided for by this section is in addition to the release time without loss of compensation granted to representatives of an exclusive representative by subdivision (c) of Section 3543.1 of the Government Code and the leave of absence granted employees by Section 44987.

(f) As used in this section, “school district” also means a county superintendent of schools.

(Amended by Stats. 2009, Ch. 53, Sec. 15. (SB 512) Effective January 1, 2010.)