(a) The governing board of a school district shall employ persons for positions not requiring certification qualifications. The governing board of a school district shall, except where Article 6 (commencing with Section 45240) or Section 45318 applies, classify all of these employees and positions. The employees and positions shall be known as the classified service.

(b) (1) Substitute and short-term employees, employed and paid for less than 75 percent of a school year, shall not be a part of the classified service.

(2) Apprentices and professional experts employed on a temporary basis for a specific project, regardless of length of employment, shall not be a part of the classified service.

(3) Full-time students employed part time, and part-time students employed part time in any college workstudy program, or in a work experience education program conducted by a community college district pursuant to Article 7 (commencing with Section 51760) of Chapter 5 of Part 28 and that is financed by state or federal funds, shall not be a part of the classified service.

(c) Unless otherwise permitted, a person whose position does not require certification qualifications shall not be employed by a governing board of a school district, except as authorized by this section.

(d) As used in this section:

(1) “Substitute employee” means a person employed to replace a classified employee who is temporarily absent from duty. In addition, if the school district is then engaged in a procedure to hire a permanent employee to fill a vacancy in any classified position, the governing board of the school district may fill the vacancy through the employment, for not more than 60 calendar days, of one or more substitute employees, except to the extent that a collective bargaining agreement then in effect provides for a different period of time.

(2) “Short-term employee” means a person who is employed to perform a service for the school district, upon the completion of which, the service required or similar services will not be extended or needed on a continuing basis. Before employing a short-term employee, the governing board of a school district, at a regularly scheduled board meeting, shall specify the service required to be performed by the employee pursuant to the definition of “classification” in subdivision (a) of Section 45101, and shall certify the ending date of the service. The ending date may be shortened or extended by the governing board of a school district, but shall not extend beyond 75 percent of a school year.

(3) “Seventy-five percent of a school year” means 195 working days, including holidays, sick leave, vacation, and other leaves of absence, irrespective of number of hours worked per day.

(e) Employment of either full-time or part-time students in any college workstudy program, or in a work experience education program, shall not result in the displacement of classified personnel or impair existing contracts for services.

(f) This section shall apply only to school districts not incorporating the merit system as outlined in Article 6 (commencing with Section 45240).

(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 582, Sec. 1. (AB 670) Effective January 1, 2018.)