Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, the governing board of a school district or county superintendent of schools may establish regulations which allow their classified employees to reduce their workload from full-time to part-time duties.

The regulations shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following, if classified employees wish to reduce their workload and maintain retirement benefits pursuant to Section 20819 of the Government Code:

(a) The classified employee shall have reached the age of 55 prior to reduction in workload.

(b) The classified employee shall have been employed full time in a classified position for at least 10 years of which the immediately preceding five years were full-time employment.

(c) During the period immediately preceding a request for a reduction in workload, the classified employee shall have been employed full time in a classified position for a total of at least five years without a break in service.

(d) The option of part-time employment shall be exercised at the request of the classified employee and can be revoked only with the mutual consent of the employer and the classified employee.

(e) The classified employee shall be paid a salary which is the pro rata share of the salary he or she would be earning had he or she not elected to exercise the option of part-time employment but shall retain all other rights and benefits for which he or she makes the payments that would be required if he or she remained in full-time employment.

The classified employee shall receive health benefits as provided in Section 53201 of the Government Code in the same manner as a full-time classified employee.

(f) The minimum part-time employment shall be the equivalent to one-half of the number of hours of service required by the classified employee’s contract of employment during his or her final year of service in a full-time classified position.

(g) The period of the part-time classified employment shall not exceed five years.

(h) The period of the part-time classified employment shall not extend beyond the end of the school year during which the classified employee reaches his or her 70th birthday.

(Added by Stats. 1990, Ch. 658, Sec. 1. Effective September 12, 1990.)