(a) The governing board of a community college district shall employ persons for positions that are not academic positions. The governing board of a community college district, except where Article 3 (commencing with Section 88060) or Section 88137 applies, shall classify all those employees and positions. The employees and positions shall be known as the classified service. Substitute and short-term employees, employed and paid for less than 75 percent of a college year, shall not be a part of the classified service. 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. Full-time students employed part time, and part-time students employed part time in a college work-study program, or in a work experience education program conducted by a community college district and that is financed by state or federal funds, shall not be a part of the classified service. Unless otherwise permitted, a person whose position does not require certification qualifications shall not be employed by a governing board of a community college district, except as authorized by this section.

(b) “Substitute employee,” as used in this section, means a person employed to replace a classified employee who is temporarily absent from duty. In addition, if the community college district is then engaged in a procedure to hire a permanent employee to fill a vacancy in a classified position, the governing board of the community college 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.

(c) “Short-term employee,” as used in this section, means a person who is employed to perform a service for the community college 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 community college district, at a regularly scheduled meeting of the governing board of the community college district, shall specify the service required to be performed by the employee pursuant to the definition of “classification” in subdivision (a) of Section 88001, and shall certify the ending date of the service. The ending date may be shortened or extended by the governing board of the community college district, but shall not extend beyond 75 percent of a school year.

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

(e) Employment of either full-time or part-time students in a college work-study 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 community college districts not incorporating the merit system as outlined in Article 3 (commencing with Section 88060).

(g) An employee employed by a community college district in a part-time playground position as of the effective date of the laws placing part-time playground positions into the classified service shall be deemed a permanent employee of the community college district.

(Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 488, Sec. 2. (AB 2160) Effective January 1, 2019.)