(a) Notwithstanding Section 20636, and § 45102 of the Education Code, “compensation earnable” by a school member means the payrate and special compensation of the member, as defined by subdivisions (b) and (c), and as limited by Section 21752.5.

(b) (1) “Payrate” means the normal monthly rate of pay or base pay of the member paid in cash to similarly situated members of the same group or class of employment for services rendered on a full-time basis during normal working hours, pursuant to publicly available pay schedules. For purposes of this part, for classified members, full-time employment is 40 hours per week, and payments for services rendered, not to exceed 40 hours per week, shall be reported as compensation earnable for all months of the year in which work is performed. “Payrate,” for a member who is not in a group or class, means the monthly rate of pay or base pay of the member, paid in cash and pursuant to publicly available pay schedules, for services rendered on a full-time basis during normal working hours, subject to the limitations of paragraph (2) of subdivision (e).

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(A) “Payrate” shall include an amount deducted from a member’s salary for any of the following:

(i) Participation in a deferred compensation plan.

(ii) Payment for participation in a retirement plan that meets the requirements of Section 401(k) or 403(b) of Title 26 of the United States Code.

(iii) Payment into a money purchase pension plan and trust that meets the requirements of Section 401(a) of Title 26 of the United States Code.

(iv) Participation in a flexible benefits program.

(B) For the purposes of this section, “classified members” shall mean members who retain membership under this system while employed with a school employer in positions not subject to coverage under the Defined Benefit Program under the State Teachers’ Retirement System.

(C) For the purposes of this section, and Sections 20962 and 20966, “certificated members” shall mean members who retain membership under this system while employed in positions subject to coverage under the Defined Benefit Program under the State Teachers’ Retirement System.

(2) The computation for any leave without pay of a member shall be based on the compensation earnable by the member at the beginning of the absence.

(3) The computation for time before entering state service shall be based on the compensation earnable by the member in the position first held by the member in state service.

(c) (1) Special compensation of a school member includes any payment received for special skills, knowledge, abilities, work assignment, workdays or hours, or other work conditions.

(2) Special compensation shall be limited to that which is received by a member pursuant to a labor policy or agreement or as otherwise required by state or federal law, to similarly situated members of a group or class of employment that is in addition to payrate. If an individual is not part of a group or class, special compensation shall be limited to that which the board determines is received by similarly situated members in the closest related group or class that is in addition to payrate, subject to the limitations of paragraph (2) of subdivision (e).

(3) Special compensation shall be for services rendered during normal working hours and, when reported to the board, the employer shall:

(A) Identify the pay period in which the special compensation was earned.

(B) Identify each item of special compensation and the category under which that item is listed, as described in regulations promulgated by the board pursuant to paragraph (6) of subdivision (c), for example, the item of Uniform Allowance would be reported under the category of Statutory Items.

(C) Report each item of special compensation separately from payrate.

(4) Special compensation may include the full monetary value of normal contributions paid to the board by the employer, on behalf of the member and pursuant to Section 20691, provided that the employer’s labor policy or agreement specifically provides for the inclusion of the normal contribution payment in compensation earnable.

(5) The monetary value of any service or noncash advantage furnished by the employer to the member, except as expressly and specifically provided in this part, shall not be special compensation unless regulations promulgated by the board specifically determine that value to be “special compensation.”

(6) The board shall promulgate regulations that delineate more specifically and exclusively what constitutes “special compensation” as used in this section. A uniform allowance, the monetary value of employer-provided uniforms, holiday pay, and premium pay for hours worked within the normally scheduled or regular working hours that are in excess of the statutory maximum workweek or work period applicable to the employee under Section 201 and following of Title 29 of the United States Code shall be included as special compensation and appropriately defined in those regulations.

(7) Special compensation does not include any of the following:

(A) Final settlement pay.

(B) Payments made for additional services rendered outside of normal working hours, whether paid in lump sum or otherwise.

(C) Other payments the board has not affirmatively determined to be special compensation.

(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, payrate and special compensation schedules, ordinances, or similar documents shall be public records available for public scrutiny.

(e) (1) As used in this part, “group or class of employment” means a number of employees considered together because they share similarities in job duties, work location, collective bargaining unit, or other logical work-related grouping. A single employee is not a group or class.

(2) Increases in compensation earnable granted to any employee who is not in a group or class shall be limited during the final compensation period applicable to the employees, as well as the two years immediately preceding the final compensation period, to the average increase in compensation earnable during the same period reported by the employer for all employees who are in the same membership classification, except as may otherwise be determined pursuant to regulations adopted by the board that establish reasonable standards for granting exceptions.

(f) As used in this part, “final settlement pay” means any pay or cash conversions of employee benefits that are in excess of compensation earnable, that are granted or awarded to a member in connection with or in anticipation of a separation from employment. The board shall promulgate regulations that delineate more specifically what constitutes final settlement pay.

(g) This section does not apply to a new member, as defined in Section 7522.04.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 330, Sec. 8. (SB 782) Effective January 1, 2020.)