(A)(1) If an employee of a local school district makes a written request for leave to be employed at a charter school before July 1, 2006, the school district shall grant the leave for up to five years as requested by the employee. The school district may require that the request for leave or extension of leave be made by the date provided for by state law for the return of teachers’ contracts. Employees may return to employment with the local school district at its option with the same teaching or administrative contract status as when they left but without assurance as to the school or supplemental position to which they may be assigned.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of item (1) and subject to the provisions of subsection (B), a charter school employing after June 30, 2006, an individual on leave from a local school district shall participate in the South Carolina Retirement Systems as a covered employer with respect to that employee on leave through the earlier of the date the employee on leave returns to employment by the district or June 30, 2011, and only if the charter school and the employee have made required employer and employee contributions to the South Carolina Retirement Systems from the employee’s date of employment with the charter school.

Terms Used In South Carolina Code 59-40-130

  • charter school: means a public, nonreligious, nonhome-based, nonprofit corporation forming a school that operates by sponsorship of a public school district, the South Carolina Public Charter School District, or a public or independent institution of higher learning, but is accountable to the board of trustees, or in the case of technical colleges, the area commission, of the sponsor which grants its charter. See South Carolina Code 59-40-40
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Local school district: means any school district in the State except the South Carolina Public Charter School District and does not include special school districts. See South Carolina Code 59-40-40

(B) A charter school employing an individual on leave from a local school district shall participate in the South Carolina Retirement Systems as a covered employer with respect to the employee on leave it hires. The employee on leave from a local school district employed by a charter school shall accrue benefits and credits in the South Carolina Retirement Systems. The charter school shall remit to the Retirement Systems the employer contributions required by law for participating employers. The employee shall make the employee contributions to the Retirement Systems required by law and the contributions must be picked up in accordance with § 9-1-1020. The South Carolina Retirement Systems may impose reasonable requirements to administer this section.

(C) The provisions of this section do not apply to teachers and other employees of a converted school whose employment relation is governed by § 59-40-100.

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