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► Who Started It?
The merit (civil service) system is not
a new system.
Early in the 1800s, the "spoils system"
of patronage was well established as a method of filling government
jobs. It took the tragedy of the shooting of President John Garfield
by a disgruntled office worker in 1881 to focus enough attention on
the practice to spark legislative reform.
Two years later, the Congress passed the
Civil Service Act of 1882 (the Pendleton Act) which set up the first
civil service system for federal employees to guard against
patronage appointments. In the following years, state and local
civil service systems flourished, but it was not until 1936 that the
first merit system law for school districts was established.
It was California that became the leader
in the national movement to implement the merit system in school
districts when, as a result of a disgraceful patronage system in the
Los Angeles Unified School District, more than 700 employees were
fired on the day after a school board election in order to make room
for hiring political "spoilsmen" for their positions. The fired
employees had no appeal rights.
► Who Needs it?
With the advent of collective bargaining
in the public education field, functions performed by Personnel
Commissions took on added significance. The necessity for objective
information, classification decisions, appeals unaltered by Board
and management pressures, protection of the rights of unrepresented
employees and an independent body to hear employee appeals in an
impartial manner, are all vital to the efficient and economic
operations of a school district and to the benefit of the public and
employees.
► Who Uses it?
There are nearly 100 merit system school
districts in California that employ almost 70 percent of the total
classified school employees in the state.
A merit system may be voted into a
district by a vote of the classified employees following the
submission of a petition requesting an election. It takes a simple
majority affirmative vote and the merit system become3s effective.
Then begins the process of appointing a
three-member Personnel Commission and the appointment of a Director
of Classified Personnel. This starts the transition into developing
and putting into effect the system of personnel management based on
the concept of merit and fitness
► Who Administers it?
The Personnel Commission is the mainstay
of the merit system. It is an independent body composed of three
persons appointed for three-year staggered terms.
Personnel Commissioners are laypersons
who must be known adherents of the merit principle.
The Personnel Commission is responsible
for maintaining a merit system for classified employees of the
school district and for fostering the advancement of a career
service for such employees. To execute these responsibilities, the
State Education Code provides that the Personnel Commissioners shall
classify positions; hear appeals of disciplinary and dismissal
matters, and protests involving examinations, selection and
appointment procedures; and prescribe rules related to a variety of
personnel practices.
Authority for Personnel Commission
functions is provided in Sections 45220 through 45320 of the State
Education Code.
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What Are the "Merit" Principles?
The Merit System encompasses these basic
principles and concepts:
• Hiring and promoting employees on the
basis of ability, with open competition in initial employment.
• Providing for compensation.
• Retaining employees on the basis of
performance. Correcting inadequate performance and separating those
who inadequate performance cannot be corrected.
• Training employees as needed for high
quality performance.
• Assuring fair treatment of all
applicants and employees in all aspects of personnel administration
without regard to political affiliation, race, color, national
origin, sex or religious creed and with proper regard for their
privacy and Constitutional rights as citizens.
• Protecting employees against political
coercion and prohibiting use of official positions to affect an
election or nomination for office.
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What Are the Responsibilities of
Personnel Commissioners?
Commissioners have threefold
responsibilities:
• The Personnel Commission ensures that
classified employees receive fair and equitable treatment.
• Personnel Commissions represent the
public's interest by providing a personnel system dedicated to the
hiring and retaining of the best qualified employees.
• Personnel Commissions work in
cooperation with the governing board and administrators in the quest
for competent employees and good personnel administration.
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What Are the Attributes of Effective
Personnel Commissioners?
Personnel Commissioners are proud
Community Leaders and Public Servants who believe in or possess the
following attributes:
• Proven track record of excellence
• Cost savings
• Ensure selection of the best employee
candidates
• Uses combinations of written, oral and
practical examinations
• Provides governance to 70% of
classified employees
• Team player with management and labor
• Efficient
• Put in place by vote of classified
employees or the board
• Committed to superior staffing
• Hard working
• Professional
• Fair and equal treatment
• Represents the public's best interest
• Politically neutral
• Improves education
• Over seventy years of proof to support
our accomplishments
• Many Commissioners serve for no
compensation
• Giving back to our children day after
day and year after year
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