Bill would let eligible school employees take paid parental leave

Eligible employees could take up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave. A qualifying event would be the employee's child's birth or adoption, or a child's placement in the employee's foster care custody. Employees must be full-time, have worked for the school district or charter school for at least 52 consecutive weeks, and meet eligibility rules set by the department. Employees would receive regular pay in full and would not have to use other accrued leave first. Employers covered by federal family and medical leave law could require both leaves to run at the same time. Leave would have to be used within the 52 weeks beginning on the first qualifying event. It would be taken in consecutive weeks, except foster parents could request approval to take separate one-week periods.

Employers would restore an employee returning from leave to the same job or an equivalent job. This would apply to qualified employees returning after parental leave. An equivalent job would have the same or better benefits, pay, and other work terms. Required certification or training could still apply, subject to other laws or collective bargaining agreements about returning to work. The return protections would apply after a period of parental leave.

The Public Education Department would reimburse employers for eligible costs of providing parental leave. The reimbursement process would cover school districts and charter schools that provide leave to qualified employees. Department rules would determine eligible costs and must include substitutes or others needed to perform an employee's duties during leave. The bill would set aside $7.5 million from the general fund. Any unspent balance would carry over to later years. The appropriation would be available in fiscal year 2027 and later years. The proposed effective date is July 1, 2026.

School employers would give written leave guidelines and report leave information each year; the department would publish an annual report. These duties would apply to school districts, charter schools, and the Public Education Department. Employer reports would include employee demographics and leave duration, outreach efforts, and feedback that could improve recruitment or retention. The department's public report would include participation, surveys, program costs, and analysis of recruitment or retention. Employers would report annually. The department would submit and promptly post its annual report.