Cox

INTRODUCTION

Plaintiff and appellant Erica Cox appeals an order denying her petition for writ of mandate. She sought to compel respondent Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to classify her as one of its permanent employees, effective July 1, 2009, and to provide her with appropriate pay and benefits. We agree with the trial court’s analysis and ruling. We therefore will affirm.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

With a seniority date of March 12, 2009, Cox became a probationary counselor at Crenshaw High School (Crenshaw), with a normal workday of six hours. After successfully completing the 2007-2008 school year, Cox continued her probationary status the next school year.

LAUSD paid Cox maternity leave from September 2, 2008, through October 31, 2008. The next month, she returned to Crenshaw, her first time on a normal basis for the 2008-2009 school year. That school year had 182 workdays.

For the school year of 2009-2010, Cox was classified as a second-year probationary employee. LAUSD took the position that Cox did not complete her probationary status for the 2008-2009 school year because she did not satisfy Education Code section 44908’s “complete school…