(a)
Persons employed in the program improvement schools in positions not requiring certification qualifications shall be deemed to be on leave of absence from the school district whose employment they leave to accept employment in the program improvement schools, and shall retain permanent status, or credit for service toward permanent status, in such school district during their employment with the program improvement schools. Such persons shall continue to be members of, and contribute to, the retirement system of which they were members at the time immediately prior to their employment in the program improvement schools.
(b)
All sick leave, seniority, and other benefits to which they are entitled will be transferred with them to the program improvement school and transferred back to their school district upon termination of their leave of absence.
(c)
Should their employment in the program improvement school be terminated for any reason, they shall be returned to the school district from which they are on leave of absence from and if a vacancy does not exist in the class from which they are on leave they shall have the right to displace an employee in that class with the least seniority in the class and who has less seniority than they do. Seniority, for the purposes of this section, shall mean the combined school district and program improvement school service.