(a) The Board of Trustees of the Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement System is directed to include within the membership of the Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement System, as created by § 24-4-103, all nonteaching employees of the public schools of this state who are not members of, or eligible for membership in, some other existing state-supported retirement system other than Social Security.
(b)
(1) The board shall establish a Division of Nonteaching Public School Employees in the Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement System Fund which shall be maintained and operated in the same manner as the State Division, the County Division, and the Municipal Division of the fund.
(2) The several school districts of the state, as participating public employers, shall pay into the Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement System Fund such sums of money as are necessary to match the contributions of its nonteaching employees in the same form and manner and subject to all the provisions of §§ 24-4-101 — 24-4-105, 24-4-201, 24-4-202, 24-4-205, 24-4-207 — 24-4-209, 24-4-301 — 24-4-304, 24-4-401, 24-4-402, 24-4-507, 24-4-508, 24-4-510 — 24-4-512, 24-4-513[repealed], 24-4-601 — 24-4-603, 24-4-605, and 24-4-606 to the same extent as other participating employers.
(c)
(1) The effective date of membership of the employees in the Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement System shall be October 1, 1965.
(2) All employees enrolled in the system shall be subject to the rights, privileges, and limitations prescribed in §§ 24-4-101 — 24-4-105, 24-4-201, 24-4-202, 24-4-205, 24-4-207 — 24-4-209, 24-4-301 — 24-4-304, 24-4-401, 24-4-402, 24-4-507, 24-4-508, 24-4-510 — 24-4-512, 24-4-513[repealed], 24-4-601 — 24-4-603, 24-4-605, and 24-4-606.
(3) Every employee shall become a member of the system as a condition of continuing or obtaining employment.
(d) Any employee included within the membership of the retirement system pursuant to this section shall be given credit for service rendered prior to October 1, 1957, as an employee of a public employer, as defined in § 24-4-101, or as a nonteaching employee of any public school of this state, if the employee was so employed on October 1, 1957, and on October 1, 1965.
(e)
(1)
(A) Any employee included within the membership of the retirement system who was a nonteaching employee of the public schools in this state on October 1, 1965, or who was an employee of one (1) of the institutions of higher learning and who became a member on July 1, 1963, may apply for and receive current service credit in multiples of one (1) year for service rendered from October 1, 1957, to October 1, 1965, in the case of a nonteaching employee of the public schools of this state, or, in the case of an employee of one (1) of the institutions of higher learning, for service rendered as an employee of the institution from July 1, 1957, to July 1, 1963.
(B) The employee may receive service credit only if the employee pays to the retirement system fund all necessary contributions, at the rate of four percent (4%) for the employee and four percent (4%) for the employer, that would have been paid had the employee been a member of the retirement system during that time, together with interest at three percent (3%) per annum compounded annually, from October 1, 1965, to the date of payment in the case of a nonteaching employee of the public schools, or, in the case of an employee of one of the institutions of higher learning, from July 1, 1957, to the date of payment.
(2) The contributions shall have been paid in full on or before January 1, 1972.
(f) In no case shall less than ten (10) days of service in any calendar month rendered by any member mentioned in this section be credited as a month of service, nor shall less than nine (9) months of service rendered in any one (1) fiscal school year be credited as a year of service.