Employees first employed in an eligible position or job classification within each school district after June 30, 2000, shall elect either to join the South Carolina Retirement System or to participate in the optional retirement program under this chapter on or before December 1, 2000, or within ninety days after the entry into service, whichever is later, or failing to make the initial election within the required time, the employee is considered to have elected membership in the South Carolina Retirement System. An election made pursuant to this section must be made in writing and filed with the retirement system and the appropriate officer of the employee's participating employer and is effective on the date of employment.

The election to participate in the optional retirement program is irrevocable. However, an employee who participates in the optional retirement program may irrevocably elect to join the South Carolina Retirement System upon the passage of sixty months after initial enrollment in the optional retirement program. The optional retirement participant must make this election to participate in the South Carolina Retirement System within ninety days after the expiration of sixty months after the employee's initial enrollment in the optional retirement program, or failing to make the election within the allotted time, the employee is considered to have irrevocably elected to participate in the optional retirement program. Upon joining the system, the employee may establish up to five years of credit in the system for service earned while participating in the optional retirement program by making a payment to the system in an amount determined by the board.