(a) The Department of Human Resources shall consider making salaries for teachers, specialists, and administrators of the Diagnostic Center, Southern California, the Diagnostic Center, Central California, and the Diagnostic Center, Northern California, competitive with the salaries of similarly qualified school teachers, specialists, and administrators who are employed by the encompassing school districts.
(b) For purposes of this section, “teachers,” “teacher specialists,” and “administrators” mean those individuals who hold the appropriate teaching, service, or teaching and administrative credential, as appropriate, as issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, as determined by the employing state agency.