SENATE PASSES SENATOR JONES’ MEASURE TO HELP FIX TEACHER SHORTAGE

East County News Service

June 1, 2023 (Sacramento) -- Yesterday, legislation by Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego) to help fix California’s teacher shortage was approved by the State Senate with strong bipartisan support. Senate Bill 811 will make it easier for teachers to move throughout the country.

If passed by the Assembly and signed by the Governor, the bill would bring more teachers to the state by authorizing California to be a founding member of the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact (ITMC). This measure is especially critical for teachers in military families who are frequently called to relocate on short notice. Click here for a fact sheet on SB 811.

“California is facing a serious teacher shortage,” said Jones. “We need swift and unwavering action to accelerate the teacher credentialing process, while maintaining the integrity of this workforce responsible for shaping our next generation. SB 811 is a critical tool for teachers moving to our state, particularly in military families, and benefits both the teaching profession and California’s students.”

The ITMC allows teachers to use an eligible license held in a compact member state to be granted an equivalent license in any other compact member state, lowering barriers to teacher mobility and bringing more teachers to California. This measure is especially critical for teachers in military families who are frequently called to relocate on short notice.

According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, the bill provides that the ITMC would not go into effect until at least ten states enact legislation to join which could happen towards the end of the 2023-24 fiscal year. The Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) indicates that once created, the compact will have an oversight committee, a part-time director, and some staff and that the costs of creating Compact infrastructure and compensating staff would be around $42,000 a year per state, assuming there are ten member states. These costs would likely go down as more states join the compact.

SB 811 is supported by the U.S. Department of Defense, Los Angeles County Office of Education, Military Officers Association of America, National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification, San Diego Military Advisory Council, along with several others.

However it is opposed by the California Teachers Association.  The California Teachers Association (CTA), which says there is no need 

for this proposal because “California offers individuals who have completed a teacher preparation program and have been issued a teaching certification in another state the opportunity to apply for a California teaching certification through reciprocity agreements. California also expedites applications and the notification timeline for military spouses,” according to the  CTA.

But the U.S. Dept. of Defense wrote in support of the measure, “To validate the lived experiences that we have heard from military spouses, a 2021 study conducted by Pennsylvania State University found that that military spouse teachers coming into California cannot begin working within the Department’s baseline of thirty days of arriving due to the amount of substantiating and verifying paperwork required to be submitted prior to application processing. Given that California hosts the highest number of military spouses in the nation and teaching has been found to be one of the most prevalent of all professions for military spouses, this policy has the potential to have a substantial, positive impact

on this population. It is important to note, however, that licensure compacts such as the ITMC benefit not only military spouses, but also apply to all eligible professionals coming into the state, to include active-duty Service members, members of the reserve components, veterans and civilians.”

The measure passed unanimously in the Education, Judiciary and Appropriations Committee and off the Senate Floor with overwhelming bipartisan support 34-1, with 5 abstentions, and now goes to the Assembly for consideration.

Learn more about Senate Bill 811 in the Senate Floor analysis.