Bill To Accelerate CA Credentials For Out-Of-State Teachers Passes Senate

A bill to have California ratify an agreement to grant teaching licenses to incoming teachers from other states who hold an equivalent license, was passed in the Senate on Wednesday.

Senate Bill 811, authored by Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones (R-San Diego), would ratify the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact (ITMC), the purpose of which is to facilitate the mobility of teachers across the member states, with the goal of supporting teachers through a new pathway to licensure. The compact would, require member states to make certain determinations about teacher licensure for teachers from other member states, and create and establish a joint public agency known as the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact Commission.

Senator Jones wrote the bill  due to both the teaching shortage within the state and the problems many military spouses who are teachers face in trying to become licensed due to moving around so much. In the 2022-2023 school year, the eight largest districts in the state had an average vacancy rate of 10%. While many teachers who move to California are credentialed in other states, there are significant barriers in place for a smooth transition in. Most notably, this is the large backlog and delays in the credentialing process, resulting in a big chunk of the teacher shortage coming down to many simply awaiting credentialing.

According to Jones, SB 811 and the ITMC would create a quick changeover, and would specifically help military families, who, do to reassignment orders coming quickly, often leads to issues of being credentialed in another state in a timely way.

“California is facing a serious teacher shortage,” said Senator Jones in a statement on Wednesday. “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.”

SB 811 passes Senate

Since being introduced in February, SB 811 has enjoyed widespread, bipartisan support. All votes in the Committee have been unanimous, with support coming from an unusual mix of military and educational groups such as 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, and the San Diego Military Advisory Council. With so much support, SB 811 quickly passed the full Senate vote on Thursday.

Others told the Globe on Thursday that’s rare that such a bill has the support of such groups at the state level.

“The military doesn’t often put their support on an education-based bill like this, but it goes to show just how much of a problem many families face,” said Annette Burns, a former teacher who is the wife of a career military officer, and helps current military spouses find jobs when transferring to California. “California isn’t the easiest state to move to when it comes to getting recredentialed for jobs, especially teaching. A lot of people want to continue teaching but wind up being sidelined for so long despite them holding credentials from other states.”

“When I first transferred to California, it was a bit jarring since previous places like Georgia and Missouri had made it somewhat easy to transition. But no, California required full re-credentialing and a long wait at that. There’s a lot of teachers right now waiting on that, and you bet that they could help out with this teaching shortage right now.”

SB 811 is to be next heard in Committees in the Assembly.