Governor Signs Bill Allowing Community College Credential Partnership

SACRAMENTO – Aspiring teachers will be allowed to take classes toward their credential on California community college campuses under legislation to reduce teacher shortages from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that was signed into law today by Gov. Jerry Brown.

“Right now in California, three-quarters of all school districts report teacher shortages,” Senator Dodd said. “And with the school-age population increasing by roughly three million in the next decade, it is time to act. Community college campuses are well-suited to training more teachers, especially in underserved rural and urban communities. I appreciate Gov. Brown’s support for this commonsense measure.”

Senate Bill 577 establishes the California Community College Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program. It authorizes three grants up to $500,000 to community colleges working in collaboration with accredited teacher-credentialing programs such as those on California State University or University of California campuses. Priority would be given to partnerships in areas of the state suffering from shortages of K-12 teachers.

In recent years, the number of new credentialed teachers has remained flat. Projections show more than 145,000 teachers in addition to standard teacher hiring will be needed in the next 10 years.

“As a father and grandfather, I truly believe educating future generations is out most important duty,” Senator Dodd said. “And we need to do a better job of attracting and retaining high quality teachers.”

SB 577 was supported by the California PTA and community college districts across the state. Yuba Community College District Chancellor Douglas Houston said it will help reduce the number of teachers working on emergency credentials in California.

“It is a very creative solution for addressing a critical shortage of teachers in our state,” Chancellor Houston said. “I’m excited about the prospect of segments of higher education working collaboratively to address this need.”

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Senator Bill Dodd represents California’s 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Yolo, Sacramento, and Contra Costa counties. You can learn more about Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd.