Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/417576
P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y S C O T T B U S C H M A N A few encouraging signs: • Mary Vixie Sandy, Commission on Teacher Credentialing executive direc- tor, notes that initial credentials issued for the first part of 2014 increased slightly. Sandy says, "We are slightly optimistic we have seen the end of the downward trend." Data will be avail- able in the spring. • Teacher preparation programs within the CSU system are reporting that enrollment is starting to increase, says Beverly Young, assistant vice chancel- lor for academic affairs for the CSU Chancellor's Office, and data for this will also be available in the spring. • Many school districts are hiring back laid-off teachers as well as brand-new teachers, thanks to Prop. 30 money and the Local Control Funding Formula, which allows school districts to spend money where it is needed, including hiring teachers. Los Angeles Unified School District hired 1,300 teachers this fall, and they hadn't had any "pos- itive" hiring since 2007. Other districts have been hiring, too. (See chart.) Students like Samuel Alvizo, who is in the CSU Bakersfield teacher preparation program, are excited about the job opportu- nities and the prospect of making a positive difference in the world. "I decided to go into teaching because there's a shortage of positive male role models. My dad's in law enforcement, and I wanted to get to kids before they get to my dad." Amezcua is also feeling a sense of opti- mism that is different from a few years ago. "There's a whole new generation of teachers coming into the profession who are passionate, willing to learn and ready to teach. We have a lot to offer. We have cour- age. We're risk takers. We're open-minded, and we'll try new things. Students will be in good hands." Retention is key to solving the shortage In some schools, new teachers vanished. From 2008 to 2013, Cal- ifornia saw a 40 percent drop in teachers with less than six years' experience. But that may be changing. Alicia Hinde, a second-grade teacher at Bagby Elementary School in San Jose and a CTC commissioner, has noticed a resurgence of new teachers at her school. "The people coming in are dedicated and really want to make a difference. It's unfortunate how many teachers we lost during the layoffs," says Hinde, Cambian District Teachers Association. "It was scary for a while." "Yes, it's improving slightly, but not fast enough," says Harold Acord, Moreno Val- ley Education Association president and a CTA liaison to the CTC. "The future sta- bility of our schools depends on a strong teaching force. We need ongoing investments in new teachers, in the way other high-per- forming countries do, or we will never have the supply of teachers we need in California. This is a long-term problem that needs long-term solutions." Acord and other educators still worry students may not view teaching as a long- term career option. "There is a feel- ing of uncertainty for those coming into the profession. In addition to the recent history of layoffs and cutbacks, attacks on teacher rights from due process to permanent status in lawsuits such as Vergara do not help us attract new teachers. They want to make sure they are entering a profession that will be viable for them over many years, not just a year or two." Erma Jean Sims, lecturer in the Depart- ment of Literacy Studies and Elementary Education at Sonoma State University, agrees many future teachers do not view teaching as a long-term profession. "Future teachers are concerned about salaries," says Sims, who chairs the Cal- ifornia Faculty Association's Teacher Education Caucus. "But the reality is that people don't go into teaching because they're looking for large sums of money. They want to make the world a better place and earn a living wage." Keeping teachers in the profession is vital to solving the short- age. Retention heavily impacts the pipeline: 22 percent of California teachers leave the profession after the first four Bakersfield Elementary School District 100 Bellflower Unified School District 72 Davis Unified School District 100 Desert Sands Unified School District 85 Eastside Union High School District 82 Garden Grove Unified School District 85 Los Angeles Unified School District 1,300 Moreno Valley Unified School District 70 Morongo Unified School District 41 Mount Diablo Unified School District 150 Oakland Unified School District 450 Oceanside Unified School District 132 Paramount Unified School District 60 Porterville Unified School District 89 Riverside Unified School District 220 Santa Barbara Unified School District 80 San Diego Unified School District 200 Visalia Unified School District 137 Here's a look at approximate numbers of new hires in some school districts, based on reports from CTA staff. It's uncertain what percentage are new positions or being filled through attrition, but for many of these districts it's a positive sign. Finally teaching jobs in California Alicia Hinde 25 V O L U M E 1 9 I S S U E 4