By STACI HAIGHT
Valley Press Staff Writer
And while more than 100 teachers have already been signed by the various districts, school officials say they are in desperate need of more.
Because of a surge in student population and Gov. Gray Davis' requirement for smaller class sizes, the percentage of school teachers working without state credentials continues to rise in the Antelope Valley and across the state.
In order to hire these teachers, local school boards are approving in mass quantities declarations of need for fully credentialed teachers.
Recently trustees in the Lancaster School District unanimously approved a declaration of need for fully qualified educators for the 2000-01 school year.
The declaration is a prerequisite to the issuance of any emergency permits for the school district and must be on file with the Commission on Teacher Credentialing no later than June 30.
The approved declaration is good for one year and will expire on June 30, 2001.
"The declaration is a form we must submit before each school year in case an emergency situation occurs," wrote LSD Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources James Schettig in a report to the board.
The longtime Lancaster educator added, "We were unable, in the past, to find teachers who were properly credentialed. But we were able to hire them using an emergency permit without prior approval,"
District officials estimate that they will need 80 new teachers in the fall. The hardest hit areas are in English, health science, math, physical education and social science.
According to a study by EdSource, approximately 260,000 to 300,000 new teachers will be needed statewide in the next 10 years.
Additionally, one third of the teachers in classrooms today are expected to retire in the next decade, further driving up the need for new teachers.
In 1998, Valley schools hired more than 500 new teachers to meet the class size reduction initiative.
More than 300 teachers arrived with emergency credentials. In other words, 60% of the new teachers were without regular credentials.
Eastside Superintendent Connie Webb said her district's board of trustees passed a declaration of need in May. The district estimates that it will need 23 new teachers for the fall semester. Officials have already extended contracts and offers have been accepted.
Webb said the declaration of need is important because it allows districts to employ teachers who do not possess a California teaching credential.
"There's a state requirement that says your child will be under the supervision of a credentialed teacher, yet you have these exceptions," Webb said. "You have to make the public aware of the situation."
In order to entice teachers to the Valley area, one school district recently approved a tentative agreement that would boost the starting salary of new teachers by $9,353.
If approved, the raise would grant new teachers entering the Antelope Valley Union High School District with a bachelor's degree and 30 units of continued education a pay hike from $32,471 to $41,824 a year.
The landmark agreement is contingent upon the board's final ratification at a meeting in July. The delay is needed because most of the money needed to fund the pay increase will come from funds provided to the school district in the proposed state budget.
The state budget is not expected to be signed by the governor until after July 1.
Jan Medema, AVUHSD personnel director, said the pay hike is a big incentive for teachers to obtain their credentials.
"The salary hike used to be based on education alone, but now we're giving salary credit for credentials," Medema said.
But what does emergency credential mean?
According to Webb, emergency credential teachers encompass a wide range of definitions.
Out-of-state teachers who come to California with credentials in their home state generally fall under the provision of emergency credential, although they do possess a teaching credential.
Webb said out-of-state teachers are given a preliminary credential until they are able to pick up a clear California credential through additional coursework.
Also, Webb said California teachers who already have full credentials may be subject to an emergency credential if they opt to teach a subject other than the one for which they have the credential.
There are different types of emergency credentials.
The first applies to teachers who choose to seek a credential in a field other than the one for which they have a credential.
Any teacher looking to change fields must obtain an educational code approval along with a board resolution allowing for the change. The teacher must have completed 12 units of course work in that subject.
According to Education Week's 1999 edition of Quality Counts, only 51% of California's teachers have a degree in the field they teach. The situation is more severe in the areas of math and science, with California facing a shortage of more than 3,500 qualified math teachers.
In 1998, almost 30,000 teachers - or nearly 10% of the California teaching ranks - were working under an emergency credential.
The next type of emergency credential applies to those who simply have a bachelor's degree and have passed the CBEST.
"They are the true emergency teacher because they are in the process of finishing up their studies to receive a credential," Webb said.
Before entering the classroom, the potential teacher must have taken 12 units in a minimum of four subject areas. Those areas can include English, math, science, and history.
The third type of emergency credential is for those entering California from anther state. Lacking a California credential, out-ofstate teachers must pass the CBEST test and then enroll in classes required by California for the credential.
Last is the emergency credential for the fully credentialed teacher who wants to break from regular classroom instruction and teach special education.