EdSource

California legislation that would double the number of days a substitute can teach a single class could help school districts keep vacant teaching positions filled, but opponents fear it could hurt students academically. Assembly Bill 1224, by Assemblymember Avelino Valencia, D-Anaheim, would reinstate a pandemic-era provision that doubled the time a substitute teacher could stay in one classroom to 60 days. Substitute teachers in special education classes would be able to extend their stay from 20 to 60 days. The bill passed both the Senate and Assembly and is making its way to the governor’s desk. 

“The increased flexibility will reduce classroom instability and learning disruptions that affect students with disabilities the most,” said Valencia in his author’s statement. While acknowledging the teacher shortage is serious, leaders of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), which oversees teacher preparation in the state, argued that allowing a substitute teacher with no required preparation to be the sole educator in a classroom for a third of the school year would harm vulnerable students the most. “That is both lowering expectations and differential treatment, which will impact English learners, students with disabilities, and students from low-income families the hardest,” said CTC Chair Marquita Grenot-Scheyer.