The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) has been selected by California Governor Gray Davis to direct a statewide $8.8 million teacher recruitment effort. SCOE will oversee the establishment of six regional teacher recruitment centers located in areas identified as having the greatest need of qualified K-12 teachers.
When announcing the project in December 2000, Governor Davis said, "These centers will be the centerpiece of the state's multi-pronged approach to addressing the state's teacher shortage." It is estimated that California will need 30,000 new teachers each year over the next decade.
The teacher recruitment centers will pool personnel expertise and hiring efforts to help schools in regions of highest need secure qualified teachers. They also will serve as clearinghouses for teacher applications for every school district in the regions they serve. The centers will work in partnership with CalTeach, the teacher recruitment publicity campaigned administered by California State University.
Among the powerful new teaching incentives sponsored by Governor Davis and approved by with bipartisan support in the State Legislature are: education loan forgiveness; paid internships; bonuses for advanced certification; increased beginning teacher salaries; and tax credits for teachers based on years of service. Additional block grants to schools in high-need areas will provide for locally-driven incentives such as housing subsidies and signing bonuses.
Governor Davis said that the teacher recruitment program administered by SCOE will "help us spread the word that California needs and values its teachers."