Teacher credentialing: substitute teachers: days of service.

Valencia, along with Garcia and Ávila Farías, frames a time-limited 60-day substitute-teaching option as a practical bridge while California strengthens its credentialing framework, making the authorization available across local educational agencies when a collective bargaining agreement with a specific substitute-process exists or when an agency otherwise follows defined recruitment and assignment requirements. The measure treats the 60-day allotment as a temporary arrangement, with a sunset date set for early 2029, and positions the option as a stopgap in the broader effort to address teacher shortages without sacrificing instructional quality.

Under the proposal, a holder of a credential or permit authorizing substitute teaching may serve up to 60 cumulative days for any one assignment within an LEA, “notwithstanding any other law,” provided the LEA meets one of two pathways. If the LEA lacks a suitable CBA, it must either rely on substitutes holding a teaching permit for statutory leave when filling a position with a teacher on leave or instead make reasonable recruitment efforts for vacancies, in line with existing statutory provisions. For assignments extending beyond 20 cumulative days in a special education role or beyond 30 cumulative days in any assignment, districts must secure governing-board approval at a regular public meeting with project details, or provide the information as an informational item if the assignment was unforeseeable due to urgent circumstances.

The measure adds structured oversight and accountability mechanisms. County superintendents must report quarterly to the county board the total number of such substitutes employed for more than the specified thresholds. Beginning with the 2026–27 school year, LEAs must annually report to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing the number of qualifying substitute assignments via the state’s assignment-accountability system, including a breakdown distinguishing placements tied to vacancies versus teacher leaves. For substitutes who lack a preliminary or professional clear credential, LEAs must provide within 30 days access to professional development, an orientation, and mentoring opportunities, with the option to use existing trainings. The act also preserves existing substitute-permitting pathways and clarifies that these changes interact with, rather than repeal, current provisions, and it explicitly sunsets the new authority in January 2029.

Beyond the operational details, the bill places the proposed flexibility within a governance and data-informed context. Its findings acknowledge ongoing shortages and the multiple pathways districts already use to staff classrooms, while underscoring the long-term aim of fully credentialed staffing. The measure directs regulatory review by the body overseeing teacher credentials to consider making substitute-permit options more flexible and responsive, with safeguards for instructional quality and equity, recognizing that the 60-day authorization is not intended as a permanent redesign of staffing policy. While no new appropriation is specified, the proposal contemplates administrative costs tied to governance, reporting, and professional development, and it invites ongoing assessment of how the substitute-permit framework could be modernized over time.