As schools struggle to find substitute teachers, the Orange County Department of Education will host a recruitment fair on Thursday, March 9, in Costa Mesa.
The job fair will include information on what is needed to become a substitute teacher and how to apply as well as free fingerprinting and permit processing for the first 150 registrants.
The event, from 1-6:30 p.m., will be held in an open-house style at the department’s recruitment center, 3001 Redhill Ave., in Building 4, Suite 109.
Prospective substitutes with a bachelor’s degree who have undergone a background check can apply for an emergency 30-day substitute teaching permit to work in any classroom, including preschool through 12th grade. The permit is valid for one year and is renewable.
College students who are working toward becoming teachers but have not yet graduated may also qualify under an emergency substitute teaching permit for prospective teachers.
How many substitutes each district needs varies depending on the district and how many staff members are out at any given time, primarily due to illness and training.
At OCDE, for example, officials last week struggled to find substitutes to teach students in the county’s alternative and special education programs.
“We had 23 openings we couldn’t fill,” said OCDE spokesman Ian Hanigan. “In those situations, we have professionals and move people around, just as districts do.”
California has made it easier to hire substitute teachers after the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the number of resignations and retirements among educators.
One recent law looking to increase the pool of prospective teachers took effect on Jan. 1; it allows substitutes to waive taking a basic skills proficiency test through July 1, 2024. Another, an executive order by Gov. Gavin Newsom, allows retired school teachers to return to work and help fill a shortage without waiting 180 days after retirement, as was previously required.
School districts across…
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