California Governor Schwarzenegger Announces Launch of EnCorps Teachers Program

06/08/2007 -- Working to offset California’s teacher shortage, California Governor Schwarzenegger kicked off the EnCorps Teachers Program, an initiative to partner with businesses to encourage retirees to join the teaching workforce in math, science and career technical education. California’s current teacher shortage will be compounded as the state loses 100,000 more teachers over the next decade to retirement - fully one-third of the teacher workforce. In the next ten years, California’s schools will need over 33,000 new science and math teachers.

“It’s critical that we take action now and get enough qualified and experienced teachers into our classrooms as soon as possible. We must make sure California’s students have a strong foundation and are well-prepared with the skills they need to take on the challenges of the 21st Century,” said Gov. Schwarzenegger. “We want to make the EnCorps Teachers Program a model for the rest of the nation on how we can creatively work together and end the teacher shortage in California.”

The Governor’s EnCorps (pronounced “encore”) Teachers Program will bring retirees into California classrooms by partnering with private companies to recruit, train and place employees who want to become teachers after retirement. This unique public/private partnership gives students the chance to learn from teachers with a lifetime of career experience, and gives retiring professionals the opportunity to share their professional background while bridging California’s teacher gap.

The Governor has asked noted philanthropist Sherry Lansing to lead EnCorps, which will start by recruiting 2,000 teacher candidates over the next two years. EnCorps recruits will go through the same credentialing as any other new teacher, including passing the California Basic Education Skills Test (CBEST), demonstrating subject matter competence, passing a background check, and completing an internship program or traditional teacher preparation program.

“EnCorps is a unique public/private opportunity that partners government with business to help recruit retiring professionals to the classroom - helping California meet the huge demand for math and science teachers,” said Sherry Lansing, a member of the Governor's Advisory Committee on Education Excellence and founder of the Sherry Lansing Foundation. “This program takes advantage of one of the greatest assets we have, retiring corporate professionals with a passion for math and science, by allowing them the opportunity to share their vast knowledge in the classroom and excite the next generation of professionals.”

Some of California’s most successful corporations—including Qualcomm, IBM, Edison International, Chevron, Ares Management, City National Bank and East West Bank—are already involved in the EnCorps program. These companies pledge to recruit and counsel retirees as they transition into teaching and provide financial support during their initial preparation phase. Their support includes pledging $15,000 to cover the costs for retirees who want to join the program to cover expenses like tuition, books, testing, background security checks, or by paying employees’ salaries while they complete the credentialing process.

The Governor’s May Revision proposes a $12 million investment to establish the EnCorps Teachers Program and will put more than 2,000 new teachers into our math, science and career technical classrooms over the next two years. In addition, the Governor’s proposed budget includes $118.8 million total to prepare more teachers.

* $3.8 million for UC and CSU to expand programs preparing math and science teachers.
* $50 million for grants to school districts to hire 1,000 additional CTE teachers.
* $50 million in grants for school districts to hire more teachers for college preparatory courses (A through G courses) in an effort to assist more students to become eligible to attend college.
* $7.5 million to fund a variety of incentives for existing credentialed teachers in other subject areas to become authorized to teach science and math.
* $3 million to continue funding for the Personnel Management Assistance Teams to provide technical assistance to school districts in establishing and maintaining effective personnel management, recruitment, and hiring process.
* $2.5 million for enhancement and expansion of the Administrator Training Program. This program provides effective training and coaching for new K-12 school principals on leadership skills, financial and personnel management, the interrelation between academic standards, instructional materials, and curriculum frameworks, and the effective use of pupil assessments.
* $2 million for a grant program to assist school districts in developing an alternative teacher salary schedule based on criteria that is not limited to years of training and experience.

The Governor’s May Revision fully funds Proposition 98 and K-12 education with $68.6 billion total from all sources. The revision also maintains the Higher Education Compact with the University of California and California State University and adds millions in additional funding for our community colleges. In addition, the Governor’s budget proposal provides total per-pupil funding of $11,562, a 21 percent increase in per-pupil funding since the Governor took office.

Source: California Governor

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