California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond-Sponsored Bills to Combat Teacher Shortage and Youth Opioid Crisis Signed into Law

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond celebrated the signing this week of several pieces of legislation he sponsored and supported, including measures that would help alleviate the teacher shortage, invest in bilingual teachers, and combat the youth opioid crisis.

“I’m pleased that these laws will secure a brighter future for our kids through increasing the teacher pipeline for bilingual teachers, making it easy for retired teachers to come back to classrooms, and providing a financial incentive for new prospective teachers,” said Superintendent Thurmond. “I’m also glad that California is taking another step forward to educate, prevent, and protect students from the opioid crisis, which has been a growing threat in recent years.”

The signing of Senate Bill (SB) 765 in particular will help mitigate the teacher shortage crisis by streamlining the process for retired teachers to return in a more expeditious manner and with greater consistency. Additionally, a key portion of SB 765 was incorporated into the budget, which increases the grant award for teacher candidates from $25,000 to $40,000.

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