California will survey teachers to determine why they quit

A new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday requires state agencies to design a survey that could help lawmakers learn why teachers are resigning from the profession.

California’s persistent teacher shortage, coupled with higher-than-usual retirements and resignations during the pandemic, has had district officials scrambling to fill classrooms.

Districts have increased teacher pay, developed new hiring strategies and tried to ease teachers’ workloads by hiring more support staff, according to a report by the Learning Policy Institute, a nonprofit education research organization.

The California Department of Education and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing are tasked with developing the survey, which will be given by local school officials as teachers leave their districts.

The bill encourages school districts to begin surveying exiting teachers during the 2023-24 school year and to report the results to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. A final report will go to the California Department of Education and the state Legislature. It also will be posted on the commission’s website.