Assemblymember Kristin Olsen (R-Riverbank) announced Thursday that AB 2336, her bill to extend the number of days that a substitute teacher may serve in a special education classroom passed the Assembly Committee on Education.

“Special education students have been greatly harmed by California’s teacher shortage,” Olsen said. “This bill will provide more consistency for some of our most vulnerable students by slowing down the rotation of substitute teachers.”

Current law restricts the number of days that a substitute teacher may serve in a special education classroom to 20. This has resulted in special education students being taught by a rotating series of substitute teachers, each with varying levels of experience. AB 2336 will provide stability to special education classrooms, which have been among the hardest hit by the current teacher shortage.

AB 2336 would increase the number of days that a special education substitute teacher is able to serve in one classroom to 40. The bill specifies that a substitute teacher must be given six hours of training prior to the extension in service, and be provided with ongoing support by a fully credentialed teacher.

“This bill not only provides a stable learning environment to special education students, but also to the substitute teachers that step up to support them while full-time teachers are away from the classroom,” said Sal Villasenor of the Association for California School Administrators (ACSA). “We are grateful to Assemblymember Olsen for championing this important issue, and to the Committee for providing this opportunity to move the conversation forward.”

AB 2336 passed the Assembly Committee on Education on a 6 to 0 vote, and will be heard in the Assembly Committee on Appropriations in the coming weeks.