Newsom signs order to make it easier for schools to hire teachers amid shortages

California is making it easier for school districts to hire teachers and other employees amid staffing shortages brought on by the latest surge in coronavirus cases, the governor said Tuesday.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said he had signed an executive order to allow schools more flexibility in staffing decisions like giving additional hours to substitute teachers and rehiring recent retirees for short stints. The order expires at the end of March.

“These are short-term challenges that require short-term and targeted solutions,” Newsom said.

The fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant is sidelining school personnel statewide a week after 6 million K-12 students returned to classrooms following winter break.

Newsom said he hoped to expedite a typically time-consuming hiring process and allow school districts “to keep our kids safely in person for the remainder of the year and get through this next three to six or so weeks.”

The California Teachers Assn., which represents some 300,000 educators statewide, said it recognized the need for hiring flexibility and urged school districts “to focus on substitute teachers, recent retirees and student teachers.”

“The executive order is by no means the answer to long-term staffing shortages, and we look forward to working with the governor, lawmakers and the education community in rebuilding our educator pipeline, which has been devastated by this pandemic,” association spokesperson Lisa Gardiner said in a statement Tuesday.

Newsom also said the state was working on getting more coronavirus tests to schools. Last week, Newsom and state officials faced criticism for failing to deliver on a promise to provide rapid, at-home tests to all California students and school staffers before classrooms reopened after the break.

Millions of test kits were sent to families but millions more were not, and there have been long lines at testing sites.

Newsom announced the executive order during a stop Tuesday at a medical clinic in Kern County where he highlighted his proposal to expand healthcare for all Californians, regardless of immigration status.