CREDENTIALED TEACHERS IN VERY SHORT SUPPLY.

Byline: Harrison Sheppard Staff Writer

When school begins in Los Angeles today, at least one out of four teachers goes into the classroom without the proper qualifications to be there.

The number of emergency credentialed teachers is expected to rise to 9,500 this year, up from 9,000 last year and triple what it was five years ago. That equals nearly 27 percent of the district's 35,500 teachers.

And even with that many uncredentialed teachers, thousands of students still won't have a regular teacher in the classroom. The district is still scrambling to hire 1,500 to 2,000 teachers for this school year, so classrooms will initially be staffed by substitutes.

Antonio Garcia, director of teacher recruitment, said most of the teaching staff should be in place within a few weeks.

``We have quite a few teachers out there that have been cleared for employment,'' he said. ``They need to be interviewed and offered a position.''

The district is recruiting nationwide through the Internet and other sources, Garcia said.

``We just show them a picture of sunny California and the beach and everything else, and it's like 'Get me out of this snow!' '' Garcia said.

District officials attribute the increase in emergency credentialed teachers largely to the demand caused by class-size reduction and a growing student population. The teachers union argues inadequate pay is part of the problem.

The problem was worsened by the state's class-size reduction program in 1996, resulting in primary grade classes that had once been packed with 30 or more students reduced to a 20-to-1 ratio.

That meant hiring a substantial number of additional teachers, even as the student population was booming. In 1995, the district employed about 27,000 teachers, a figure that has grown by 31 percent in five years.

The problem is expected to get worse as the student population grows and new schools are built. This year, enrollment is projected at 723,000, and is expected to peak at 749,000 in 2005-06.

Superintendent Roy Romer, engaged in contract negotiations with United Teachers Los Angeles, said one solution is to offer teachers higher salaries.

To improve recruitment, the district has already raised starting teacher salaries to make them some of the highest among the county's 47 school districts. A beginning credentialed teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District makes about $37,000, while one with emergency credentials starts at $32,500.

But salaries for experienced teachers - which the union argues need to be raised to keep veterans from leaving - rank among the bottom quarter compared with other districts in the county.

District officials would like to raise that ranking, but say it will likely take several years.

``We can't get there in one step,'' Romer said. ``We're going to get more competitive, but we're aiming at the median. I'd like to aim at the top quarter, but we don't have the money.''

Besides raising salaries, however, Romer said the district has to make sure it gives emergency credentialed teachers enough time to earn their credentials and learn the profession, even while continuing to help underperforming students.

``Those are really tough nuts to crack. We've got to do all of them simultaneously. It is a lot of work.''

School board member Caprice Young argued that just because a teacher lacks full credentials does not mean he or she is a failure in the classroom.

``Some of them come to the job with terrific backgrounds,'' she said. ``They're coming as midcareer professionals, with a real knowledge of what kinds of skills are needed in the workplace.''

``Every single one I have met has done it because they've said to themselves, 'You know what? I want to give back, I want to make a difference in my life.' They're coming to this with a profound sense of commitment to the kids.''

Also, she noted, the district has implemented a new reading program in the elementary level called Open Court, which does much of the organizational work for the teacher, providing specific lesson plans and schedules that are easier for beginning teachers to follow.

CAPTION(S):

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Chart: BY THE NUMBERS

Los Angeles Unified has a shortage of fully credentialed teachers. Here's a breakdown of teachers and their credential status for the 2000-01 school year.

SOURCE: LAUSD