O'CONNELL URGES TEACHER RECRUITING STATE OF EDUCATION ADDRESS GIVEN.

Byline: Harrison Sheppard Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO - With California facing dire predictions of teacher shortages, state schools Superintendent Jack O'Connell called Tuesday for new efforts to recruit and train educators to help prepare students to compete in the global economy.

Delivering his third annual State of Education address, O'Connell called for more funding for teacher coaches, re-establishing teacher recruitment centers and better partnerships with the business community.

``When all is said and done, the single most important factor in a student's success will always be the teacher,'' O'Connell said.

He noted that the state is expecting a wave of teacher retirements in the coming decade as baby boomers hit retirement age. About one-third of the state's teacher work force, about 97,000 teachers, are expected to retire in the next 10 years.

Among O'Connell's proposals:

--Author legislation providing $53 million for teacher coaches in all subject areas in the ``most challenging'' schools.

--Revive and fund regional teacher recruitment centers - programs that existed in the 1990s but were cut under tight budgets.

--Have the Department of Education serve as ``brokers of expertise'' that would research and track innovative practices at local schools to share them with districts statewide.

--Redesign and rephrase school accountability report cards so parents can better understand how their local schools are performing.

--Establish partnerships among businesses, communities and schools, modeled after San Bernardino County's Alliance for Education. The alliance is a group of more than 1,200 stakeholders from business, labor, local government and faith-based organizations who work together with the schools.

Education Secretary Alan Bersin, the top education adviser to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said the administration concurs with the need for better teacher recruitment.

``This was a very thoughtful, far-visioning kind of approach,'' Bersin said. ``And, consistent with the governor's budget, the focus on building up our teacher quality and recruiting teachers to California and recruiting students into the teaching profession have to be an important priority for all of us concerned with public education in California.''

Sen. Tom Torlakson, D-Concord, a member of the Senate Education Committee, said he plans to introduce legislation to ensure that every classroom has a fully qualified teacher, including providing more money for training and recruiting.

``I think we have an imperative to act on it, to take up that challenge,'' said Torlakson, who is considering running for the superintendent post when O'Connell is termed out in four years. ``With 100,000 teachers leaving, we could have literal chaos in the schools.''

Harrison Sheppard, [phone]

harrison.sheppard(at)dailynews.com