Substitute FAQs

On January 11, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Executive Order (EO) N-3-22 which immediately enacted staffing flexibilities to help alleviate staffing issues due to the Omicron driven rise in Covid-19 cases.  The EO allows individuals who do not currently hold an Emergency 30-Day Substitute Teaching Permit to receive a Temporary County Certificate (TCC) in order to serve in an emergency substitute assignment immediately. Individuals must meet licensure requirements in order to be eligible for TCCs,  including:

• a bachelor’s or higher degree;
• a valid Certificate of Clearance or other Commission issued document; and
• satisfaction of the Basic Skills Requirement.

Individuals that do not meet this criteria, including student teachers, are not eligible for TCCs. Student teachers must have this criteria met in order to be legally authorized from an assignment perspective.

This EO also temporarily extends the substitute service limitation for holders of a Commission-issued document authorizing substitute teaching and TCC holders to 120 days for any one teacher in a General Education setting. This flexibility is not extended to Special Education settings. In order for the 120 day limit in a general education setting to apply, the educator must be placed in the assignment by March 31, 2022. If placed in the assignment after that date, the educator may substitute for other teachers for up to 60 days (both General Education and Special Education settings) through June 30, 2022, pursuant to Assembly Bill 167. On July 1, 2022 the substitute service limitations for all holders of documents authorizing substitute teaching will be 30 days in a General Education setting and 20 days in a Special Education setting.

For additional information related to Executive Order N-3-22, refer to Coded Correspondence 22-01.

Passage of the Education Omnibus Budget Trailer Bill continued the extension of the number of cumulative days a substitute teacher can serve in the classroom for one teacher of record until July 1, 2023. The following substitute timeframes apply until that date:

• Holders of any Commission-issued document that authorizes substitute teaching in a general or special education classroom, including: 1) substitute permits, 2) full teaching credentials, and 3) emergency permits may serve for 60 cumulative days in either general or special education settings;
• Holders of any Commission-issued document that authorizes substitute teaching in a career technical education classroom, including: 1) Career Technical Education credentials, and 2) Career Technical Education substitute permits can substitute for 60 cumulative days in CTE settings.

Refer to table below for information on what various documents' substitute service limits are in each setting: