The fee to become a credentialed teacher would increase 27 percent under budget recommendations by Gov. Jerry Brown and the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office.
The state Commission on Teacher Credentialing faces a $5 million deficit in the upcoming fiscal year. Credential applications and tests – the commission’s primary source of revenue – have fallen substantially in recent years. California credentialed 6.5 percent fewer new teachers in 2010-11 than it did a year prior. The number of teaching credentials issued since since 2004-05 has shrunk by one-third.