Diana Lambert/EdSource

California has had a surge in new teacher credentials in recent years, a reversal of the downward trend of the previous 10 years, but the teacher shortage isn't over quite yet.

Officials in California are trying a range of approaches to deal with the state's teacher shortage.

Falling childhood vaccination rates during the pandemic meant that thousands of students were unable to start the school year on a campus because they did not have the immunizations required by the state.

Some teachers have left because of the challenges of teaching during a pandemic, while others were fearful they would contract Covid-19 and some were offered higher-paying jobs. Many just burned out.

California returned the contentious issue of masking to school district officials to decide when Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last week that the school mask mandate would end March 12.