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Bill calls for eliminating state income tax for California teachers

March 14, 2017

In response to a statewide teacher shortage, a pair of California senators have introduced a bill that would exempt educators from paying state income tax after five years on the job. [Sac Bee]

California is struggling to recruit and retain teachers as baby boomers retire, and low starting salaries do little to attract young people to the teaching profession. As a result of the shortage, the state has hired thousands of teachers without full credentials by issuing temporary permits, waivers or intern credentials.

Senators Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles) and Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton) responded to the issue by introducing Senate Bill 807. In addition to exempting educators from state income tax after five years, the bill would also allow teachers to receive a tax deduction for the cost of obtaining a teaching credential.

“The teaching profession is critical to California’s economic success and impacts every vocation and profession in the state,” Stern said in a statement. “SB 807 addresses the immediate teacher shortage and sends a loud and clear message across the sate and nation: California values teachers.”

Legislative analysts have yet to calculate the estimated loss in tax revenue that the bill would create.

The California Teachers Association says nearly one in three teachers leaves the profession in the first seven years of work. The teachers union is expected to take a position on the bill at its upcoming council meeting.


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Teachers in CA have a hard job.


First they have to teach a significant population ENGLISH. They also have to teach social skills, like sitting down and paying attention, as many of our migrant students do not know english, have not been to preschool, and did not have a structure. They have to teach basic behavior before they even get to work on a curriculum. Does that make sense?


This would be like asking an engineer to build a windmill from a blueprint. The trick is that you must find all the pieces in a hoarded house and also find the tools to build the windmill. You have to organize total chaos before the task can even begin.


We are asking teachers to teach kids math, science, history, english. The kids don’t know english. A significant portion of students are drug exposed, have behavioral problems like ADHD. It’s not as simple as just teaching these kids nowadays. Back when I was a kid in school, every teacher had a teacher’s aide. Not anymore. In addition, teachers are being asked to do tasks once delegated to a school nurse, back when there was a school nurse just sitting around in the office. Nope, now the teacher has to have Epi-pens ready, know CPR, know how to use an AED, know how to give an inhaler, and pretty soon they will need to know how to give Narcan to little snowflakes who decide to take Grandpa’s oxycontin and overdose in the bathroom. Good times.


I’m not saying they should get away with zero taxes. What I’m saying is, how about a little more respect to these hard working teachers?


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The California educational system is a failure.It ranks 40th out of 50 states….WHY would the state choose to REINFORCE failure by exempting teachers from paying taxes??? It makes NO sense.


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No state taxes for legislators can’t be far behind. I am starting to believe that these legislators either actually live in a complete fantasy world or they are trying to wreck the state.


Have any of them ever read about equal protection? Most of them are scumbag lawyers right?


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This probably why they have special license plates issued to them, probably at no registration costs, so that they can speed thru out the state with a free ticket to violate the law.


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Not “no registration” I’d bet the DMV still receives the registration for their vehicles, they just don’t pay it, the taxpayers do, and likely for the tickets they receive.


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Or maybe there is another reason that teachers, as well as other professionals, don’t want to live in California? Wake up legislators. The direction that you have led our state in during the last several decades has caused companies to leave and professionals to not come here.


How many of us, if we could have seen 40 years in the future, would have invested income, businesses,real estate, families etc in California? Not me.


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Your argument’s mixed up, sloweb. If CA is going down the tubes, why the heck does the population keep growing and the state’s economy keep growing? Oh, I know, alternative facts.


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inconvenient truth, the cost of living here is far higher than surrounding states, and part of that is because the dem led legislature keeps voting for more taxes and fees…


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Taxes are great when people follow the law, i am referring to when rich people actually pay their god damn taxes and quit dodging them through loopholes and corrupt lawyers! Taxes make the god damn world go round. Its called Civilization, and any idiot that disagrees can call themselves a sovereign citizen whom the feds rank as dangerous as a damn terrorist! Trump underpaid on his taxes in 2005 if you have not friggin heard!


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No, Holland and Denmark as Socialist countries are soooo bad when they have all social based society and are in a surplus of cash!


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I love when people show their jealousy and ignorance in saying rich people need to pay their fair share. Those who earn money pay all the income taxes. Government writes tax law and you expect people not to follow tax law to their advantage. There are no loopholes. It is how the law works, that’s why people hire accountants.


Whine about warren buffet. He pays cap gains rates but also pays millions of taxes per quarter.


Anyone who thinks its a badge of honor to pay taxes is a fool.


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Ricky, you will notice that I said that income PRODUCERS are leaving or not coming. They are being replaced with people that do not generate much income or are resource consumers. Well established demographics shift.


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