In fall of 2015, a Field Poll of California voters revealed that Californians are well aware of the emerging shortage of K-12 public school teachers and think the state should take decisive action to rectify the situation. Eighty-six percent of voters view the shortage as a serious problem, and nearly two-thirds see it as very serious. Ninety-one percent think it is important for the state to be doing more to encourage young people and others to become teachers. According to a recent Learning Policy Institute study, the number of new teaching credentials issued in California has declined steadily for more than a decade, as have enrollments in teacher preparation programs. As a result, thousands of teachers have recently been hired on substandard permits and credentials to fill classrooms where qualified teachers could not be found. The shortages are most severe in special education, mathematics, and science. The state has recently designated nearly all fields as subject to shortages.