K-12 education: Experts explore ways to keep teachers in Arizona classrooms

PHOENIX – Arizona K-12 education is facing multiple roadblocks in the classroom, including teacher pay, funding and support for students with disabilities.

The Arizona Media Association’s Town Hall earlier this month brought state education leaders together to break down the problems and brainstorm solutions.

Yavapai County School District Superintendent Steve King explained a problem his district is facing is teacher shortages and retention levels.

“I think the goal for this entire state should be having a highly qualified teacher, effective teacher in front of every kid in Yavapai County or across the entire state, for that matter. And that’s easier said than done,” he said.

King added the increase in high housing costs aren’t helping the problem, with teacher pay already low and the cost of living rising. He said a solution could be each district working directly with postsecondary programs to fill their classrooms.

“Working with the colleges, working with the universities, working with the school districts to grow your own teacher program,” he said.

‘Invisible disabilities’ present challenges for Arizona K-12 education

Meanwhile, 14% of Arizona students are dealing with a disability, according to Karla Phillips-Krivickas with nonprofit Champions for Kids. She said those 140,000-plus students are not all getting the support they need.

“Eighty percent of kids with disabilities have what I call invisible disabilities,” she said. “So, you think ADD, you think dyslexia, you think a speech language impairment. And these kids are in regular classrooms with regular teachers all day, and those are the kids that we find that go undiagnosed, unidentified and underserved.”

Phillips-Krivickas urged parents to make sure their kids are tested for any disability if they are learning differently.

Katherine Haley from the Arizona State Board of Education said there are ups and downs in the K-12 education system in our state, but overall, funding is up.

“Due to a sort of declining in birth, we’ve seen a decline in student participation in our K-12 schools. But also, over the last … 30 years, we have a lot of choice and opportunity,” she said.

The full town hall will air Wednesday at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on KTAR News 92.3 FM and the KTAR News app.

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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