Money may be the only solution as Arizona’s teacher shortage continues

PHOENIX — Arizona’s teacher shortage should be treated like an emergency, according to the state’s top education official.

“The problem is really an emergency, and in my last two state of education speeches at the Legislature, I’ve emphasized that it’s an emergency,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said. “We have to take strong action.”

According to a fall 2024 preliminary report from the Arizona Department of Education, 2.8% of reported teacher positions were vacant, while 5.8% of positions were filled by teachers who did not meet state requirements.

Why is Arizona experiencing an acute teacher shortage?

Horne said the issue of teacher retention boils down to salary.

“We survey teachers when they leave. The number one reason is, as you would expect, salaries. We’ve got to raise their salaries,” he said.

The average starting salary for a teacher in Arizona is $44,124 dollars. The average yearly pay is $60,275. That’s $3,000 dollars below the average living wage in the state, which, according to the National Education Association, is $63,003.

Horne said he’s working to pass legislative bills that provide teacher pay boosts, such as Prop 123.

Why are Arizona teachers fleeing education?

In the meantime, nearly 12,000 teachers left their positions between October 2023 and October 2024, according to Arizona Department of Education data.

Marisol Garcia, president of the Arizona Education Association and an eighth grade social science teacher, explained that teachers leaving the profession has a real impact on their students.

“Stability is rocked every single year that educators leave that community, and it’s really unfortunate because that used to be the one thing most families could count on, that a Miss Garcia who taught my younger sister and brother is going to be the same teacher I had,” she said.

Money isn’t the only factor contributing to teachers leaving the profession. Garcia said instability caused by the U.S. Department of Education is also driving teachers away.

For example, “$2.4 billion comes from the federal government, and a lot of that is tied to not just teachers’ salaries, but classified employees, bus drivers, front office workers,” Garcia said. “The fear of that instability has really pushed educators to question whether or not they’re going to stay teaching.”

Disrespect from students also contributes to Arizona teacher shortage

The way educators are treated in classrooms also contributed to the Arizona teacher shortage. That’s why teachers must feel supported by administrators when it comes to discipline, Horne said.

“There have to be consequences for actions, and so I’ve tried to get a bill through the Legislature — no success yet — trying to encourage administrators to support their teachers on discipline,” he said.

Additionally, the way teachers are portrayed on social media discourages people from entering the profession, according to Garcia.

“It became a political landmine to utilize for elections,” Garcia said. “At one point, we had a legislator call us educational terrorists. I mean, we have 18-year-olds listening to that narrative about teachers. Why would they want to enter a profession where politicians are saying that?”

How teacher shortage hurts Arizona schools

When teachers do step away from the education field, schools have no choice but to fill their spots in classrooms, but sometimes, those choices may not be up to the state’s standards.

“I don’t really think that our kids should be the training ground, right? They deserve qualified, certified educators,” Garcia said.

Uncertainty, unqualified substitutes, teachers being unsupported — all these factors add up to a very large problem for state education.

Horne and Garcia agree that the most pressing solution to this problem is raising teacher salaries as quickly as possible. Garcia believes the way to do that is to separate education funds from other Arizona spending needs.

What could solve the teacher shortage crisis in Arizona?

“What we really need is to have a separate single funding mechanism for schools that is not impacted or touched by other programs. What ends up happening is that when we use the general fund for education, let’s say we invest 3% raises for teachers, that 3% is coming from somewhere else,” she explained.

Horne said the path for his office is through the Legislature.

“We have to take strong action. We are losing more teachers than are coming into the profession. So, if we don’t do something major, we could end up with zero teachers,” he said.

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

Related

Buckeye coach, special needs teacher wins Bruce and Gaydos’ monthly teacher tribute awardProposition to support teacher raises will expire if it isn't extended soon, Arizona governor saysPhoenix elementary school principal named one of the top educators in the countryChandler teacher wins Bruce and Gaydos’ teacher tribute for launching STEM initiatives in schoolHorne highlights school safety, teacher retention, more in annual State of Education addressSalt River Project offers Arizona teachers $400 classroom grants