/ Modified feb 26, 2023 7:49 p.m.

Teacher shortage crisis continues to plague Arizona

More than 20 percent of teacher vacancies across the state this year remain unfilled

360 sunnyside usd classroom A classroom in the Sunnyside Unified School District.
AZPM

For the 5th year in a row, the ASPAA, the Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association reports the state's teacher severe shortage crisis continues and is getting worse.

More than 20 percent of teacher vacancies across the state this year remain unfilled - and almost half are filled by teachers who do not meet the state’s standard teacher certification requirements. And since the start of this year nearly 19-hundred teachers have quit statewide.

Almost 45 percent of the vacant positions are staffed by substitutes who do not meet the state’s standard teaching requirements - including those who are pending certification, and those with emergency-teacher or student-teacher certificates.

At Tucson Unified School District, the largest district in southern Arizona more than 200 of the 27-hundred available positions are vacant. And since the beginning of the year, the district has lost about 150 teachers.

Reasons for the exodus vary, but include low pay, lack of resources, burnout and a perceived lack of respect.

By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona