Schooling from p 18 teachers that the schools aren’t allowed to spend money unless it’s allocated by the government. So, let’s become part of the government.” Poor Pay, Growing Vacancies Arizona ranks 47th in quality of education and dead last among states in teacher pay. The average public school teacher salary in Arizona was $54,817 in September, which is nearly $12,000 below the U.S. average of more than $65,000 While Arizona pays its teachers table scraps, the state has also watched as administrative and teaching vacancies increased annually since 2018. At the end of the 2020- 2021 school year, 5,813 administrative positions were unfilled, according to annual surveys conducted by the Arizona School Personnel Administrators’ Association. By the begin- ning of the 2021-2022 school term, the number of vacan- cies had grown to 6,347. More than 750 teachers quit in 2021. Since then, nearly 1,000 more teachers have resigned, according to the survey of 143 school districts and charter schools. More than 2,500 teaching jobs in Arizona remain vacant. The ASPAA report found that roughly 1 in 3 teaching positions are open while more than 47 percent of vacan- cies are filled by teachers who don’t meet the state’s standard certification require- ments. The Arizona State Retirement System estimated that an additional 20,266 teachers are eligible to retire at the end of the year. Because Arizona pays its teachers table scraps, many of them likely will. Jeanne Casteen, a north Phoenix Democrat, is also running for a seat in the state Senate. Her daughter graduated from Arizona State University earlier this year with plans to teach high school social studies in her home state — a dream of hers since she was a child. She simply couldn’t afford to follow her dream. “She saw my struggles as a classroom teacher,” Casteen said. “She saw me living paycheck to paycheck. She saw the stress of classroom sizes of over 45 kids. Despite the fact that school districts were eager for her to sign a contract, she made the deci- sion to move out of state.” That’s a familiar story for Judy Schweibert, a Democrat running for the Arizona House. In 2020, while volun- teering in a second-grade classroom in Phoenix, Schweibert became close with a teacher who worked three additional jobs to make ends meet before ultimately leaving the state. “She doubled her salary in another state the very first year,” Schweibert said. Republicans, too, have emphasized bumping teacher pay. Matt Gress, a Republican running for the state House, isn’t an educator, but his “Pay Teachers First” plan would give every Arizona public school teacher a $10,000 raise. He hasn’t said much publicly about where the new funds will come from as enrollment numbers continue to fall in public schools. Gress has been a top aide to Republican Governor Doug Ducey for years but waited DELIVERY AVAILABLE Box and mattress VALLEY-WIDE Bunk-Bed-Frame with mattress Gage Skidmore/Creative Commons Judy Schwiebert is a candidate for the state House. until his run for office to float his proposal to increase teacher pay. “We’re a little bit wary. Where has he been for the past several years while we were crying out for this kind of invest- ment?” Schweibert asked. “That proposal doesn’t provide any of the details that we need and I am suspicious that the Republican plan is to give teachers a $10,000 raise, but give it with money that’s already in the school district.” Teacher Retention Crisis While Ducey and a Republican-controlled legislature haven’t addressed teacher pay, critics also accuse them of watering down the benchmark for new teachers. In July, the governor signed Senate Bill 1159 into law, allowing schools to recruit teachers without college degrees as long as candi- dates are enrolled in a bachelor’s program. Ducey heralded the action as an ease on the state’s teacher shortage, but the result is that a growing number of Arizona teachers don’t meet the standards of the Arizona Department of Education. Almost one-third of students do not have a permanent teacher, Schweibert added. “Our children deserve better,” she said. “As a society, we deserve better.” Ducey stands behind Senate >> p 20 Choice of fabrics 4pc bedroom set 5 drawer chest $ 639 $ 439 $ $ 309 529 2pc sectional T-$119 F-$139 Q-$169 K- $289 Twin Mattress w/ 6” Foam $ 7995 $ 139 CHESTs Starting from $ 139 CALL FOR PRICING mon-THU: 9AM - 7PM fri: 9AM - 7PM sat: 9AM - 6PM sun: 10AM - 5PM 3330 w Van Buren St • Phoenix • 602-272-0034 (NE Corner of 35th Ave & Van Buren) *prices are subject WESTSIDEFURNITURE.COM 19 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES NOV 3RD–NOV 9TH, 2022
