New educator vacancy data show a crisis in Arizona schools

PHOENIX, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association (ASPAA) released data Monday showing the "scale of the educator retention crisis in Arizona's public school."

In a statement by the Arizona Education Association (AEA), "there were about 7,518 job opening for teachers" across the state of Arizona.

As of September, the new data conducted by the ASPAA are as follows:

• 18% of those openings were filled by a teacher meeting the standard certification requirements.

• 53% of the openings were filled by teachers not meeting the standard certification requirements.
  • These include student-teachers who have yet to complete their degree.

• 29% of the openings couldn't be filled at all, remaining vacant for months into the school year.

According to AEA, "the data also shows high numbers of vacancies among education support professionals, including 1,402 unfilled openings for special education paraprofessionals."

"Right now, tens of thousands of Arizona kids lack a fully qualified educator. The reason is simple: the extremist majority in our legislature has insisted on diverting money away from schools and students and towards vouchers, tax cuts for the wealthy and other programs that benefit the rich and well-connected. 

As a result, we spend less per student than almost any other state in the nation, and our schools struggle to retain experienced, passionate staff. Make no mistake: this crisis will continue to deepen until we invest in our schools."

Marisol Garcia, President of the AEA

To read more about ASPAA's data, click here.