By Howard Fischer
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PHOENIX – A GOP Phoenix lawmaker has drawn criticism from Democratic lawmakers serving Phoenix for a proposal to expand the Teachers Academy to include students attending private and religious colleges and universities.

Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, said there is a need for teachers, especially with many of those in the classroom at or approaching retirement age. And he said that private programs like those run at the Christian Grand Canyon University can help fill that need.

But Gress is getting opposition from Democratic lawmakers who point out the state is not now providing enough cash to fund the demand from students in education programs at the state's three universities and the community colleges that have teaching programs.

And until that happens, they say, any available dollars should go there first.

Rep. Judy Schwiebert, D-Phoenix, said that Arizona State University alone has a waiting list between 150 and 300 hoping to get into the program there.

Lawmakers created the Teachers Academy in 2017 at the behest of then-Gov. Doug Ducey. The program provides one year of college tuition for students at public community colleges and universities in education programs in exchange for each year of teaching in an Arizona public school.

What Gress wants to do is expand scholarship eligibility to students attending private colleges offering education degrees.

However, the $15 million put into the program already is used up every year, creating waiting lists at the schools whose students already are eligible.

Besides the challenge he faces in gaining legislative approval for HB 2428, Gress also could encounter a potential veto from Gov. Katie Hobbs.

In her budget request, Hobbs has proposed adding another $15 million to the program. The Republican-controlled Legislature has yet to act on that - or any part of her spending plan.

Estimates are that just adding eligible students from Grand Canyon University alone could eat up $17 million.

Meredith Critchfield, GCU's dean of the college of education, told lawmakers her school's program can help fill the ongoing need.

She said there are about 3,000 students now enrolled in programs designed to get them certified as teachers. And of that, Critchfield said, 80% to 90% go on to teach in public schools.

What adding GCU and other private schools to the program would do, she said, is encourage those students, once they graduate, to stay in Arizona.

“I know GCU is a great university,” Schwiebert said during a legislative hearing on the bill.

“I think they do a really great job. But as the body called to make decisions about where we're spending money, I feel like our priority needs to be with our public schools that need to be held accountable.”

And what that means, she said, is having oversight over the programs to ensure they are training as many teachers as want to be in the program.

“And right now, they don't,” Schwiebert said.

Gress acknowledged the waiting lists. And he said his measure isn't meant to take away from the money already allocated to public universities but to add money to it for the students at private schools.

However, HB 2428 includes no new money. And as the legislation now sits, Democrats remain unconvinced.

"U of A, NAU, ASU and our community colleges have accredited teaching programs that have waiting lists to use these funds,'' said Rep. Nancy Gutierrez, D-Tucson.

She said her opposition has nothing to do with the quality of the program at GCU.

“This bill is about using public funds in private colleges,'” Gutierrez said.

Rep. Laura Terech, D-Phoenix, said she, too, could not support opening the program to private universities.

“I think we need to start with our public institutions first,” she said.

That opposition from legislative Democrats foretells what could be the biggest hurdle for Gress: getting the measure signed by Hobbs.

“I don't think she would sign the bill in its current form,” Gress said.

What it may take, he said, is placing enough money in the budget to both give the governor the $15 million she wants to expand the program at public universities plus additional cash for GCU and the other private schools.

“We should fund both,” Gress said.

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.