Arizona has struggled with a shortage of teachers for years, but the problem was only exacerbated by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With schools shuttered for months and strict rules in place for a return to in-person learning, open jobs became harder to fill and many teachers took the opportunity to retire.
In the most recent Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association survey of teachers across the state, taken in October 2021 a few weeks into the most recent school year, about 25.9% of teacher vacancies were unfilled. Approximately 55.4% of the vacancies were filled by teachers who do not meet the state’s standard certification requirements. It confirmed the shortage remained in place for the sixth year in the row.
