By Stacy Winstryg
Arizona continues to face a teacher shortage even after Governor Doug Ducey announced his plan to raise teacher salaries 20 percent by 2020. And earlier this year, he made a proposal to restore $68 million of the $116 million he cut in capital funding when he became governor. And while these are steps in the right direction, school districts across the state continue to have vacancies for certified teaching positions.
While one of the major issues affecting teacher retention is salary, it is not the only problem. Many teachers say that a higher salary would be great, but they are also concerned about the lack of funds that districts have for capital needs. Schools do not have the funds to replace outdated computers or purchase supplies for their classrooms. Often times teachers purchase these items out of their own pockets. Another issue that is affecting the teacher shortage in Arizona is the declining enrollment at the universities for teaching degrees. If these numbers continue to decline, the teacher shortage will become even more desperate.
We need to start valuing the teaching profession. We need to tell our legislators to place public education as a top priority in the state budget this year. The Vail Parent Network asks that you contact your legislators and tell them to support public education. Specifically, we need to continue to increase teacher pay and increase capital funding to schools. Please call Senator David Gowan and Representatives Becky Nutt and Gail Griffin to tell them that Vail residents want our teachers to treated with the respect they deserve. Our kids deserve better and it is up to us to hold our legislators accountable.
