New Arizona program promises a path to teacher certification at little to no cost

The Arizona Department of Education has introduced a new way for future educators to get teaching experience.

The Arizona Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program, known as AZTRAP, offers a path to certification at little to no cost. It also promises more experience in the classroom and a way to earn money before becoming a certified teacher.

For those with existing bachelor’s degrees, AZTRAP allows them to work as an apprentice for one year before taking the test to become certified. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said for those with only high school diplomas, it’s a four-year program.

“They go to college nights and on weekends and work in the classroom during the day," Horne said. "They get paid a minimum of $20 an hour, and we also pay for the college.”

The Department of Education secured $1.5 million from the Maricopa County Workforce Development Board to pilot the program during the 2025-26 school year.

Horne said the Arizona Department of Education is piloting the program to combat the state's teacher shortage.

“We’re losing more teachers than are coming into the profession,” Horne said.

KJZZ reached out to the Arizona Education Association, known as AEA, the labor union for Arizona public school educators, about the announcement. AEA President Marisol Garcia said Department of Education did not consult with AEA members about best practices for readiness or retention.

"We’ve received very little information about how the program will operate. Without that dialogue, it’s hard to evaluate how it will function in practice," Garcia said. "In the absence of sustained investment from the state, these types of programs can easily become short-term patches instead of real solutions to the low pay and poor working conditions that drive teachers out of our profession.”