A report commissioned by Gov. Katie Hobbs' Educator Retention Task Force found over half of Arizona’s teachers could soon leave the profession.
The report was by ASU’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy, which found 54% of K-12 teachers were “somewhat or very likely” to leave over the next two years.
Speaking with current and former educators, researchers also found nearly 70% of K-12 teachers have considered leaving the profession in the past year.
The majority of current teachers — 92% — said the perception that they are making a difference in students’ lives is a key factor keeping them in the classroom.
But educators agreed that there are also issues driving them out of the profession, namely low pay and crowded classrooms. According to the report, Arizona ranked third lowest nationally for average teacher pay in 2022.
“Educators really care about what they’re doing in their classrooms, yet they’re overworked, underpaid, don’t have the support staff they need,” said Kristi Eustice, assistant research director at the Morrison Institute. “And you can imagine that leads to mental health issues.”
Among former teachers, 80% cited “feeling burned out” as the top reason for leaving the profession, followed by inadequate pay at 78%.
Current and former teachers agreed the best way to improve teacher retention means increasing salaries, ensuring educators have adequate preparation time and decreasing class sizes.
According to the report, 70% of former educators also said the feeling of being micromanaged by state-level policies is driving teachers away from the profession.
“In general, educators just don’t feel like the state values education,” Eustice said. “They feel there’s low funding; the funding is not equitably distributed.”
Respondents also listed reducing health care costs, increasing retirement benefits and increasing support from parents and community members as ways to improve teacher retention.
Unlike with teachers, the report found the majority — 66% — of education support professionals planned to remain in the classroom for at least the next one to two years. They also listed the feeling that they are making a difference in students’ lives as the top reason for remaining in the classroom, and increasing salaries as the top way to retain more staff.
