Release: As Arizona Students Are Back in the Classroom, Republicans Continue to Wage War on Teachers

Democratic legislators laser-focused on a plan for improving education

PHOENIX, AZ – As the new school year kicks off in Arizona, students from around the state are heading back to empty classrooms as schools are failing to retain permanent, qualified teachers. This session - Governor Doug Ducey and the Republican-led legislature eliminated Bachelor’s Degree requirementsto be a teacher in Arizona, only requiring teachers to be enrolled in college. Republicans are not holding back on their disdain for teachers, calling for an all-out “war” against voters who are exercising their constitutional freedom to refer measures to the ballot.

Democrats have a plan to address the critical issues facing Arizona schools, where we fall near the bottom in rankings for per-pupil spending and average teacher salary. Democrats in the legislature have been working tirelessly to improve conditions for students and teachers. During this session, Rep. Schwiebert introduced HB2817, which would appropriate $3M to schools for the professional development of new and experienced teachers for the 2022-2023 school year. Sen. Marsh sponsored SB1296 to limit class sizes, which would tackle the issue of overcrowded classrooms and high student-to-teacher ratios

“As a member of a local school board and lifelong educator – I know the challenges schools are facing to keep teachers in their jobs,” said Keith Seaman, nominee for the State House in Legislative District 16. “Budgets are already tight, schools are counting their pennies, and we’re hurting the learning capacity of our students when we hire teachers who just aren’t ready to be in the classroom.”

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