Arizona Doing Its Best to Discourage Teachers

Of late I am very disturbed by recent trends in my home state of Arizona.

At one time the education motto from our nation’s capitol in Washington was “no child left behind.” These days in Arizona it takes on a special irony; while a child’s education is proposed to be of strong public interest, the workforce behind this interest is being cut off at the knees.

For a 5-year period I was a regular long-term substitute music teacher, and I still have some ties in the field. In a recent discussion with a colleague who is a full-time music teacher I was absolutely shocked to hear of radical changes made by the Arizona legislature that adversely affect public school teachers.

From the Arizona Education Association  (AEA), these radical changes allow for…

…arbitrary reductions in salary, prohibit seniority as a criterion for reduction in force, eliminate deadlines for issuing contracts, and limit employee rights to engage in professional association activities.

The AEA has filed a lawsuit with the state supreme court over these issues. This action has gained nationwide attention.

Perspective

My colleague’s perspective on this was that the tenure-based system has been done away with and teachers now work on a year-to-year basis. Before a new school year, any teacher at any level may be notified up to two weeks before school begins, that they no longer have a job.

If you belong to a union, look out – any associations with a union might be considered a threat.

Higher paid teachers with seniority may be in particular danger as an enterprising district may decide to replace them at a moment’s notice with less-experienced teachers fresh from undergraduate school. No one is safe – job security and educational quality and experience have been sacrificed for money savings and rescuing the state from its multi-billion dollar deficit.

Deficits all around

It is no wonder then that the Grand Canyon State is facing a huge teaching shortage.

From a February 2009, The Arizona Republic article:

Mesa Assistant Superintendent Janice Ramirez said most teachers who leave the profession do so for reasons other than pay. Often, she said, they leave because they feel isolated, or the working conditions in their school are poor, or they start to see it as a professional dead end.

While most go into the teaching profession for the love and not the money, robbing the profession of its value, pride and job security is a huge step backwards.

Teach our children well?

Arizona teachers are currently among the lowest paid in the nation, with beginning teacher salaries at about $31,047 and the average salary at $45,941 [source]. This does not count the extra time and effort that it takes to be a music educator – such as the before and after school commitments, like fund-raising for supplies and instruments.

What am I telling my student music education majors wanting to teach children?

Get your degree and then, if possible … move to another state.