Why are Arizona teachers leaving in droves?

• Twenty percent of first-year teachers are leaving the profession%2C far exceeding the national average
• Low pay%2C inadequate public respect and increased accountability without appropriate support are to blame
• Policymakers need to know that education needs sufficient and sustainable funding

Without an effective teacher in every Arizona classroom, our students will not fulfill their potential, the future of Arizona's economy will be short-circuited and all education reform efforts will fail.

Sounds dramatic.

It is.

A record number of teachers are leaving the classroom, leaving their profession and leaving Arizona. Recent estimates indicate we are losing approximately 20 percent of our first-year teachers and approximately 24 percent of our second-year teachers — far exceeding the national average.

Districts across Arizona, small and large, rural and urban, report a record number of vacancies heading into the 2015-16 school year. Districts that have never had a problem selecting from a sizable pool of qualified teacher candidates are now reporting ongoing vacancies.

TEACHER: Why I stay in the profession

FORMER TEACHER: Why I left teaching

The impact of our inability to fill every classroom with an effective teacher can be felt in myriad ways. There is no doubt that students will suffer. Lost opportunity to learn and stay on track for graduation and career preparation after high school will not help Arizona increase the education goals that have been set.

Increased accountability for student success is meaningless without a quality professional teaching force. To expect significant gains in student achievement when student learning is not facilitated by well-trained, experienced and committed teachers is to expect the improbable.

To address the crisis in teacher retention and recruitment, the state Department of Education created a statewide task force in the fall of 2014. Comprised of teachers, administrators, teacher preparation faculty and staff from the department, the task force has researched the causes and significance of the teacher shortage.

In a paper published in the spring of 2015, it shared recommendations for policymakers and practitioners.

The three most significant causes of the teacher shortage include poor compensation, inadequate public respect and increased accountability without appropriate support.

In 2013, the average Arizona teacher salary was approximately $49,000, while the national average was over $56,000. With dramatic budget cuts and less experienced teachers replacing experienced ones, that gap has widened.

Other professions offer teachers who possess college degrees and strong, varied skill sets higher compensation. Those offers are hard to resist when there is a family to support.

Teachers do not enter their profession hoping to get rich, but they do expect and deserve to earn a competitive salary commensurate with their education, skills and commitment. Teaching entails long days, all year long, filled with continuous professional learning, collaboration with families and colleagues and a laser-like focus on increasing academic achievement for all students.

In addition to expecting fair and adequate compensation, teachers also hope for public respect. Our public conversation about the value of teachers, the value of public education and our collective responsibility to Arizona's students should symbolize the importance our communities place on building a successful future for all Arizona residents.

Without good teachers, there will be no good schools. Without good schools, there will not be an adequate workforce to build a stronger economy. Without a stronger economy, the quality of life we all aspire to enjoy will not magically appear.

DUCEY: K-12 needs more money first, then reform

Educators embrace accountability. Everyday in the classroom, teachers are accountable to their students and parents. Everyday teachers ensure student progress toward meaningful learning goals.

They are held responsible for effective instruction, strong test scores and professional behavior. In return, teachers deserve to have access to the materials they need to do their jobs — a solid, aligned curriculum, appropriate instructional materials, ongoing, job-embedded professional development and time to plan and collaborate with peers.

Teachers' professional autonomy should be respected and preserved. Given the significant budget cuts with which schools have had to cope, access to those necessary resources are threatened. Increased accountability without appropriate support is ineffective.

Would we ask surgeons to perform complex medical procedures with inadequate training and tools? Would we ask businesses to increase profitability without the resources needed to improve efficiency and increase market share?

ADVOCATE: How to cut education (responsibly)

So, what can be done?

There are actions each of us can take to be part of the solution to the teacher shortage.

Clearly, more funding dedicated to building competitive salary structures and providing much needed resources should be directed to schools.

More than one survey has indicated a willingness by Arizona taxpayers to support increased funding to public schools. We must find significant, sustainable and equitable avenues to infuse additional dollars into school budgets.

Secondly, and critically important, we must elevate the respect we hold for the teaching profession.

Stop suggesting that anyone can teach. Stop discouraging talented young adults from pursuing a career in education. Encourage your friends who are seeking second careers to seriously consider using their talents in the classroom. Support your children's teachers. Support your local schools and teachers, even if you do not have children in school.

Be informed regarding the education issues in your community — know your governing board members, vote in bond and override elections, donate your education tax credit to a local public school and share positive stories about the successes of students and teachers.

The solutions to the current crisis in teacher retention are achievable with our collective awareness and commitment. We are all affected by the quality of our neighborhood schools, by the quality of education students receive and by the depth and effectiveness of our teaching force.

The students of today will be your future doctors, bankers, attorneys, engineers and neighbors. All of us, including those of us who do not have children currently in schools, have a vested interest in educating all children. We must maintain our commitment to the common good. Are we doing everything we can to ensure that teachers can do their best? Are we doing everything we can to ensure that our students grow into the next generation of our community leaders?

Communicate to legislators and the governor that sufficient and sustainable funding to retain effective public school teachers must be a top priority. Encourage the teachers you know. Consider becoming a teacher. Support talented young people to pursue teaching as a profession.

Make education a top priority.

Jennifer Johnson is executive director for Support Our Schools Az, a statewide grassroots, non-profit parent advocacy organization. An Arizona native, she has served as a school district superintendent and deputy superintendent of policy and programs for the Arizona Department of Education, where she created the Educator Retention and Recruitment Taskforce.