PHOENIX — To tackle the teacher shortage in their schools, Phoenix Union High School District has partnered with a national program to help fill 150 teacher vacancies.
PXU partnered with iTeach, an alternative teacher preparation and certification program that allows those with a bachelor’s degree to get an alternative teaching certificate.
Phoenix Union will take the lead in recruiting teacher candidates, while iTeach will provide the necessary training.
“They basically recruit qualified staff that would be able to come in and start working for us right away,” said Deane Williams, PXU’s talent director. “It’s been challenging recruiting qualified teachers, and this will help.”
Williams said this program is one of the several options they are exploring to hire educators.
“We’re trying to remove all barriers for individuals to become teachers and be able to also get the training and the coursework that’s required to allow them to be effective in the classroom,” Williams said.
The online program takes about a month to complete and costs around $4,200 dollars. The district will not cover the cost.
Candidates will be required to take two courses to move into the alternative pathway and need to pass a content knowledge test that would align with the subject they want to teach, Williams said.
A survey conducted by The Arizona School Personnel Administration Association in September found that 29.7% of teaching positions were unfilled across the state—2,229 positions. That’s slightly higher than the 26.6% vacancy rate from that same time last year.
The survey also found that 53.2% of vacancies are filled by teachers who do not meet the state’s standard certification requirements—3,997 positions.
Williams said current district staff who aren’t currently teachers but have a bachelor’s degree, have expressed interest in the program. This will help them recruit from within the district.
If candidates pass the necessary courses and tests, they expect them to start at the beginning of the next school year, in January.
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