If I weren’t living it, I wouldn’t believe it.
As Vail wraps up the first quarter of the school year, we still have an unfilled social studies position.
On a recent weekend we ran a sizable color ad regarding our vacant social studies position. On the following Tuesday we received one application — from a teacher who had been dismissed by another school district.
In 37 years of hiring teachers, I’ve never experienced this before. Of course there is often a struggle to find quality candidates for those “hard-to-fill” positions like math and special education. But, even when I was recruiting for remote villages in Alaska, there was always a sizable stack of quality social studies applicants from which to choose.
Vail is most fortunate to have a supportive community and a good reputation. We are also located near a major university in a large metropolitan area. If Vail struggles to fill a social studies position, consider what must be happening in the many school districts in Arizona that do not enjoy our advantages. A recent survey of 61 school districts by Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association provided an uncomfortable answer: More than 600 classrooms are being covered by substitute teachers.
I am writing this piece because of the profound impact my social studies teachers had on me. Mr. Vis’ impassioned comments about current events broke into my self-centered adolescent mind with a critical message: “This is important stuff.” Mr. Barber, took the risk of dividing our class into “privileged” and “underprivileged” groups. His simulation activity interfered with my attempt at a classroom nap long enough to embed a strong emotional message about social justice. That lesson lives with me today.
We are appreciative and proud of our substitute teachers. We don’t mind giving our students a civics test. However, substitutes and mandated tests cannot replace the lifetime impact of teachers like Mr. Vis and Mr. Barber.
Where are the teachers like Mr. Vis and Mr. Barber today? I’m proud to report many are teaching in Vail and other districts across the state. But, demand has exceeded supply. Too many of our best teachers have either left teaching or are teaching in another state. They had to pay the bills for their families.
Our State Board of Education is suing the state superintendent, and she has filed assault charges against the president of the board. The state treasurer is engaging the governor in a personal battle regarding a possible source of education funding. The Legislature is ignoring a vote of the people and the direction of a judge to increase funding for schools.
Meanwhile, the money necessary to enable quality teachers to return to our classrooms sits in excess tax collections and a rainy day fund. More funds could be made available with the governor’s state trust land proposal.
The adults in the state’s leadership positions and we, the adults who elected them, have no excuse for shortchanging our children.
As you hopefully learned from your social studies teacher, “This is important stuff.”
The question is what are we going to do about it?
