A new report shows that nearly 2,000 teaching positions in Arizona remain vacant four months into the school year.

And 866 have quit since August or just never showed up.

The survey of 172 districts and charter schools also found that more than 3,400 teaching positions that schools had hoped to fill this year are being staffed by individuals not meeting standard teaching requirements. That includes not just individuals who are awaiting certification but also student teachers, those with emergency certification and those who are teaching interns while pursuing alternate methods of certification.

The numbers did not surprise state schools chief Diane Douglas. She said the problem is a combination of low salaries — Arizona is 50th in the nation for paying elementary school teachers and 48th for those in high school classrooms — and bureaucratic hassles ranging from paperwork to overly restrictive rules on how teachers are supposed to give lessons.

http://www.mohavedailynews.com/news/supervisor-wants-answers-about-state-contractor-s-slow-payments-to/article_0ffbf296-ef83-11e7-94b7-5fc8fb16f580.html