Story by Grant Johnson, Lex Doig and Lavanya Paliwal
Just before Sadie Shaw’s daughter started her first day at Dodge Traditional Middle Magnet School in Tucson last year, her daughter’s math teacher abruptly resigned. A long-term substitute stepped in. Then another. Then another. A math teacher from the grade above coached the subs as they rotated through.
Shaw has another vested interest in solving the teacher shortage in the Tucson Unified School District — she sits on its governing board. Her daughter’s teacher left the district before the start of the 2025-26 school year. At least 8,523 educators exited Arizona public schools between the last two academic years. That’s a loss nearly three times greater than the number of new teachers certified to replace them…