Bill 5 · Education

Why Can't Rural Schools Recruit Teachers?

Personal

I dropped out of Safford High. Not because it was hard. Because my physics teacher was actually the biology teacher, and he couldn't answer basic questions.

I went to Eastern Arizona College, earned 120 credits, and was named Engineering Student of the Year 2022. The system failed me. I routed around it. Not every kid can do that.

The Problem

Rural schools can't compete on salary. There's no housing assistance for teachers in small towns. Funding formulas don't account for rural costs — transportation, facility maintenance, smaller class pools. Teacher vacancies go unfilled for years.

Kids in Graham County get a worse education than kids in Scottsdale. Not because they're less capable. Because Phoenix doesn't fund rural schools fairly.

The Bill

The Arizona Education Equity Act fixes the funding formula so rural students get the resources they need, creates a Rural Teacher Recruitment Fund with housing assistance and loan forgiveness, expands dual enrollment partnerships with community colleges like EAC, and requires state reporting on teacher vacancies by district.

"Eastern Arizona College saved my trajectory. It should be the start, not the backup plan."

"Kids in Graham County are just as smart as kids in Scottsdale. They just don't get the same resources."