Education in Arizona is a tough subject for both parents and officials.
Teachers aren’t paid enough, their budgets continue to be cut, and the requirements of what students must be taught each year keeps increasing.
In January, the Arizona Department of Education said 15,000 teachers will be eligible for retirement over the next four years and that new teachers tend to leave after their first few years on the job due to low wages. Both will set the state up for a teacher shortage.
Related: ADE report says state in a teacher crisis
WalletHub.com released a new report this week of 2015’s Best and Worst States for Teachers and Arizona did not rank well.
According to the report, Arizona ranked 49th overall, just two spots shy of being the worst on the list, which includes the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The Valley of the Sun also ranked among the worst for lowest annual salaries (49th), highest pupil-to-teacher ratio (49th), lowest public school spending per student (51st), and worst school system (48th).
Our highest ranking--#2—was for lowest competition among teachers.
The report pulled data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Education Association and National Center for Education Statistics, to weigh average salaries, income growth potential, unemployment rate, safest schools, among others.
Massachusetts was listed as the best state for teachers, followed by Virginia, Minnesota, Wyoming and New Jersey. Aside from Arizona, Oregon (47), Mississippi (48), North Carolina (50) and West Virginia (51) rounded out the bottom five.
2015'S BEST AND WORST STATES FOR TEACHERS
