The Tucson Unified School District is responding to Governor Doug Ducey's new bill making it easier to get teaching certificates.
The new bill lets people with professional credentials in certain fields take a "shortcut" to become educators. T.U.S.D. plans to take advantage of the exceptions this new bill creates.
According to district officials, it will not only help them ease a teacher shortage they have been battling for years but also continue hiring exceptional teachers. The districts says it allows them to continue targeting people both traditionally prepared and those admitted into the profession through alternative certification programs.
T.U.S.D. provided us with the following statement:
The district will continue to actively recruit diverse potential or certified teachers and to seek to hire the most effective teachers available. We will continue to target individuals who are both traditionally prepared and those admitted into the profession through alternative certification programs.
We have exceptional teachers currently in our district who seek to make our communities better and love our schools and students. Our students deserve to have great teachers and role models In front of them and in TUSD we would want anyone joining our team to have a heart for students and are committed to making a difference. If the broadened certification opportunities in the state will assist in building access for great teachers, we support that effort. –Janet Rico Uhrig, Director of Talent Acquisition and Recruitment
Senate Bill 1042 creates exceptions that allow people to enter the classroom while they get their certification. Governor Ducey says it empowers principals to make hiring decisions and attract the best individuals to serve students in our state.
Many school districts opposed the new bill arguing it bypasses the state's requirements for a teaching credential and simply lowers the standards.
The new rules will come as soon as next summer, as superintendents and principals get ready to hire new teachers for the following school year.
