By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Arizona has struggled for years to retain public school teachers, and a new state survey is taking a different approach to understanding the problem, asking educators why they are staying rather than why they are leaving.
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The “Why I Stay: Educator Retention Survey 2026” found that the top reason teachers remain in Arizona classrooms is feeling safe at their school. State Superintendent Tom Horne said the finding aligns with a priority he has pushed during his time in office.
“I feel vindicated because that’s what I talk about when I talk to the legislature every year,” Horne said.
Horne said the number of police in Arizona schools has grown from 117 when the program started to nearly 500.
What the survey found
The survey collected responses from certified teachers who have chosen to remain in the classroom. Across open-ended responses, the most frequently cited reason for staying, appearing in 1,029 responses, was the relationship teachers have with their students and the impact of their work.
Approximately 70% to 85% of educators reported feeling safe and part of a positive school community. Satisfaction with leadership, professional growth, and student support systems was more varied, with moderate agreement levels of roughly 55% to 70%.
Workload and compensation ranked as the most significant challenges. Only 30% to 50% of respondents said workload, time demands, and class sizes were manageable. Fewer than 40% said their salary was competitive.
Horne described the retention situation as urgent. “It’s at a critical state. More teachers are leaving than are coming in,” he said.
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The survey is designed to identify what is working within the system. “What do teachers find in the system that’s working that’s causing them to stay?” Horne said.
Pay remains a persistent problem
Despite the focus on safety and school climate, compensation continues to drive teachers out of their districts. The survey also found that a portion of teachers described staying due to retirement proximity, financial necessity, or limited alternatives, a pattern the survey identified as conditional retention.
Raquel Mamani has taught in Arizona for years and said she remains committed to public education. Still, low pay is forcing her to leave her district in Maricopa County for a position in Santa Cruz County.
“I can’t afford to live in Maricopa County on a teacher salary,” Mamani said.
She said the decision was not about the work itself. “I adored my job, loved my students, loved the staff, loved working for the district that I worked in. But I just could not sustain my way of life here in Maricopa County,” Mamani said.
Mamani said her reason for staying in the profession comes down to a belief in public education. “I’m continuing to be a teacher here in Arizona because I care about public education, because I care about all students in Arizona, because I believe that public education and education is the cornerstone of a successful life and a healthy democracy,” she said.
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