Hoffman pushes teacher retention
In her State of Education address, Hoffman also promotes charter reform
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman praised Gov. Doug Ducey’s #20by2020 plan as a “good start” in increasing teacher salaries, but called on state lawmakers to offer more education funding solutions during her 2019 State of Education Address Monday at the state Capitol.
Hoffman’s speech was a balancing act between her identities as a former educator who marched with #RedForEd and a newly elected Democratic politician who will have to cross the aisle and work with Republican leadership if she wants to make significant changes.
As she called for higher teacher pay and charter school reform, she also applauded Republican proposals to reform the state’s strict four-hour English Language Learner instruction block.
She did not directly mention the #RedForEd movement, but stressed the important role educators play in schools.
“Let’s be clear: Student success is not possible without highly qualified teachers in the classroom,” she said. “We absolutely must advance teacher recruitment and retention, which means competitive pay and benefits across the board.”
Hoffman was elected last year as the first Democrat to lead Arizona schools since the 1990s. She replaced Republican Diane Douglas. Her speech laid out her legislative priorities for the year and outlined broader goals for her time in office.
Competitive pay, teaching ELL
Hoffman dedicated a significant chunk of her speech to discussing funding, particularly its role in recruiting and retaining teachers, as the state grapples with a years-long teacher shortage.
“Year after year, we have seen a devastating number of teachers leave the profession or move out of state,” she said. “What’s more, in the next two years, 25 percent of Arizona’s educators will be eligible to retire.”
She said Ducey’s raise plan limits the definition of teacher, leaving out support staff, art teachers and special education teachers. Specifically, Hoffman urged legislators to come up with more funding for education and said she was encouraged that lawmakers have already begun discussing funding legislation.
“We must provide these necessary supports to allow educators to focus on their primary purpose: Teaching fu-
“Let’s be clear: Student success is not possible without highly qualified teachers in the classroom. We absolutely must advance teacher recruitment and retention.” Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman In her State of Education address
ture generations,” she said. “It’s a matter of respect.”
Hoffman, who speaks Spanish, Japanese and English, also called for an end to the state’s four-hour mandatory instruction block for English Language Learners.
She wants those students to spend more time with their English-speaking peers.
Lawmakers have introduced two bills this year to add more flexibility to that mandatory block.
“Many businesses across the state are desperate for bilingual employees,” she said. “But Arizona suffers from high drop-out rates of English-learning students.”
Call for more counselors
Hoffman’s speech also spotlighted the need for more school counselors, social workers and psychologists.
“The number of children dealing with trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences —including parental substance abuse associated with the opioid epidemic — has risen dramatically over the last few decades,” she said. “At the same time, educators have seen an increase in behavioral challenges.”
Ducey’s 2019 budget proposal, unveiled last month, includes funding for more behavioral counselors, but also would increase the number of police officers in schools. Hoffman opposed more officers in schools on the campaign trail, but she has been quiet on the topic since her election and did not address the governor’s proposal during her speech.
She did say that supporting students’ emotional wellbeing “also means creating an inclusive environment for children from all backgrounds,” citing the need to reduce discrimination and bullying of LGBT students.
She called for legislators to repeal what she called the state’s “no promo homo” law, which bans some AIDS education because it “promotes a homosexual lifestyle.” Democrats have introduced bills for years to overturn the law, but Republican leadership never puts them up for a vote.
Another theme in Hoffmans’ address: transparency.
The new superintendent called for bipartisan solutions to increase accountability for charter schools. She also said she appreciated Ducey’s recommendation to increase the number of staff members at the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools.
“The main purpose of charter schools should be to educate our children — not to profit at the expense of our communities,” she said. “Any charter expenditure must be in the best interest of schools and the students they serve.”
A few legislators have proposed bills to strengthen accountability of charter schools.
In an effort to also strengthen the accountability of the entire education system, Hoffman said she will look for any problems within the Arizona Department of Education, via an internal audit she promised while on the campaign trail.
During the speech, she said the audit has already begun and will give a “topto-bottom” look at the education department’s operations and finances.
“This audit is not meant to be punitive — it is a tool for holding me accountable to my constituents,” she said.