A record number of educators — 41 Democrats and 31 Republicans — ran for the Arizona Legislature during the current campaign cycle. || Phoenix New Times photo illustration
ELIAS WEISS || Phoenix New Times
Arizona teachers are evacuating the classroom in record numbers. Where are they going? The state legislature — if the voters allow.
During the last midterm elections in 2018, more than 40 candidates with a background in education vied for seats in the Arizona Legislature, double the national average, and set a record at the time in Arizona. This year, the election cycle started with 72. Fed-up teachers are sending a message — they want better teacher pay, smaller class sizes, more experienced teachers, and more emphasis on early childhood education and access to mental health resources — and are willing to run for office to address their concerns.
More than half of the educators turned candidates are Democrats. Forty-one Democratic educators ran for seats in the state legislature this year, compared with just 11 in 2018. Of those 41, 22 made it past the primary and are on the November 8 ballot. Only four made it to the general election in 2018.
Among the 31 Republican educators that started this election season, 18 made it to the November election. Several of them are incumbent state lawmakers.
“Our legislative candidates are dedicated to improving educational outcomes for children, and that starts with strong public schools,” said Elsa O’Callaghan, executive director of the Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. “We are so proud to have educators knocking on doors and speaking to voters across the state about Democratic candidates who are more interested in finding concrete solutions to support teachers and schools, not scoring political points on Twitter.”
Cindy Hans, a Chandler Democrat who’s gunning for a seat in the Arizona Senate, was a teacher and middle school principal in Scottsdale for more than 30 years. After retiring last year, she decided to throw her hat in the ring. She called the legislature the “legislative faculty” due to the number of educators turned candidates. “In my life, I have never seen this number of educators run for office,” she said.
Hans, whose campaign logo fittingly features a red apple, explained why she and so many of her contemporaries are suddenly attracted to the political arena.
“The growth in the interest of teachers getting involved in politics has been pretty organic,” Hans said. “There has always been this knowledge among teachers that the schools aren’t allowed to spend money unless it’s allocated by the government. So, let’s become part of the government.”
Jeanne Casteen, a north Phoenix Democrat, is running for a seat in the state Senate. Evan Bejar
Poor Pay, Growing Vacancies
Arizona ranks 47th in quality of education and dead last among states in teacher pay. The average public school teacher salary in Arizona was $54,817 in September, which is nearly $12,000 below the U.S. average of more than $65,000
