Arizona

Arizona faces ‘severe’ teacher shortage; most instructors don‘t meet requirements

Published

1 year ago

October 19, 2024

Arizona faces ‘severe’ teacher shortage; most instructors don‘t meet requirements

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A recent survey shows Arizona’s teacher shortage is now severe.

Nearly 78% of our teaching positions are vacant or filled by teachers who don’t meet standard requirements. As of last month, there were 2,260 vacancies statewide.

Arizona’s Family interviewed the State Superintendent of Education, Tom Horne, and the Arizona Teacher’s Union President, Marisol Garcia. They agree that the state is losing teachers but disagree on how to fix the problem.

“We are losing more teachers than are coming into the classroom,” Horne said.

A recent survey conducted by the Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association shows the state of the teacher shortage in Arizona.

“This is a serious problem, and we need serious solutions,” said Garcia. “We can actually solve this instead of having to talk about the teacher retention issue every year. It’s getting old.”

The data shows that the majority of teaching positions in the state either remain vacant or are filled by people who do not meet the standard teacher requirements. This means the positions are filled by what’s known as alternative methods.

State law allows people with experience in their fields to start teaching so long as they pass a certification course within three years, something you can even do online.

The survey showed that these alternative measures fill 52.2% of teacher positions. Meanwhile, 25.4% of teacher positions remain vacant several weeks into the school year.

“I think that these folks have every intention of being qualified educators, and I think they have a lot to help with content,” said Garcia, who believes this method is choosing quantity over quality.

She argues while more teachers are in the classroom, they are not improving Arizona’s education system.

“I think the hope was we just need to get a warm body in front of these students. But my son deserves more than a warm body. I think most parents want more than a warm body,” Garcia said.

Horne disagrees and thinks the survey exaggerates the issue.

“The classes that don’t have any qualified person to teach them at the moment are roughly 4% … It’s still a serious problem because it means you have a class or two where the students don’t have someone properly prepared to teach them,” Horne said. ”We are losing more teachers than are coming into the classroom.”

Horne and Garcia agree that Arizona’s teachers should be paid more. Our state routinely ranks last in teacher pay.

“Just like any professional, you are going to stay when you feel like you are being treated with respect, when you have a professional wage,” Garcia said.

“We have got to increase the salaries of our teachers, which is very important,” said Horne.

The legislature would need to approve increasing funding for education to increase teacher salaries in the state.

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Arizona

Arizona Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for Dec. 23, 2025

Published

2 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Press Room

Arizona Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for Dec. 23, 2025

The Arizona Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025 results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers

15-37-38-41-64, Mega Ball: 21

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers

4-1-4

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Fantasy 5 numbers

04-14-23-26-34

Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Triple Twist numbers

01-02-14-22-26-34

Check Triple Twist payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news and results

What time is the Powerball drawing?

Powerball drawings are at 7:59 p.m. Arizona time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

How much is a Powerball lottery ticket today?

In Arizona, Powerball tickets cost $2 per game, according to the Arizona Lottery.

How to play the Powerball

To play, select five numbers from 1 to 69 for the white balls, then select one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball.

You can choose your lucky numbers on a play slip or let the lottery terminal randomly pick your numbers.

To win, match one of the 9 Ways to Win:

5 white balls + 1 red Powerball = Grand prize.
5 white balls = $1 million.
4 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $50,000.
4 white balls = $100.
3 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $100.
3 white balls = $7.
2 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $7.
1 white ball + 1 red Powerball = $4.
1 red Powerball = $4.

There’s a chance to have your winnings increased two, three, four, five and 10 times through the Power Play for an additional $1 per play. Players can multiply non-jackpot wins up to 10 times when the jackpot is $150 million or less.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Arizona Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $100 and may redeem winnings up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Arizona Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket and a copy of a government-issued ID to P.O. Box 2913, Phoenix, AZ 85062.

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID to any of these locations:

Phoenix Arizona Lottery Office: 4740 E. University Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4400. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Tucson Arizona Lottery Office: 2955 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85716, 520-628-5107. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Phoenix Sky Harbor Lottery Office: Terminal 4 Baggage Claim, 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4424. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.

Kingman Arizona Lottery Office: Inside Walmart, 3396 Stockton Hill Road, Kingman, AZ 86409, 928-753-8808. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://www.arizonalottery.com/.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy Arizona lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arizona Republic editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Arizona

5 big Powerball lotto prizes won across Arizona days before Christmas

Published

14 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

5 big Powerball lotto prizes won across Arizona days before Christmas

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Five more lucky lotto players are heading into the holidays with a little extra cash in their pockets.

According to state lottery officials, the big winning tickets were sold around Arizona, each worth $50,000.

The tickets were sold at:

Goldfield Chevron
- 3265 S. Goldfield Rd, Apache Junction, AZ
Circle K
- 2088 W. Orange Grove Rd, Tucson, AZ
QuikTrip
- 918 E. Baseline Rd, Tempe, AZ
Desert Springs Travel Center
- 4031 Fleet St., Littlefield, AZ
Terrible’s
- 19985 N. Hwy 93, White Hills, AZ

The winning numbers from Monday’s drawing were 3, 18, 36, 41, 54 and Powerball 7. Nine $1 million tickets were sold nationwide.

The jackpot remains unclaimed and is estimated at $1.7 billion — the fourth largest ever — with the next drawing set for Christmas Eve.

Powerball tickets cost $2 per play, with odds of winning the jackpot sitting at 1 in 292.2 million, according to the lottery.

More information on games and prizes can be found on the Arizona Lottery website.

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Arizona

No. 1 Arizona wraps up Bethune Cookman 107-71

Published

1 day ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

No. 1 Arizona wraps up Bethune Cookman 107-71

Arizona wrapped up their pre-Christmas schedule with a nice bow in the form of a 36 point victory over Bethune Cookman. Seven players scored double figures as Brayden Burries lead the game with 20 points. Partway through the first half Mabil Mawut was ejected from the game while on the bench, a rare occurrence under the Tommy Lloyd led team. Arizona will take Christmas off with practice resuming on the 26th and their next game at home on the 29th.

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