Arizona continues to grapple with a shortage of teachers, but it's a little easier than ever before to get certified online.
Over a quarter of teaching positions in Arizona go unfilled, according to the state. State Superintendent Tom Horne says the new online system will make the process of filling those positions easier and more efficient.
Today, Arizona schools are losing ground on retaining teachers. Behind those kids in the classroom are also moments of stress.
"It's an extreme problem, it's a real emergency," said Tom Horne. "We've compiled statistics that we're losing more teachers than we're gaining."
The state is working on ways to increase retention rates, such as pay raises, and Horne says it's now focusing the same sort of energy on attracting new people to the profession.
"We have many classrooms now that have permanent substitutes instead of trained teachers," Horne said. "That's not good."
State numbers say more than half the teacher vacancies are filled with people who don't meet the state's teacher requirements.
"The schools have to put someone in the classroom, so they're putting substitutes in the classroom. Problem is, all you need is a high school degree to be a permanent substitute, and they're not really trained to do the job properly," Horne said.
Horne believes part of the solution is reducing the red tape and streamlining the process of getting certified.
"It used to be that people had to fill out paperwork and bring it down here, and it was a burden," Horne said. "Now it's all online."
Arizona has some of the lowest scores in the nation regarding education and is ranked the fifth-lowest state for high school graduation rates.
Horne believes having more certified teachers would make a difference and raise academic results.