Grace Greeno comes from a family full of educators.

The Grand Canyon University student said she has long known about her passion for teaching and is now preparing for her graduation this spring. Both of her parents are teachers, as is her older sister, who also graduated from GCU, a private Christian university in west Phoenix.

She’s a student teacher at a school in Phoenix, focusing on helping students wrap their brains around algebra.

“This is absolutely where I want to be. This is making a difference in the lives of students and kids," Greeno said. "That's just where I feel called."

Greeno is one of the students some lawmakers at the state Legislature say should have access to a statewide scholarship fund called Arizona Teachers Academy. The program allows students interested in teaching to receive a scholarship paying for tuition and fees for each year they agree to teach at an Arizona public school.

The money is currently only available for students enrolled at public universities and post-baccalaureate students at community colleges. Several bills making their way in the Legislature look to expand the funding to more community college and private school students, arguing that making the money available will bolster the state’s teaching workforce.

The program is popular, with a wait list for interested students at Arizona State University. Officials with Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona are still waiting to determine if they will have students on their wait list next year.

Created in 2017 by then-Governor Doug Ducey, the program looks to address the shortage of teachers in the state’s classrooms. For the past several years, the program has had an enrollment of close to 3,300 students.

Community colleges, private schools look to additional funding

Arizona has seen a persistent shortage of qualified teachers. Roughly one-quarter of open positions remained unfilled a month into the school year, according to data from the Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association. Several school leaders have pointed to the Arizona Teachers Academy as giving them a meaningful boost in recruiting teachers.

Only a handful of students at the Marciopa County Community College District have had access to the money from the scholarship program. The more than 3,700 students pursuing education-related bachelor's degrees are excluded from the funding because of the way the law is currently written.

Mirror bills in the Arizona House and Senate would change that, looking to include those students from community colleges across the state. Leaders with the school have supported the bill, saying that even though community colleges consistently offer bachelor's degrees at less than a one-third of the cost of Arizona universities, they don't get the funding. Students at MCCCD are also typically receiving Pell Grant funding and other scholarships, bringing less of a burden to the scholarship pool provided by the Arizona Teachers Academy.

"We get three times the number of teachers for that same investment, even if our students were drawing down the maximum possible amount," said Lauren Armour, MCCCD government relations director. She noted the bill has seen bipartisan support since its introduction. Leaders with the district said including their programs in the scholarship would mean even more students enrolling.

Meggin Kirk, a program director at Paradise Valley Community College, noted the higher share of students from nontraditional pathways — ones looking to change careers or to return to school.

“As our state becomes more and more diverse, I think that it's important to diversify our teaching population,” she said.

Another bill sponsored by Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, would open up the funding to students at private universities — like GCU and Arizona Christian University — and add $10 million in overall funding. A student at a private school would not be able to receive more funding than those at public schools, with the private school having to cover the remainder of tuition and fees left unmet.

Meredith Critchfield, dean of GCU's College of Education, said her program has continued to grow despite not being able to access the scholarship money. Since 1961, nearly 100,000 students have graduated from the college.

"We've innovated without taxpayer dollars largely," Critchfield said. "And I think that's important to note."

For students like Greeno, that money would go far. Even with scholarships she received from GCU, she said more than a third of her tuition was left to pay. To help, she took out student loans.

"Looking at teacher salaries after graduation, that can also be a little bit daunting," Greeno said. "Especially if you have to take out loans."

Several lawmakers, including Rep. Stephanie Simacek, questioned whether private schools should receive public funds. Simacek, a GCU education graduate herself, noted the flexibility the university has over its own tuition prices as a private institution. The school has kept its tuition on its main campus frozen for the last 16 years.

Around 75 to 90% of GCU education graduates go on to teach at public schools, according to Critchfield.

'We're bringing more hungry mouths to feed'

While Arizona Teachers Academy has offered financial assistance to thousands of students, it has faced its hurdles.

Last year, the state budget passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs saw the scholarship’s funding cut in half, to $15 million from $30 million the year before. Afterward, Arizona State University said it would not be able to serve about 800 new students through the scholarship that year because of the funding reduction. Many of the schools have pointed to the program as a contributor to growing education enrollment and have made a case for increased funding.

In a Senate Education Committee meeting in February, education officials and legislators shared their concerns on making more students eligible for funding.

The Arizona Board of Regents, the body overseeing the state's public university system and the entity responsible for distributing the funding for the Arizona Teachers Academy, has been neutral on the expansion proposals. That's because the board sees the benefit of including more students in the program, said Thomas Adkins, vice president of government affairs and community relations with the board. But he also noted the strain it could bring, particularly since one of the bills does not include more funding.

"We're at the dinner table; there's insufficient food now, " Adkins said. "And we're bringing more hungry mouths to feed."

Adkins thanked the community colleges for the work already being done to address the state's teacher shortage.

In a January committee meeting, Donelle Ruwe, NAU associate dean of professional education programs, said one of the biggest barriers for recruitment is the volatility of program funding. Due to tight margins, officials will sometimes choose to hold off on recruiting students when it's unclear if there is enough money to go around.