The COVID-19 pandemic has had a limited impact on the state’s teaching workforce overall, according new report released Wednesday by the Arizona Department of Education along with the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and the Helios Decision Center for Educational Excellence at Arizona State University. 

The report found the number of teachers in both rural and urban areas did not significantly change this past year.

“There was a shifting of some of the teachers as to where they taught, but other than that there wasn’t a mass exodus," said ADE's Director of Educator Recruitment and Retention Steve Larson.    

This also includes retirements, which Larson said weren't high this past year. But the report doesn't mean Arizona's teacher shortage has gone away. 

"We're pretty confident in that. That problem is still in place," he said. 

The report, did find however, find a significant decline in teachers that work with high-needs or at-risk students. This includes reading interventionists and bilingual teachers.

“To see that we have a shortage in those areas that is higher than in some of our other areas is troubling so we know that we need to in our work moving forward, we need to make sure that we support those teachers and find supports for those teachers so they feel like they can stay in those positions." 

The report also found the number of teachers working at charters or online schools increased. That’s likely in response to the enrollment growth those schools saw, Larson said.