Arizona districts pay premiums to staffing firms for teachers. Who’s getting the money?

Arizona school districts are leaning hard on private staffing firms to keep classrooms open, and they are paying a premium to do it. A Cronkite News and The Beam investigation reports districts are paying nearly $80,000 per teacher to vendors like Amergis Educational Staffing while still lacking clear visibility into how much of that money reaches the educator in front of students.

The reliance is born of a deep shortage. As reported by Cronkite News, the Arizona Department of Education counted 4,379 vacancies statewide in October 2025, with Maricopa County districts carrying the largest share at 2,500. Between the last two school years, 8,523 teachers exited Arizona public schools, a loss described by Superintendent Tom Horne as a catastrophic state at the start of the 2025-26 year. The investigation found that, nationally, education staffing has become big business, with firms reporting billions in annual revenue.

The budget consequence shows up line by line. In Tucson Unified School District, Amergis charges a flat rate of 58 dollars per hour for a contracted general education teacher. At 7.5 hours per day over a 180-day school year, that invoice totals 78,300 dollars per teacher. By contrast, TUSD’s 2025-26 salary schedule lists a starting teacher salary of 48,400 dollars, and with 32 percent budgeted for benefits and related expenses, the district estimates a direct-hire starting cost of about 63,888 dollars. Cronkite News documented Amergis job postings at 32 to 35 dollars an hour for similar Tucson roles while the district was billed 58, leaving a gap of at least 23 dollars per hour. The outlet reported districts often do not know how much of their payment reaches the teacher. Amergis did not answer how districts gain pricing visibility, saying its all-inclusive rate covers recruiting, credentialing, background checks, payroll and benefits administration, and that compensation is contract-specific and varies by district and position.

TUSD leaders have described the bind in open meetings. In September 2024, Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo told the board that rotating long-term substitutes are not what students need, arguing for a full-time, highly qualified teacher for the year. The district employed six contracted general education teachers in 2024-25, a number that doubled in 2025-26, according to Cronkite News. Board member and TUSD parent Sadie Shaw has been skeptical of the growing reliance on vendors, saying in 2022 that the district keeps kicking the can down the road. In 2026 she called contracted hiring a necessary evil to avoid less-qualified long-term subs, while repeating her concern that the approach defers, rather than solves, the problem.

The mechanics are straightforward and fast. TUSD typically funds contracted services through savings from unfilled permanent positions, which can end up costing more than hiring directly once vendor fees and markups are added, Cronkite News reported. Agencies can identify candidates within 24 to 48 hours, with onboarding handled by the agency rather than the district. Ricky Hernandez, TUSD’s chief financial officer, said the teachers are on the vendor’s payroll. We get an invoice that tells us how much Teacher X at this school is being paid, he said, adding districts also know these are businesses that have to make a profit.

The money trail does not end in Arizona. Amergis grew out of Maxim Healthcare Services and expanded into education staffing in 2024. Cronkite News reported that public records tie Maxim’s past corporate filings to Allegis Group co-founders James Davis and Stephen Bisciotti, who is the majority owner of the Baltimore Ravens. In 2025, Staffing Industry Analysts ranked Allegis Group as the largest U.S. staffing firm with 9.3 billion dollars in revenue and 5 percent of the market. Amergis told reporters that Amergis, Allegis Group, Maxim Healthcare and Redwood Holdings operate as separate entities. A lobbying arm representing those entities described them in 2025 Maryland testimony as a family of companies and the largest privately held company headquartered in Maryland.

The sector is expanding because school-year placements give agencies more predictable contracts than other temp markets. It is a bit of a tipping point, said Timothy Landhuis of Staffing Industry Analysts, who told Cronkite News that healthcare staffing firms added specialized education recruiters as demand for special education teachers, speech therapists and behavioral specialists overlapped with their existing lines of business.

Rural districts are feeling the same pressure. Holbrook Unified Superintendent Robbie Koerperich said it is getting harder to find certified high school teachers in some subjects. He does not fault teachers who work through agencies, telling Cronkite News they are probably making what every teacher should be making, estimating 70,000 to 80,000 dollars for math or science. Another administrator, Huitt, called contracted staffing a Band-Aid and argued the state should prioritize how it funds education to address low pay that fuels the shortage.

International hiring, often a stopgap for hard-to-fill roles, may be harder to sustain. Cronkite News reported that rising visa costs for international teachers could deepen shortages and push districts toward even more reliance on staffing firms, and that changes to the H-1B visa process under President Donald Trump threaten a tenuous system. On the Tohono O’odham Nation, Baboquivari Unified expects to lose international teachers as visas expire, including a fourth-grade teacher, Cerelo Flores, leaving after five years because his visa requires it.

Local boards cannot fix state and federal labor markets, but they can tighten up stewardship at home. Before approving any new staffing contract, publish the full per-hour rate, every administrative add-on, and the minimum and maximum pay the worker will actually receive. Tie extensions to retention metrics, not rollover convenience. If the district is paying more for a contractor than a direct hire, say so plainly in the agenda packet and explain why the classroom still benefits. Sunshine is the cheapest tool we have. If we are going to pay a premium to keep classrooms staffed, residents deserve a clean accounting of where each dollar goes and whether it buys stability for students.

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