Recent headlines have suggested teachers are fleeing Arizona in record numbers.

Data from the Arizona Department of Education show 62 percent of the districts who responded to a survey during the 2013-2014 school year said they had openings for teachers. There was also an increase in the number of long-term substitutes working in teaching positions.

To find out how big this issue is, we turn to Joe Thomas, a teacher in Mesa Public School and vice president of the Arizona Education Association.