Arizona Teachers Plan More Actions, Contemplate Walkout

PHOENIX, AZ – One week after flooding the capitol and demanding a 20 percent increase in pay, teachers across Arizona will be staging actions to bring attention to their low pay and what they say are problems with the state's education funding. Teachers in several districts have so-called "walk-ins" planned for Wednesday.

Teachers throughout the Chandler Unified district as well as teachers at Desert Ridge High, Glendale Elementary, and other schools have actions planned.

A "walk-in" is where the teachers carrying signs gather at a central point – often the school flagpole – where they are joined by students and parents and then "walk in" to the school together in a demonstration of unity.

The Arizona protests – dubbed the "RedforEd" campaign as protesters are urged to wear red – are part of a growing movement around the country. It started last month in West Virginia where teachers went on strike for eight days.

Teacher demonstrations have also spread to Kentucky, Oklahoma, Alaska, and other states.

While Arizona has had scattered teacher walkouts, there has not yet been a statewide action in that regard. It may still happen.

"We are absolutely willing to set a walk-out date," one of the lead organizers for Arizona Educators United, Noah Karvelis, a public school music teacher in Tolleson said. "We must do whatever we can to achieve our goals."

Karvelis says that before the group can take that step, they need to make sure that they have "widespread support throughout the state."

After the rally in Phoenix last week, Gov. Ducey quickly rejected the 20 percent demand, saying that he will not go higher than the 1 percent he's already offered. He added that there's 9 percent more money available to pay teachers than when he took office.

He did not mention that figure includes money added by the state to hire new teachers to accommodate an influx of new students.

As Patch reported, the National Education Association – the largest national teacher's organization – says the average pay for teachers in the state is the 37th lowest in the country.

Meanwhile, a study last year by the Morrison Institute at Arizona State University found that – when adjusted for statewide cost of living – elementary school teacher pay in Arizona is the lowest in the nation while high school teacher pay is 49th.

In addition to higher wages, teachers want education funding returned to the level it was ten years ago. The state legislature determined last year that, when adjusted for inflation, the state spends more than $900 per student less than it did in 2008.

Along with that, the teachers want a guarantee that the state will not cut taxes until per student spending reaches the national average. Currently, the state spends nearly $4,000 less per student than the national average of $11,392.

"We want to ensure students have access to highly qualified and experienced teachers, that educators are compensated fairly, and to improve the educational environment," Karvelis of Arizona Educators United said.

"These are all things Arizonans want in order to improve our state's future."

In addition to actions at the capitol and outside of schools, Arizona Educators United is using another old-fashioned tool to let their feelings be known – the U.S. Postal Service.

They have organized a "Happy Birthday Governor Ducey" campaign to send him birthday cards (he turns 54 on April 9).

Teachers and others are urged to send him notes and use the hashtag, #RedforEd.

Many have been posting pictures on the campaign's Facebook page.

Photo via Arizona Educators United.