Arizona Teachers Vote To Walk Out Next Thursday

PHOENIX, AZ – Teachers across the state have voted to walk out. The leaders of Arizona Educators United announced the decision late Thursday night.

They said that of the more than 55,000 teachers and other school employees who voted, 77 percent voted for a walkout.

The walkout will begin next Thursday. They have not yet set a date on when teachers will return.

"We need change," Noah Karvelis, one of the leaders of AEU, said at a press conference announcing the results. (Get Phoenix Patch's daily newsletter and real-time news alerts. Or, find your local Patch here and subscribe).

Karvelis said that the date was picked to give districts time to prepare.

Gov. Ducey responded, saying: "No one wants to see teachers strike. If schools shut down, our kids are the ones who lose out. We have worked side by side with the education community to develop a sustainable plan to give teachers a 20 percent raise by 2020.

Teachers are demanding a 20 percent pay increase and eduction funding to be restored to 2008 levels.

While Gov. Ducey – who has refused to meet with teachers – said for weeks that he would not offer more than a 1 percent increase, last week he offered 19 percent over three years.

Teachers and others have expressed skepticism about the plan, citing a lack of a plan to make it sustainable and the fact that it would cannibalize funding from other essential programs.

The Arizona PTA announced on Wednesday that, after further research, they are withdrawing their support for the governor's proposal.

"We can no long support the governor's proposal," says Arizona PTA president, Beth Simek, who added that they hope the governor comes up with a plan that "does not hurt others in the process."

Karvelis said that the governor's plan "falls short for us in a lot of different ways.

"This doesn't do enough for our kids and colleagues."

Arizona teachers are part of a growing movement around the country that started with striking teachers in West Virginia and has spread to states including Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Alaska. In the past few weeks, they have seen support growing for their demands for a 20 percent increase in pay and a restoration of funding to education.

Arizona teachers are among the lowest paid in the country and even if they received a 20 percent hike, they would still make less than the nationwide average.

Many Arizona teachers work two or more jobs in addition to teaching so that they can pay the bills.

Ducey had responded for weeks by insisting that teachers would only receive a 1 percent pay increase and insisted that he would not meet with them.

Last Wednesday, teachers across the state staged a "walk-in" where they were joined by supporters as they walked in to school that day. Organizers estimate more than 110,000 people participated.

They are also upset with Ducey for not offering to increase education funding overall.

Patch recently reported on teachers using decades old textbooks, having broken equipment, and teaching in rooms with holes in the ceiling and torn carpet.

Teachers also 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.

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Photo of Noah Karvelis via Arizona Educators Untied.