Tucson School Board Closes Schools For Week, Adds Days To Year

TUSCON, AZ – Parents and students in the Tucson Unified School District should make plans for the rest of the week. The district's governing board voted unanimously Tuesday night to close the schools for the rest of the week.

Before you get too excited, they also decided that any days that are missed will be added to the end of the year.

Teachers, meanwhile, will still work their 207-day contract plus the extended calendar.

The move was in response to the ongoing teacher walkout taking place across the state. (Get Tucson Patch's daily newsletter and real-time news alerts. Or, find your local Patch here and subscribe).

The good news on that front is that the teachers announced on Tuesday that they are prepared to return to work on Thursday if the state legislature passes a funding bill on Wednesday.

That doesn't seems as unrealistic as it did even just a few days ago.

The bill being considered provides more money for both schools and for raises – though not nearly to the extent that teachers had demanded when they walked out last Thursday.

The teachers, who are among the lowest paid in the country, had been asking for 20 percent raises. Even that level would leave Arizona teachers making below the national average.

Many teachers hold two, three, or even four jobs so that they can pay their bills.

The ten percent hike that the legislature is poised to deliver, however, is significantly higher than Gov. Ducey's original proposal of 1 percent pay increases for teachers.

The downside is that the proposal only provides raises for teachers who have their own classes. Other educators, such as reading specialists and counselors, are left out.

The current plan also restores $100 million in funding for schools – well below the $400 million that has been cut over the past ten years. Teachers had demanded the full amount be restored.
Tens of thousands of teachers have gathered for four days outside the capitol to bring awareness to what they say are the substandard working conditions that they teach in.
Since 2009, the state has cut almost $400 million in payments to school districts that they use for expenses such as new textbooks and repairs to schools.

The state legislature recently determined that because of the cuts, the state spends more than $900 less per student than it did ten years ago. The state spends nearly $4,000 less per student than the national average of $11,392.
Patch recently reported on teachers sharing pictures of outdated textbooks and classrooms in need of repairs.

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Photo via TUSD.