Marking the fourth day of strikes, Arizona teachers said Tuesday that they will continue rallying at the capitol grounds through Wednesday to push lawmakers to support their demands for more education funding, according to a Facebook post on the Arizona Educators United page.
On Monday, Joe Thomas, president of the Arizona Education Association told KNXV-TV, “We’ve not seen a lot of trust with the legislative process, and the governor so far.”
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) responded to teachers by proposing to raise teacher pay by 20 percent by 2020 and dedicating $371 million in new funding over five years for education needs, such as new school buses, revamped infrastructure, and enhanced technology and curricula. But teachers say they need more details on the proposal before they support it.
Striking teachers said they want a 20 percent raise, no new tax cuts until per pupil funding reaches the national average, competitive pay for educational support staff and restoration of education funding to 2008 levels.
Three kindergarten teachers leaving the protest said they will be at the AZ Capitol every day until a deal is reached.
"We're in it for the long haul," said Nanette Swanson (left) who has taught for 25 years. #RedForEd #Red4Ed @azcentral pic.twitter.com/v1j5GtHU2K— Rebekah L. Sanders🦅 (@RebekahLSanders) April 30, 2018
In a Facebook video on Monday evening, Las Brisas Elementary School kindergarten teacher Kelley Fisher, an organizer with Arizona Educators United, said teachers need to go out to their communities on Tuesday. She said teachers should self-organize events and meet members of the community for donuts and coffee or do a community walk.
“We need to keep them informed so we can keep their support,” she said. “They need to understand our side, not just what they hear through the media. So we want you to explain your reasoning, thank them, and let them know we miss the kids, and if they bring the kids make sure that you greet them like you would any other day.”
She added that teachers should let their communities know how they can get involved in the movement, such as calling lawmakers and the governor’s office, or coming down to the capitol to join teachers.
At 11 a.m., Fisher said teachers should then come to the capitol and keep an eye on the legislative process. If lawmakers pass a budget that “meets the needs of the students,” teachers should then return to their communities to provide updates on what happened and on the movement’s next steps.
Carroll Johnson and Beverly Trembla are both third grade teachers at Bernard Black Elementary in the Roosevelt district. The consensus? They're optimistic about Ducey's plan but want the governor to meet with AEU leaders. #RedForEd @azcentral pic.twitter.com/EWKtuql2LX
— Lily Altavena (@lilyalta) April 30, 2018
Lawmakers were expected to file bills similar to the governor’s proposal by Tuesday that would pay for teacher raises through new vehicle registration fees and state savings from prescription drugs, as well as other budget changes, according to The Arizona Republic. But the budget proposal doesn’t promise every teacher a 20 percent raise, hinging the increase on whether districts have salaries that are higher or lower than the state average of $49,000. The bill does not include language that requires funds to be spent on teacher salaries.
Lawmakers from both parties have concerns about the plan. Sen. David Farnsworth (R) told the Republic that he was concerned the budget would be challenged if there were any “hiccups in the economy.”
The Republic reported that one of the recent budget changes included an additional $2 million for “freedom schools” at Arizona State University and the University of Arizona. These conservative institutes are essentially think tanks funded by the Koch brothers. The governor has connections with groups tied to the Koch brothers.
The budget reportedly restores $100 million in education funding to help fulfill teacher demands of getting funding back to pre-recession levels, according to ABC15.
But Arizona American Federation of Teachers President Ralph Quintana said, “This package is a disgrace,” according to a statement sent to ThinkProgress.
“Ducey continues to resist providing what educators and the public are clamoring for to make our schools whole,” Quintana said. “Passing money from one hand to the other creates winners and losers. Virtually everyone is a loser in this shell game. The budget package does not include a way to finance fixing crumbling schools, purchasing textbooks and curriculums, lowering class sizes and hiring more teachers to alleviate the teacher shortage.”
Some educators have supported a ballot initiative called the Invest in Education Act, which would raise income taxes on the wealthiest 1 percent in Arizona, according to The Arizona Republic. Joshua Buckley, a high school teacher, chairs the ballot initiative, which is supposed to boost education funding. Teachers would have to gather more than 150,000 signatures by July 5 to include the issue on the ballot. This initiative would reportedly bring in $690 million in new education funding.
Meanwhile, on Monday, a group of people showed up to the capitol to challenge the teacher-led movement. A reporter at Arizona Republic, Lily Altavena tweeted photos of what she called a “confrontation between a small faction of opposition to #RedForEd group and women defending teachers.” A woman that was part of that faction reportedly told one of the women there might be more money in education if she were deported. Some teachers encouraged people not to engage with them.
In that area teachers are now chanting, "don't feed the trolls." One of the women carrying guns said "if we start deporting you" to a women in red, there might be more $$$ for education. @azcentral https://t.co/QCPua5tv23
— Lily Altavena (@lilyalta) April 30, 2018
Conservatives, as well as Gov. Ducey and other Republican legislators, have tried to delegitimize the movement by mentioning organizers’ political views or by insisting that this is all part of a larger a plan to legalize marijuana in the state, as Vox explained last week. Rep. Maria Syms published a piece in the Arizona Republic that called Noah Karvelis and Derek Harris, two of the teachers who are members of the AEU leadership team, “political operatives who moved here within the last two years to use teachers and our children to carry out their socialist movement.” Some right-wing blogs claim the strike is a “socialist plot to take over the state” Vox reported.