More than 50,000 teachers walk-out of school to protest low pay, funding after no agreement reached on proposals (+ Slideshow and Video)

Updated Friday, April 27 at 3:19 p.m. and 10 a.m. and Thursday, April 26, 2018 2:50 p.m.

More than 50,000 teachers walked-out of their classrooms Thursday morning and were joined by supporters in their march from Chase Field through downtown Phoenix to the Arizona State Capitol to protest low pay and per-pupil funding as part of the #RedForEd movement, after no agreement was reached on three proposals earlier this week.

Check out these aerial photos of 50K people at the #RedForEd teacher walkout/march/rally at the state capitol in Phoenix, AZ. Wow! pic.twitter.com/lt0HFzwUEF

— Chopperguy (@chopperguyhd) April 26, 2018

At 9 a.m. Thursday, as educators, parents, students, kids and community members gathered downtown near Chase Field, drivers honked their horns in support.

AZEdNews Videoby Brooke Razo: #RedForEd Rally

What happened on Friday

Then at 3:06 p.m. on Friday, the Governor’s Office sent out a press release saying Gov. Ducey, Senate President Steve Yarbrough and House Speaker J.D. Mesnard announced a deal on a 20 percent pay raise for Arizona teachers.

“Earlier this month, we stood shoulder to shoulder, in unity with the education community, to announce a plan for a 20 percent increase in teacher pay by school year 2020. Today, we are pleased to announce that this plan is a reality. Arizona is delivering on its commitment to our students and teachers,” the press release stated.

“We are also restoring recession-era cuts to increase funding for schools and putting more money into the classroom — flexible dollars for superintendents to use for support staff pay increases, update antiquated curriculum and improve school infrastructure — without raising taxes. This plan benefits our children’s education across the state, and we are working through the weekend to introduce a budget early next week and pass it shortly thereafter,” the press release stated.

While the basic outline of the governor’s teacher pay plan remains unchanged, the focus now will be on the details to make sure the plan can be implemented, said Leigh Jensen, government relations associate with Arizona School Boards Association in her daily update newsletter.

This afternoon, education advocates led by the Arizona Center for Economic Progress filed an initiative measure to increase the income tax on upper income earners to fund teacher and classified staff raises.

The Invest in Education Act increased the Classroom Site Fund by raising the income tax by 3.46% on individual incomes over a quarter million dollars and by 4.46 percent on individual incomes over a half a million dollars.  It designate 60 percent of the new funds for teacher salaries and 40 percent for operations, and adds full-day kindergarten and raises for student support personnel  as permitted fund uses. It also requires governing boards to seek teacher and personnel input on fund use plans, and defines teachers and student support services personnel.

 

At the #RedForEd March and Rally

Early on Thursday, Marissa Martinez, a mother of five children who was in front of Talking Stick Arena with her daughter who is going into kindergarten said she was there for the march and rally, because she wants to support the educational system.

“I believe our teachers educate our future, without the teachers we would have nothing,” Martinez said. “If I wasn’t parenting, I’d be in the schools.”

When asked what she thought of Governor Doug Ducey’s proposal to raise teacher pay, Martinez said, “I’m not too fond of it. I think they could do better. Education means a lot. Without education a person doesn’t have much of anything. I think he needs to give us more consideration.”

Rasheed Hollins, who teaches third grade at Hulet Elementary School in Holbrook Unified School District, said he came to the rally for his students.

“I’m here for them, because we want to see change in our classroom so that they can have a better education,” Hollins said.

“I come from a really great school district, we have a lot of resources for our students, but I definitely want to see support for all of the kids in the State of Arizona so they have the resources they need to be successful and to raise society, because it’s crucial” Hollins said.

When asked about the Governor’s plan, Hollins said, “I appreciate that he responded, but he can do better. I think that if we really want to see change in our communities, change in our society, we need to fund education properly. Not prisons, but schools.”

After gathering with a group of teachers for a photo, Paula Watkins, a reading interventionist at Griffith Elementary School in Balsz Elementary School District in Phoenix, said she’s hopeful that something happens soon and that the Governor and Legislators come up with the dedicated funding source.

“We’re here asking to have our funding restored to 2008 levels,” Watkins said.

“I know the media and everyone is just grasping on to the 20 percent teacher pay increase, but that’s not what we’re here for. It’s so much more,” Watkins said.

“Even if it was the 20 percent with a dedicated funding source behind it, we would have said ‘Thanks, but no thanks,’ ” Watkins said.

Watkins noted that yesterday at her school, they packed 512 snack bags for kids with donations and 100 lunches they could take home to have when school is closed for the walkout.

“We care about our kids. We don’t want them to go without,” Watkins said.

Watkins said teachers and school staff have rallied together and “the district supports this,” but that “it’s hard, because kids are stuck in the middle of all this.”

“Yesterday, they were like ‘Are we going to see you? Are you coming back?’ And you can’t really talk about it with them, but you’re like ‘Yeah, we’ll be back,’ ” Watkins said.

The March through downtown Phoenix began at 11 a.m. with thousands of people dressed in red, holding signs, chanting  “Red for Ed” and cheering each other on in the heat which hit the mid nineties.

The group marched west on Washington toward the capitol where a stage was set up in front of the state capitol building and speakers rallied the crowd.

“Let me tell you something right now, I’m a little tired of business as usual,” said Noah Karvelis, co-organizer of Arizona Educators United at the rally at the Capitol. ”

“Me too,” people in the crowd responded.

“I’m a little tired of our students in Arizona not having a textbook that goes beyond George W. Bush,” Karvelis said.  “I’m a little tired of hearing stories from teachers who can’t afford to bring their kid to the doctor. I’m tired of that.”

“This movement was born out of decades of neglect.” Karvelis said. “This movement was born out of years living paycheck to paycheck. This movement was born out of the experience of looking into our students eyes and knowing that our state and the people who work in this building do not fund their success.”

“Standing together here today, you are bringing change,” Karvelis said.”Together, we are going to bring a change that is felt in every single corner of this state and affects every single child in Arizona, and you need to be proud of that, because if you didn’t do it, no one else would.”

Happening RIGHT NOW: a sea of educators in red in Downtown Phoenix as far as the eye can see for the #RedForEd March to the Arizona State Capitol. pic.twitter.com/UDWASvZnOO

— Gina Maravilla (@GinaMaravillaTV) April 26, 2018

Joe Thomas, president of the Arizona Education Association, thanked everyone for coming to the rally.

“What I need you to understand is that today is not going to be enough,” Thomas said. “The Governor is working right now on a plan that’s going to bring some raises to some of you, not all of you, but some of you.”

“This is the problem. The governor thinks he’s going to be able to buy enough of you off that you’ll go back to your classrooms and you’ll shut up and teach,” Thomas said. “Is that going to work?”

“No,” the crowd responded.

“We are here today because of our students, and it’s what the Legislature and the Governor don’t understand,” Thomas said. “They think #RedForEd is simply about a teacher raise. That’s part of the puzzle. It’s about bringing $1 billion back to our students. It’s about having band instruments. It’s about having elective courses. It’s about having a class size beneath 40.”

“The #RedForEd movement is about bringing a great public school to every kid in the state, regardless of where they live. That’s why we’re here,” Thomas said.

Then Jordan Harb, co-organizer of the student-led March for Our Lives and a student at Mountain View High School in Mesa, spoke to the crowd.

“What we students have come to understand is that funded schools are safer schools,” Harb said. “And unfortunately, the same support that changed my life forever is fading away quickly. So I must make it clear. Governor Ducey, teacher just don’t teach they make our children who they grew up to become.”

At the rally, Cindy Murray, a Peoria Unified School District classroom instructional assistant, said “The teachers aren’t only fighting for themselves and for the kids in the classroom, they’re fighting for the support team that goes behind them and helps the kids. Without everyone in the district, the kids lose out – special-ed kids, gen-ed kids – they all lose without the funding and the teachers and the support.”

Kacey Wilkinson, a seventh- and eighth-grade special education teacher at Desert Meadows in Laveen Elementary School District, “What brought me out here was I really want to show my love and support for my students and my fellow teachers out here.”

“I am actually thankful I work in a school district that is one of the higher paying school districts,” Wilkinson said. “I really want to show my support for my fellow teachers who are struggling to get those books for their students, and who are struggling with having poor quality with their facilities and things like that.”

Some #RedForEd supporters filled the Arizona House gallery as members began their Thursday session, clapping and chanting as lawmakers spoke, according to an Arizona Republic article.

House Republicans held a closed budget caucus Thursday morning at 9 a.m., which lasted until nearly 11 a.m., delaying floor action,said Leigh Jensen, governmental relations associate for Arizona School Boards Association in her daily update.

Reports from the House caucus session indicate that they are inching closer to the 31 votes needed to move a budget proposal, but no deal, it seems, is imminent before the weekend, Jensen said.

“The governor met this afternoon with 10 educators — teachers, counselors, school psychologists — from around the state who were here at the Capitol for the RedforEd march,” a statement from the governor’s office read.

Rep. David Livingston, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, says a deal reached Thursday could result in a budget plan next week, but he and Sen. John Kavanagh  said they still need to work out the details, according to a story on KTAR News 92.3 FM.

The rally ended at 1:30 after the Senate adjourned until Monday and as the heat became more intense. The House continued working until 4:30 p.m.

Firefighters treated at least five people for heat-related issues and another 15 for non-traumatic incidents, according to a KTAR News 92.3 FM story.

On Friday, teachers and education advocates plan to rally at the capitol again, but there will be no march.

 

Slideshow: #RedForEd March and Rally (April 26, 2018) by Lisa Irish/AZEdNews