Current Events > Arizona teachers end walkout after winning 20% raise

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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/05/03/arizona-teachers-strike-walkout-ends/577803002/

Arizona schools are preparing to reopen Friday after a walkout shut down schools across the state for six days.

Arizona's governor signed a budget bill Thursday morning that includes nearly $273 million aimed at giving teachers raises after state legislators debated for 13 hours to craft the state's budget. Protesting teachers initially were expected to return to classrooms Thursday but pushed to keep schools closed until the budget passed.

Some schools did reopen Thursday.

"I just want to finish the year strong for the kids," said guidance counselor Cheryl Guthrie at Ingleside Middle School in Phoenix, who waved to students as they came back to school.

Both houses of the Arizona Legislature OK'd the state budget for the coming fiscal year in the wee hours of the morning. Gov. Doug Ducey signed the bill dealing with education at about 6:10 a.m. MST Thursday, according to a post on his Twitter feed.

"It's a good way to start the day," Ducey said in a video of him signing the education budget bill. He has not yet signed any of the nine other budget bills.

Passage of the additional teacher pay was called the triggering event that organizers said would end the statewide teacher walkout, the largest in recent U.S. history.

Ducey initially had called for giving every teacher a 20% raise by the year 2020. But what the Legislature passed falls short of his promise of 1% this year, 9% next year and 5% raises in the 2020 and 2021.

Teachers who walked out of their classes also wanted a reversal of the $1 billion in cuts made to the state education budget in the past decade, a halting of tax cuts until the state per-pupil monies reach the national average and raises for school support staff. The grassroots group that organized the walkout, Arizona Educators United, also wanted a 20% pay increase in one year, not three.

Arizona's 2017 per-pupil expenditures were $7,501; the national average was $11,642, according to a National Education Association report released earlier this month. The state's average teacher's salary was $47,403, eighth lowest in the country, compared to a national average of $59,660.

The new plan pays for the teacher salary increases partly through a vehicle-registration fee that would be levied on every motorist. The Joint Legislative Budget Committee estimated it at $18 to $24 a vehicle each year, and Ducey maintains that it is not a tax increase.

School districts will have the final say on how to spend the money that the Legislature is funneling their way, lawmakers told the hundreds of teachers watching their debates in the gallery, the Capitol lobby and watching the proceedings on television.

Lawmakers had no guarantee that every teacher in the state would receive exactly a 20% pay raise.

"Right now were getting about four-elevenths of what we were asking for in terms of funding, said Mark Zepezauer, an eighth-grade social studies teacher from Tucsons Sunnyside Unified School District. Its all put in a pool and they throw it at the districts and say, Here, you decide where this goes.' "
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In the House, GOP Rep. Kelly Townsend of Mesa introduced a trio of amendments that appeared targeted at the #RedForEd movement. All were defeated.

One would have outlawed school closures outside of certain situations, such as a natural disaster or threat. Another would have required the attorney general to start an investigation into school districts that break state laws if lawmakers filed complaints.

The third would have prohibited teachers from using classroom time to espouse political ideology. Teachers found in violation would have faced a fine of up to $5,000.

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thumbs up emoji
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love it

hope to see more like this in the future
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Let's see how Oklahoma does.
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MrK3V posted...

Let's see how Oklahoma does.

Oklahoma did nothing. They ended the strike under the same terms that they started with. Their union claimed it as a victory for unknown reasons (likely to save face) and are instead pushing their efforts towards the November legislative races.
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Zanzenburger posted...

MrK3V posted...

Let's see how Oklahoma does.

Oklahoma did nothing. They ended the strike under the same terms that they started with. Their union claimed it as a victory for unknown reasons (likely to save face) and are instead pushing their efforts towards the November legislative races.

Ah I see. Might as well get some good voting in.
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Nice, it sucks the kids had to suffer for this, but ultimately this is likely good for them in the long run.
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Drpooplol posted...

Nice, it sucks the kids had to suffer for this, but ultimately this is likely good for them in the long run.

If anything, it might be a good learning experience. Seeing what their teachers go through. Once they're older, they might have a better understanding and appreciation for the world.
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Lol, I love how these teachers love to paint themselves as just poor opprrssed educators and are demanding their pay increase 20% over thr next 2-3 years. That's a lot. They can obviously ask for whatever they want, but it's hard to take their "I'm a victim" rhetoric seriously.
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DifferentialEquation posted...

Lol, I love how these teachers love to paint themselves as just poor opprrssed educators and are demanding their pay increase 20% over thr next 2-3 years. That's a lot. They can obviously ask for whatever they want, but it's hard to take their "I'm a victim" rhetoric seriously.

How come?
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DifferentialEquation posted...

Lol, I love how these teachers love to paint themselves as just poor opprrssed educators and are demanding their pay increase 20% over thr next 2-3 years. That's a lot. They can obviously ask for whatever they want, but it's hard to take their "I'm a victim" rhetoric seriously.

Show me where they said they were victims.
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DifferentialEquation posted...

Lol, I love how these teachers love to paint themselves as just poor opprrssed educators and are demanding their pay increase 20% over thr next 2-3 years. That's a lot. They can obviously ask for whatever they want, but it's hard to take their "I'm a victim" rhetoric seriously.

I can't speak for Arizona because I haven't been following their news. But in the other states that have been doing this, teacher raises were only a small part of the ask. Mostly they just wanted better school funding for textbooks, classroom supplies, and raises for support staff.

It's ridiculous teachers are expected to purchase their own supplies for their classroom. What other industry requires that of its employees?
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DifferentialEquation posted...

Lol, I love how these teachers love to paint themselves as just poor opprrssed educators and are demanding their pay increase 20% over thr next 2-3 years. That's a lot. They can obviously ask for whatever they want, but it's hard to take their "I'm a victim" rhetoric seriously.

Considering teacher salary is a joke compared to most other jobs that ask for a 4 year degree, I'd say a 20% increase is hardly anything.
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American teachers already make significantly more than teachers in other first world countries despite not showing close to the same level of results, and now that disparity increases even more so.
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Antifar posted...

Arizona's 2017 per-pupil expenditures were $7,501; the national average was $11,642, according to a National Education Association report released earlier this month. The state's average teacher's salary was $47,403, eighth lowest in the country, compared to a national average of $59,660.

Teachers are not paid too little.
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WrkHrdPlayHrdr posted...

Teachers are not paid too little.

golly that's sure a compelling argument
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WrkHrdPlayHrdr posted...

Antifar posted...

Arizona's 2017 per-pupil expenditures were $7,501; the national average was $11,642, according to a National Education Association report released earlier this month. The state's average teacher's salary was $47,403, eighth lowest in the country, compared to a national average of $59,660.

Teachers are not paid too little.

Outside of Arizona, sure
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Heeeyyyyy. Alright. Let's hope this time it's not dispensed in the form of extra money with a garnish of unpaid months long teaching programs consuming what little free time they had, huh?
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Bloodychess posted...

WrkHrdPlayHrdr posted...

Antifar posted...

Arizona's 2017 per-pupil expenditures were $7,501; the national average was $11,642, according to a National Education Association report released earlier this month. The state's average teacher's salary was $47,403, eighth lowest in the country, compared to a national average of $59,660.

Teachers are not paid too little.

Outside of Arizona, sure

Yeah, that's what I meant, sorry.

Edit: I'm not saying they are the highest paid job in the world. By far, they aren't. But to cry poverty which is always what we hear... it's disingenuous.
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Doom_Art posted...

WrkHrdPlayHrdr posted...

Teachers are not paid too little.

golly that's sure a compelling argument

Wasn't making an argument.
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WrkHrdPlayHrdr posted...

Bloodychess posted...

WrkHrdPlayHrdr posted...

Antifar posted...

Arizona's 2017 per-pupil expenditures were $7,501; the national average was $11,642, according to a National Education Association report released earlier this month. The state's average teacher's salary was $47,403, eighth lowest in the country, compared to a national average of $59,660.

Teachers are not paid too little.

Outside of Arizona, sure

Yeah, that's what I meant, sorry.

Edit: I'm not saying they are the highest paid job in the world. By far, they aren't. But to cry poverty which is always what we hear... it's disingenuous.

I make double a teacher salary in engineering, I worked harder as a teacher then I ever did in engineering. If you want quality teachers you have to *gasp* pay them well.

CruelBuffalo posted...

WrkHrdPlayHrdr posted...

Bloodychess posted...

WrkHrdPlayHrdr posted...

Antifar posted...

Arizona's 2017 per-pupil expenditures were $7,501; the national average was $11,642, according to a National Education Association report released earlier this month. The state's average teacher's salary was $47,403, eighth lowest in the country, compared to a national average of $59,660.

Teachers are not paid too little.

Outside of Arizona, sure

Yeah, that's what I meant, sorry.

Edit: I'm not saying they are the highest paid job in the world. By far, they aren't. But to cry poverty which is always what we hear... it's disingenuous.

I make double a teacher salary in engineering, I worked harder as a teacher then I ever did in engineering. If you want quality teachers you have to *gasp* pay them well.

And still, I'm not saying that they don't work hard or do lots of work in the off time, or have to spend money to buy crayons for their little hellions. But you can't cry that teachers are super poor when their average salary is more than the HOUSEHOLD average salary.
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