http://www.gocomics.com/stevebenson/2018/05/07——-
“In Aftermath of #RedForEd Walkout, Arizona Teachers Vow to Continue Political Activism”
by RIchard Cano
The Arizona Republic/azcentral.com
6 May 2018
“Arizona’s historic teacher walkout was a political awakening for the #RedForEd movement’s rank-and-file educators. Now, they've vowed to use their newfound power to fully restore the $1 billion in education funding cuts endured since the recession — taking the movement to the ballot box.
“The unprecedented wave of teacher activism, born out of frustration over stagnant pay and low student funding, will turn its focus toward a $690 million November ballot effort that would increase income taxes on the wealthiest 1 percent of Arizonans to fund education, organizers said.
“‘We’ve won the first battle, but now we must win the war,’ Noah Karvelis, Arizona Educators United organizer, told hundreds of educators outside the Capitol on Thursday, the walkout’s sixth and final day. . . .
“The teacher walkout – the nation’s largest in recent history – was a last-resort effort coordinated by Arizona Educators United, the grassroots teacher-led group, and Arizona Education Association, the state’s teachers’ union, to pressure lawmakers to address their funding demands.
“At its peak, Arizona’s historic six-day walkout closed 1,000-plus schools, attracted more than 50,000 protesters and impacted 850,000 students.
“The walkout itself didn't produce any new education funding — Gov. Doug Ducey proposed a 20% teacher raise plan two weeks before the walkout began, and lawmakers didn't bow to educators' push for more. But the rapid spread of the #RedForEd movement and the threat of the walkout spurred Ducey's #20by2020 proposal, and appeared to keep it alive as some lawmakers challenged the plan's financial stability. . . . Ducey announced the #20by2020 proposal a day after more than 100,000 educators and their supporters participated in peaceful ‘walk-in’ demonstrations at schools across the state.
“The budget that lawmakers passed and Ducey signed largely mirrored the governor's proposal. It provides $400 million for public schools — the most significant increase in education funding in more than a decade. That includes about $273 million aimed at giving teacher pay raises next year, and $100 million in capital funding that could be used to pay for things such as new textbooks, buses or support staff pay increases. . . .
“The budget, though, falls short of the funding demands educators say remain a desperate need for Arizona's public schools and students. At a Thursday morning rally, Karvelis and Joe Thomas, president of the Arizona Education Association, blasted the Legislature for not supporting budget amendments proposed by Democratic lawmakers they said ‘would’ve made our schools so much better.’
“The amendments, which included capping classroom sizes at 25 students and giving 10% pay increases to support staff, had little chance of passing the Republican-controlled Legislature. Despite that loss, organizers credited the increase in education funding to the power and pressure the #RedForEd movement placed on state leaders.
“‘Let’s be really clear about something: One of the better budgets that we’ve seen for education was passed last night, but it was no thanks to the people who sat in those seats,’ Karvelis said, referring to the Legislature. ‘It was thanks to us. We did that.’ . . .
“Supporters of the #RedForEd movement, which erupted publicly just eight weeks ago, said their biggest win from the walkout was not gained on the floors of the House or Senate. Their win came from outside. Throughout the walkout, teachers and their supporters marveled at — and gained confidence from — the public display of their determination to unite and mobilize. Tens of thousands dressed in red and marched through the streets of downtown Phoenix in near-triple-digit heat on the first day of the walkout. Thousands gathered at the Capitol each day. Hundreds crowded the galleries of the Arizona House and Senate as lawmakers debated education issues. And in the final moments of the walkout, hundreds more waited through the night and early morning in the Capitol courtyard during a marathon budget session.
“‘I think you’ve just heard the beginning of the lion,’ Tina McReynolds, an Alhambra Elementary School District music teacher, said. ‘I think lion has shown you that it’s angry, it’s pulled out its claws, and if it needs to it’s ready to pull them out again.’ . . .
“As the walkout grew longer, so too did the #RedForEd movement's risk of losing the critical public support — from parents, community members and school administrators — gained through weeks of grassroots organization.
“While schools and parents had time to plan in advance for the first two school days of the walkout, the rest of the four days was a hodgepodge of late-afternoon or evening notices of closures for the next day.nParents were left scrambling to find another day of childcare, and worrying about how an ongoing walkout may impact summer plans. Some supporters peeled off. On the fifth day of the walkout, nearly 20 Arizona school districts — including some of the state's largest — had said they would reopen the next day, seemingly under the belief that the budget would be resolved and teachers would be ready to return.
“As legislative debate dragged on, teachers announced they would remain at the Capitol and the schools had to tell parents they'd remain closed another day.
“Lupita Almanza, a second-grade teacher from Mesa, was at the Capitol for 27 hours straight as lawmakers debated the budget in the early hours Thursday. Almanza said viewing the debates were ‘extremely frustrating.’
“’I guess I was naive in thinking, you know, we elect these people, we hold them to a very high regard, and I expected more collaboration, more debate back and forth," Almanza said. ‘It felt very one-sided to me.’ Almanza, who said she is a registered independent, said she feels educated about the process now, and ‘lied to.’
“’(Lawmakers) say one thing to you, and then they vote another way,’ she said.’I had no idea that some alliances are stronger than what's best for kids. I'm disappointed.’ Almanza said she's frustrated by comments that the AEA teachers' union is using the teachers as political pawns. ’This came from the teachers,’ she said. ‘I did it for my kids. I did it because this is not good enough and we need to do more. We should be outraged because they are cheating our kids.’
“She said the recent days have awoken a fire within educators.’This is just the beginning,’ she said. ‘We're going to show up in November for sure.’”
Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 05/07/2018 04:18AM by steve benson.