PHOENIX — Arizona teachers have voted to walk off the job to demand increased school funding, marking a key step toward a first-ever statewide strike that builds on a movement for higher pay in other Republican-dominant states.
A grassroots group and the state’s largest teacher membership group said Thursday that teachers will walkout April 26.
The vote was held following weeks of growing protests and an offer from Republican Gov. Doug Ducey to give teachers 20 percent raise by 2020. Many teachers kept up the pressure at schools and on social media, saying the plan failed to address much-needed funding for classrooms and support staff.
“The worst possible thing we could do is not take action right now,” said Noah Karvelis, an organizer for Arizona Educators United.
Around 57,000 teachers submitted ballots and 78 percent voted in favor of the walkout, according to the Arizona Education Association.
Teachers on both sides of the walkout vote have shared concerns. It could pose child care difficulties for thousands of families and leave teachers at risk of losing their credentials. How a strike could play out in more than 200 public school districts will vary but could leave hourly workers like custodians without their paychecks.
Beth Simek, president of the influential Arizona PTA, she feels the pain of teachers who are torn. Some are concerned about the effect on support staff and what kids might do without school, she said.
A grassroots group and the state’s largest teacher membership group said Thursday that teachers will walkout April 26.
The vote was held following weeks of growing protests and an offer from Republican Gov. Doug Ducey to give teachers 20 percent raise by 2020. Many teachers kept up the pressure at schools and on social media, saying the plan failed to address much-needed funding for classrooms and support staff.
“The worst possible thing we could do is not take action right now,” said Noah Karvelis, an organizer for Arizona Educators United.
Around 57,000 teachers submitted ballots and 78 percent voted in favor of the walkout, according to the Arizona Education Association.
Teachers on both sides of the walkout vote have shared concerns. It could pose child care difficulties for thousands of families and leave teachers at risk of losing their credentials. How a strike could play out in more than 200 public school districts will vary but could leave hourly workers like custodians without their paychecks.
Beth Simek, president of the influential Arizona PTA, she feels the pain of teachers who are torn. Some are concerned about the effect on support staff and what kids might do without school, she said.
