How to Help Arizona Teachers
Arizona teachers are ready to walk it out.
Educators across the state plan to stage a mass walkout on Thursday, demanding higher pay and for state legislators to restore education funding to pre-recession era levels. Already more than 60 schools — and counting — are expected to close for the day, marking the fourth major teacher’s protest this year alone.
Kentucky teachers, West Virginia teachers, and Oklahoma teachers led the wave earlier this year with a series of strikes over stagnant pay. But now focus turns to Arizona, a “right-to-work” state in the midst of a education crisis.
In an effort to stave off statewide school closures, Gov. Doug Ducey introduced a plan earlier this month that proposed a 20-percent raise to teacher pay by 2020.
But organizers weren’t impressed.
And neither were the editorial boards from the two largest newspapers in the state. The Arizona Daily Star and The Arizona Republic felt the plan lacked substance and was “at best a stopgap.”
How to help Arizona teachers
Find out why Arizona teachers have seen their pay cut by nearly 13 percent over the past 15 years, and compare that to nationwide trends using this handy tool from Vox.
And if you’re in Arizona….
Follow the Arizona teachers walkout hashtags #RedForEd and #PaintTheStateRed. Also, get the latest info from the rally organizers, Arizona Educators United, on Facebook or Twitter.
Join the Arizona teachers’ mass rally at the Arizona State Capitol on Thursday, April 26. Organizers plan to gather at the State Fairgrounds between 10 a.m. and noon. At around 12:30, there are tentative plans to march to the Capitol (a roughly 2.5-mile walk).
Or ...
- Commit to a #RedForEd walkout at a district near you
- Donate your time or money
- Offer childcare services while schools are closed
- Drive others to the rally
- Receive live text updates from organizers
Keep track of the latest school closures here. As many as 63 schools plan on closing on Thursday, including the ten largest districts in the state and a few charter schools, according to the latest tally by The Arizona Republic.
Urge Gov. Ducey to meet the teachers’ five demands, via this form or by signing this petition.
