Teachers across Arizona continue to protest low public education funding from the state with strikes, demonstrations and marches on the Capitol building in Phoenix. And there’s no end in sight: The Sedona-Oak Creek School District announced Friday, April 27, that its schools would be closed until further notice as teachers strike.
“I’ve been teaching for 30 years, and I’ve never walked out before,” said Caroline Parsons, a teacher at West Sedona School. “It’s all about raising money for our schools.”
Sixty-six percent of SOCSD teachers voted in favor of walking out. Since the strike began, Sedona teachers have held demonstrations in Sedona, as well as attended larger rallies in Phoenix and Flagstaff.
“It was indescribable,” Caitlyn Propp, a teacher at West Sedona School, said of the march on the Capitol Thursday, April 26. “Everybody was so positive …. It was history.”
Sedona teachers planned to attend another rally in Phoenix on Monday, April 30.
The Phoenix rallies, organized by teacher-led grassroots organization Arizona Educators United, aim to pressure legislators to meet the teachers’ demands, which include increasing teacher salaries and classified staff wages, as well as restoring public education funding to pre-Great Recession levels.
The Sedona demonstrations, including one Friday, April 27, share a similar purpose in raising awareness of poor funding from the state — teachers’ complaints aren’t limited to low salaries.
“One of my biggest concerns is the lack of custodians,” said Karyl Goldsmith, a teacher at Sedona Red Rock High School. She brings her Roomba to her classroom every week to vacuum her carpet, since the district doesn’t have enough custodians to cover regular cleanings at each school.
Across the board, teachers shared that funds for classroom materials often come out of their own pockets, including Theresa Zaun, a teacher at West Sedona School. She said she’s spent more than $3,000 over the past years purchasing curriculum for her students.
Up for Negotiation
As teachers strike, lawmakers are discussing ways to increase education funding. On April 12, before the strike began, Gov. Doug Ducey proposed giving teachers a 20 percent raise by 2020 with no tax increase, instead pulling the funds from other sources.
Teachers have already rejected this proposal, as it does not address their demands to increase public school funding across the board, not just for teacher salaries.
This week, legislators are considering similar budget changes that will raise teacher salaries. The legislature was in session Tuesday, but no agreement was reached by press time.
Rebekah Wahlberg can be reached at 282-7795 ext. 117, or email rwahlberg@larsonnewspapers.com
