Gov. Ducey promises teachers 20 percent raise over 3 years

the promise comes after teachers ramp up "Red for Ed" organization.

Posted

Last Thursday Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced that he will be giving Arizona’s teachers a 20 percent raise. Teachers already received a one percent raise this year. He will add a nine percent raise next school year, five percent the year after that and five percent the year after that.


He admitted during his press conference that he didn’t yet know where the funds to pay for the raises will come from, but added that he will work with Arizona lawmakers to find the money. Ducey’s announcement came as a surprise to many. The Governor has repeatedly rejected teachers’ demands for raises and school funding and earlier in the year called their protests “political theater.”


Arizona teachers are the lowest paid in the country and since 2008 Arizona lawmakers have cut per-student spending more than any other state.
Ducey did not decide to give teachers a raise out of the blue, but came after seeing the writing on the wall with large numbers of teachers protesting low wages, as well as large numbers leaving the state to teach in states that pay better.


Arizona teachers voices began to be heard last month when educators from across the state participated in the “Red for Ed” movement, during which they dressed in red to show their disapproval of their low wages. Some teachers merely wore the shirts to school, other gathered in groups. Some of the Red for Ed teachers gathered outside KTAR radio station in Phoenix last March while Ducey was inside doing an on-air interview.


Ducey’s announcement to give teachers a 20 percent raise came on the same day as many Arizona teachers conducted a Red for Ed “walk-in”, another form of civil protest. It was a simple gesture. Teachers wearing red shirts gathered outside their schools before classes started, then they walked inside and began teaching their classes.


Twenty-five Page educators, which represents about half the teachers at Page High School, participated in the protests by wearing red and gathering as a group beneath the high school flag pole before classes started Thursday.


“We were there while parents were dropping off their students,” said one of the teacher involved, who wished to remain anonymous. “The idea is to be seen and for parents to start asking why all those teachers are gathered under the flag. We hope that will spark in interest in them to learn more about `Red for Ed’ and the motivation behind it.”


The Chronicle met with two of the teachers involved in the Walk-in, both of whom wish to remain anonymous.


The motivation, one of the teachers explained, was because of stagnant wages.


“Yes, I’ve gotten a small raise each year but my insurance increases by a larger amount each year,” she said. “The end result, is that I’m bringing home the same amount of money that I was when I started teaching seven years ago.”


Both teachers say they could be making twice the money they make as teachers if they took their skills and degrees into the marketplace.
“I stay because I like teaching,” said the second teacher. “I really like being a teacher, but the pay is ridiculous.”


Page Unified School District Superintendent Rob Varner was happy to hear Ducey’s plan to give teachers a raise but said it fulfills only one of four or five pillars that need to be addressed.


“This is great news for our teachers,” he said. “It will help us be more competitive with other states and maybe keep some of our teachers from leaving, but Ducey didn’t say anything about raises for support staff. I’d like to see him address that, as well as capitial and maintenance funding. Schools have so many needs, this addresses one of them.


“Gov. Ducey was saying in his speech that he wants to get back to how things were in 2008. I totally agree.”