Five children straggled into the cafeteria at Thornydale Elementary to get some breakfast at 7 a.m. on Monday morning. They were greeted by two cafeteria workers and a mom with the school’s Parent-Teacher Organization. Outside, a maintenance worker ran a leaf blower. Other than that, the school was silent.
Three days into the teacher walkouts, students from low-income families who receive breakfast and lunch at their schools still needed to eat. About 20 kids came in the previous Thursday and Friday each, according to the two women serving in the Thornydale cafeteria.
The children, three little ones who go to Thornydale and their two older brothers who go to nearby schools, open their juice boxes, milk and breakfast bars.
As the Red for Ed movement goes into its second week of teacher walkouts, things become increasingly complicated for the school districts and families. As schools continue to announce closures day by day, parents are starting to wonder if the school year will be prolonged into the summer break.
Thornydale cafeteria worker Cathette Vartell says while she is still working, she has two grade-school kids at home whom she’s worried about.
Her oldest daughter is set to graduate in May, and while most local school districts have said they’ll host graduation ceremonies as planned, students will have to make up instructional hours for days missed because of the walkouts. How many days varies by district and even school and won’t be decided until the walkouts end.
Vartell’s daughter plans to leave for a two-month out-of-town trip with her church the Monday after graduation. Everything is paid for, and for a mother of two who makes minimum wage, paying more to change plans may not be an option.
“Of course I support our teachers,” Vartell says. “I also feel like our kids are the ones paying a price to make a statement.”
Christina Harris, Thornydale’s PTO vice president, is a stay-at-home mother of three who’s been volunteering at the school for 11 years.
She said the closures have been hardest because her son, a second grader who receives Title 1 services, needs to keep up on his reading skills or he’ll fall behind. Nonetheless, Harris has been an active supporter of the Red for Ed movement, and was out on Ina Road on Saturday morning lining the road red with many other teachers, parents, students and supporters.
Vartell and Harris are not alone in dealing with the complications and hardships of the shutdowns. But Arizona teachers are among the lowest-paid educators in the country, and education funding is among the lowest in the nation as well.
School funding in Arizona was cut following the 2008 recession and, while there have been increases in recent years, it has yet to return to where it was a decade ago. Educators are demanding a 20 percent raise for teachers, raises for all support staff and school funding restored to 2008 levels, which would cost the state an additional $1.1 billion annually.
Between crumbing school facilities, outdated supplies and their own struggles to make ends meet, many teachers felt they had no choice but to walk out.
Rachel Tankersley, a math and science teacher in the Vail School District, was out on downtown’s Congress Street on Monday morning, wearing red with a few hundred other educators and allies. She started at 7 a.m. and by by 8, the sun was already beginning to beat down on the crowd while they cheer and wave at the many passing cars that honk in support.
“Teachers are having to spend their own money on their classrooms all the time,” she said. “This is my job right now, to let people know this is not OK.”
Mid-April, as the Red for Ed movement was gaining support and talking about a walkout if their demands were not met, Gov. Doug Ducey announced he had a plan for the teacher raises and to restore recession-era cuts to education funding. Only, by his math, that would mean an additional $371 million, about a third what educators are asking for.
Ducey’s plan didn’t mention raises for support staff and critics accused him of using fuzzy math to come up with the revenue needed to pay for it. On Ducey’s website, it says the state will achieve the money for the pay hikes through a growing economy and reduction in state government operating budgets, “all without raising taxes while maintaining Arizona’s balanced budget.”
On Friday, Ducey announced that a deal had been reached, and tweeted a plan that included $100 million for support staff. But he’s still yet to meet with teacher groups leading the Red for Ed movement.
“We want to know what this deal is Ducey is referring to because we haven’t seen any more details,” Tankersley said.
Last Thursday and Friday, protesters painted the Arizona capitol red as thousands with the Red for Ed movement flooded into Phoenix. As they were pushing for the governor and state Legislature to find a solution, Arizona lawmakers called it a week on Thursday without discussing the education budget.
On Friday, Joe Thomas, president of the Arizona Education Association, told the huge crowd in Phoenix that the lawmakers “turned tail and fled.” He encouraged the educators to hold strong until their demands are met.
“You put your jobs on the line yesterday and today,” he said. “You stepped out of your classrooms and your work sites to be down here with your students because they’re that important for you, and we may have to continue to do that because they’re playing political games.”
Over the weekend, local teachers continued to protest in Tucson, and on Monday, many returned to the rally in Phoenix. In downtown Tucson, a group of teachers and supporters not headed to the capitol continued to rally on the streets.
Anissa Jimenez, a fourth-grade teacher in the Sunnyside Unified School District, joined the group along Congress, her three kids in tow. Her sister brought her own baby to lend support, wearing red and flying a sign.
Jimenez said she was surprised to hear Ducey say a deal had been reached. She appreciated that the governor is trying, but she said she hopes he negotiates with teachers to get their input. She also understands how hard the walkouts are for parents, but says it must continue until “we get it done, until we get it right.”
“We need to look at it as a short-term inconvenience and a short-term sacrifice for something that’s gonna be really good for our kids in the long run,” she said.
UPDATE: Many schools districts have announced they’ll remain closed on Tuesday, including Amphi Public Schools, Marana Unified School District, Tucson Unified School District, Catalina Foothills Unified School District. Sunnyside Unified School District announced it will close for the entire week, and Vail School District is back open Tuesday.
This article appears in Apr 26 – May 2, 2018.
Getting just a little bit tired of this. Try putting the students first.
No one cares if you’re tired.
I’m tired too. Tired of trying to talk to people who don’t get it. The State stole our children’s money. Give it back!
Teachers must be heard and respected.
As a parent of a young person who will graduate this year, I fully support the Red for Ed movement. Those of you who are tired will not be when our state begins to fully fund education. Aren’t you embarrassed at the skinflint approach of the voters in this state who have not yet voted in legislators who give a damn about the future? I do not understand why the state of Arizona wants to be known as “the hate state” that hates its kids along with all of the “minorities” (actually majorities) that are mistreated here. Arizona, you’ve got some ‘splainin” to do. Voters, do your jobs. Vote these troglodytes out and make this state as beautiful as its landscapes, its cultural history, and its skies. Don’t keep sending the message to the country that we all have to live in New Jersey to get a good education for our kids. And put on your red shirts and get out there to help the teachers solve this huge problem for us all!
The ones who complain the most usually have no stake in education, no children they care about, or any understanding of economics. Teachers could have (and maybe should have) walked out a long time ago…maybe at the beginning of a school year, instead of at the end. Maybe they should have walked out during state testing! But they stuck it out—for the last 10 years! And now, at the near close of this school year, they decide to unify and rise up, and demand what was taken from the classrooms–from the students, and therefore all of us. The state government and some of the media try to put a spin on it that teachers are being greedy and unreasonable–but I think most parents, and hopefully the public, now know the truth! This walk-out is hard on families…it’s also hard on teachers and other supporters of our children’s educations. This is being done to secure a reasonable future for them! So if you are “sick of it” now, wait until you see how hard teachers are willing to fight for that money the state sucked away, when the governor and his supporters try to broker a deal that still benefits them and their special interests, and does nothing address the real issue: We need to FUND EDUCATION. NOW.
It would be very easy to support the teachers, if they had done two things.
#1 Expose the district theft and abuse of their wages. They should have called for audits and accountability.
#2 Teach the children and show results.
Instead TUSD gobbles up the money and everybody blames the Legislature. You all talk about having kids in the schools. Get to work! This is partly your fault.
Please explain how this could happen on your watch:
65% of Public School 8th Graders Not Proficient in Reading…
67% Not Proficient in Math…
Increasing pay will not fix this. So what are you really asking for?
Ignore the truth and your children will suffer. Hold the public schools to a higher standard of success.
#Redfored is misdirected – The scores you show look FANTASTIC compared to those of the High School in my neighborhood (Central Tucson):
91% not proficient in English.
90% not proficient in Math.
Skimming through the scores I see many under 25% proficiency: http://kjzz.org/az-merit-search?school=&di…
This is why so many taxpayers are opposed to across the board raises for all teachers, including the failures. Most would happily support sensible raises for successful teachers & huge raises for the rare exceptional teacher. Many kids realize they’re smarter than their teachers by the time they’re in 3rd or 4th grade. Believe me … they talk about teacher stupidity to their parents (if the parents – taxpayers – haven’t already witnessed it for themselves).
TUSD needs a plan to get rid of all the failures BEFORE many parents & taxpayers will enthusiastically support increases. So far, the only successful parental effort I know about was a letter-writing campaign that got a horrible teacher transferred to another school. She became the problem for other students & parents.
Another problem teacher (alcoholic) was put on some sort of probation, but could still substitute. He reeked of strong liquor by noon. Kids who had him told the parents he smoked in class. Why can’t this type of so-called teacher be banned from the district?
You know, I pretty much expect the usual “We hate TUSD” replies here. It’s easy to go on http://greatschools.com or the ADE website and collect data about how awful TUSD schools are. You guys can’t see the bigger picture, just lay blame with one district or another, and berate teachers you had bad experiences with–or all teachers!
The problem is bigger than that. Believe or not, most of us are doing the best we can with what we have. But awesome scores and high ratings do not come so easily, when the resources, and yes, highly-qualified teachers, are in short supply! There are barely any new teachers coming into the profession, knocking down AZ’s door for a job. Is it any wonder why? We are hugely UNDER-FUNDED. Our state government does not value public education. And they create much of the problem with the constant mandates and testing. Here is a bit of research for you:
Changing the Nature of Teaching
http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Reso…
One of the effects of the increased number and heightened stakes of standardized
tests is that the roles played by teachers have changed. Specifically, teachers institutional tasks have increased because they are expected to take up work related to testing in addition to their regular teaching duties. Institutional tasks include:
– collecting, organizing, and analyzing data associated with tests
– grouping and regrouping students according to test performance
– developing vertical articulation of the curriculum to align with tests
-coordinating students assignments, based on test scores, to remedial
programs. As a result of spending more time on institutional tasks like these,
teachers have less time for instruction in their own classrooms. One study found
that teachers lose between 60 to 110 hours of instructional time in a year
because of testing and the institutional tasks that surround it.
Instruction is also diminished by mandatory curricula that have been
developed to prepare students for standardized tests. Such curricula
require teachers to use prepared materials which they did not develop
and which may not address the needs of actual students in their classes.
I blame the Union for letting that happen Ronni.
Throughout different strikes and walk outs people did it to hurt other thing such as the student education, during the Montgomery buss boycott, they wanted to hurt the busses financially and if removing students education is what it takes to get the government to change their ways then so be it, I totally respect all the teachers who are doing this especially since I am planning to be a kinder garden teacher and I’m still only in middle school and adults think children are enjoying the time off but we are not, this cuts into our school year causing us to stay in school longer digging into our summer break making it shorter and sure it is nice to have a break from school but that is what summer is for and honestly I don’t feel like completing 8th grade during the summer when I have no reason for summer school and to be stuck 7 hours a day in freezing cold classrooms but the teachers are spending their time outside in the Arizona heat to protest their needs and ours, teachers arn’t only worried about themselves but they are worried about the supplies for student the education system for students and schools getting shut down there has been so many budget cuts throughout schools in chandler that even my school is debating whether to cut art or not due to budget cuts we have 15-20 year old social studies and science books that contain false information and are written all over with obscene drawings and words yet we want to replace but do not have the money too, so in other words I SUPPORT THIS
15-20 year old social studies and science books that contain false information? I know exactly what you mean about the global warming hoax. It had no place in science as it is purely politics and money. You go girl!
How glad are we that the Union was able to get the teachers what they deserve?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCCIJ0tKpIw
I can tell that you feel as if you know and understand more than world renowned scientists Kathy S, but there is a big difference between climate research experts and you. The difference is that they are intelligent people who have facts and knowledge to back up what they document in scientific journals, you obviously have none of that. So, until you actually get some of that, you really should not be flaunting your know nothing opinions. People who access this site already get enough of that.
Then I imagine you would tell Willie Soon to sit down and shut up also?
Our current lack of understanding of the Earths climate system does not allow us to determine reliably the magnitude of climate change that will be caused by anthropogenic CO2 emissions, let alone whether this change will be for better or for worse.
He contends that temperature patterns over time are based on solar activity. many scientists now agree with him. His is a scientific opinion.
I find it humorously ironic that you would attempt to devoid me of my First Amendment Right to my own opinion. That would be like saying that voters elected Trump and you have no right to voice your opinion. The USA does not work that way …yet. Though there are some that are so open minded that they hate hearing opposing opinions.
Do you also demand specific religious beliefs of all Americans? Or have the experts advocated no religion?
I never told you to sit down and shut up. What I did do was inform you that you shouldn’t be flaunting your know nothing opinions.
And I’m not here to devoid you of your First Amendment rights, if you want to appear ignorant about climate change by denying the FACTS that go against your OPINIONS than please, be my guest.
Many scientists now agree with Willie Soon? Really? How many, 2 or 3? Willie Soon is regarded as an opportunist who will receive grants from any oil company or Koch type of foundation that wants to hear what he has to say because it supports their agenda. Most scientists do not operate in this matter because it displays a lack of professional integrity.
The fact that you even mentioned Willie Soon and deflected from the subject at hand with topics such as Trump, your First Amendment rights and religion (?) only strengthens my assessment that you need to learn more about climate change. Thank you for that.
You are too funny. The cut of you jib reads just like David Safier. Short staffed?
If you think I’m funny when I present scientific fact, I’ll have you rolling on the floor when I present a comedy routine. Not sure why you use sailor speak to compare me to David Safier, maybe it’s because you sense that the two of us have more of a grasp on reality than a person who accepts the junk science of climate denial? And as far as the size of my…or if I even have a…staff goes, that’s nunya.