Teachers across the country are rising up after decades of education cuts, resource cuts, and tax cuts without results for the children of our country. After weeks of protests and outcry, Arizona Republican Governor Doug Ducey has relented, AZ Central reports.
Gov. Doug Ducey on Thursday boosted his proposal for teacher raises to 9 percent, up from 1 percent he proposed in January, saying lawmakers would work through the weekend to figure out how to fund the plan.
Coupled with with 5 percent raises for the next two years, and the 1 percent raise given last year, Ducey said his proposal would give teachers a "net pay increase" of 20 percent by 2020.
This is considerably more in line with what teachers have been asking for, as other Republican legislators continue to try to figure out ways to cut education funds from infrastructure and then present that money back as a gift; a plan that is so garbage I almost wish I hadn’t read it. When the entire school infrastructure breaks down, those same lawmakers will be the first to blame these “greedy” teachers, who are trying to make ends meet with basic livable wage increases. Arizona teachers are at the bottom of wage rankings amongst America’s teachers, along with Oklahoma.
However, before everyone shakes hands, teachers want to know if ALL of their demands are being met. They haven’t simply been asking for more money for themselves, they’ve been asking for more money for education, across the board.
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Derek Harris, a Tucson teacher and an AEU organizer, said in the video that went out to the group’s 44,500 members that they didn’t know what the governor would announce, but said “we need to be sure that this is not just a pay (increase) for teachers.”
The group’s five demands also include competitive pay for all education support professionals, such as teachers’ aides and paraprofessionals.
“If (Ducey’s proposal) is just a pay raise for teachers, that is not gonna cut it because we have a whole other slew of people who make our schools operate every day that we need to take care of, too,” Harris said in the video message.
Teachers are fighting for what should have always been the setup in Arizona, and every other state in the union. Anytime a legislator “relents,” they should be supported for making the right decision, but let’s not pretend they deserve anything more. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s piss-poor excuse for an Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, has delivered her useless piece of analysis, according to The Hill.
“I think about the kids,” Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said. “I think we need to stay focused on what’s right for kids. And I hope that adults would keep adult disagreements and disputes in a separate place, and serve the students that are there to be served.”
Shut up, Betsy, and let the adults talk.