Teachers spend fifth day of walkout at Arizona Capitol, wait for budget news

PHOENIX — Protesting Arizona educators and their supporters went to the state Capitol on Wednesday for a fifth teachers walkout day, but they expected it to be their last as they wait for a proposed budget to pass.

If state legislators pass the $10.4 billion budget, teachers planned to be back on the job Thursday.

The budget would help fund 10 percent raises next year — which would increase to 20 percent by 2020 — and put millions of dollars into school funding.

“A month ago, (Gov. Doug Ducey) was ignoring our voices,” Red for Ed movement organizer Noah Karvelis said Tuesday.

The Tolleson music teacher helped create Arizona Educators United with other teachers after a strike in West Virginia yielded a 5 percent pay raise.

Teachers in Arizona began the walkout which shut down their schools April 26 but had rallied for better pay and classroom conditions for weeks before that.

During weekly Wednesday walk-ins, they wore red T-shirts in solidarity, stayed outside their classrooms before school began, then marched inside, campus by campus.

The walkout provided a bigger, more dramatic stage. The first day, around 50,000 protesters marched 2 miles in the heat from Chase Field to the Capitol. The long red line stretched for blocks.

“I’ve heard from many parents who want us to stay the course and that they will keep the kids home until we have a fully funded school,” Gilbert teacher Darlene Shaw said.

“People have said you’ve made it this far so don’t give up. We want our students to know that we’re behind them and doing this for them.”

KTAR News’ Jim Cross and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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