Governor Ducey refuses to meet with teacher leaders to discuss their demands, as teachers prepare for mass walkouts to protest cuts in funding and low salaries.
“The governor’s statement comes less than a week after a request by Noah Karvelis of Arizona Educators United and Joe Thomas of the Arizona Education Association “to begin a negotiation process to resolve the #RedForEd demands.” Those include not just a 20 percent salary increase to compete with neighboring states, but also restoring education funding levels to where they were a decade ago.”
Ducey has offered a 1 percent raise, added to an earlier 1 percent raise.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Why don’t the teachers and the unions as well as the people of Arizona wait till its time to vote a new Governor into office?? This way with a new teacher friendly governor the raises can be negotiated in good faith rather than this goon governor having the balls to offer a 1 percent raise and then a comeback of another 1 percent? The people of AZ need to rid themselves of people like Gov. Ducey plain and simple let the blue wave begin people.
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In many “red” states the psychological dilemma coming may well be in finding an ability to break from the deeply embedded Always And Only Vote Republican mentality. One article I read about the strikes in Oklahoma made sense with a statement along the lines of “the Republican voters are at odds with the actions of the Republican Party.”
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” but also restoring education funding levels to where they were a decade ago.”
The teachers are doing such a great job forcing politicians to pay some attention to public schools.
I’m really grateful to them, especially when they’re acting in these more conservative states where they’re risking their jobs.
DC is having yet another elite ed reform extravaganza today. All the ed reform superstars are there. I wonder if they’ll mention what’s going on in US public schools in West Virginia and Oklahoma and Arizona? Probably not. Existing public schools don’t interest them. I’d be surprised if they were even aware of the strikes.
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The arrogance of this public official is amazing and galling.
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I think Ducey is up for reelection in 2018. Wouldn’t it be nice to see him defeated and sent packing? But then this is Arizona, the Kleptocracy of Koch.
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In a way, I thank Dfump for making this happen. There is always an equal and opposite reaction to those who want to destroy the public good. An Evangelical relative of mine wrote on Facebook that the teachers have gall and do not know their place. Wrong. Teachers know their true place. We are the protectors of democracy. We are the true patriots. Additionally, teachers have more right to dignity than those vampiric billionaires who now control this nation.
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I know this is waaaay off thread, but I just now had the chance to catch up on some previous posts, & noted the exchange between NYCschool parent & Norwegian Filmmaker on the 4/9 post about Albany.
NYCSP, for accurate info. about Mulgrew & the city & state teachers union, read NYC Educator (an award-winning blog). It can be really hard, NYCSP, to elect good union leaders at the top–there is an enormous amount of politicking & shenanigans that go on–NYC Ed. could tell you that, & we have the same situation with our NEA leadership here in ILL-Annoy, & also at the national level. The electoral problems can be even equivocate the same obstacles we face in electing local, state & national government. Bottom line–I highly recommend reading–& even commenting on–NYC Educator’s blog, if you haven’t already done so (I haven’t been able/had time to read it in a long while, but have, in the past, been an avid reader, & am a great admirer of Arthur).
And, Norwegian Filmmaker, thanks, as always for your refreshing (& mostly spot-on) comments. It behooves all of us Americans to consider others’ perspectives.
Finally, weren’t Norwegians recently named as the people most content/happiest in their country?
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Thank you for your awareness of Mulgrew and Arthur’s take on things. Arthur is living in the trenches, so he knows.
I don’t think NYCPSP is so bad at all. The real problem is that she/he is not so good. Sparring with NYCPSP can be fun, but it becomes boring after a while. Yawn . . . . Lather, rinse, repeat.
Still, I will take NYCPSP as an ally.
Thank you, RBMTK for your insight and kind words. I needed that!
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I don’t know that we are the happiest people on earth. That’s conceited to me. But we are definitely a far more equitable people, and equity creates peace and prosperity, which reduces stress! Perhaps that’s our verision of happiness!!
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To N.F.: Not “conceited!”
Norway was named (by the U.N. agency report, as per the BBC) & in:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/world/worlds-happiest-countries.html as the World’s Happiest Country (U.S. was #14)
BUT–the World’s Happiest Country for 2018 U.N.report just came out (3/15/18)–& it’s…Finland! (Norway is #2)
Will have to check status of U.S. Probably lower than #14, considering what’s been going on here.
Also, not being critical of NYCPSP (sorry if I came across as that, NYCPSP)–just pointing you in a direction (NYC Educator) where you can get the whole story RE: NY teacher union, Mulgrew, because NYC Ed. lives/knows the whole spiel.
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I recommend a book called “The Spirit Level,” which compiles an abundance of Research to prove that the more equal a society it is, the happier it is. Inequality breeds resentment, despair, snobbishness, and a lack of community spirit.
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RBMTK,
I agree. You were not at all attacking NYCPCP. Perhaps I was. I enjoy reading your posts when you do post. I hope all is well.
Yes Diane . . . . Any book that espouses those values is golden in my estimate.
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It is impossible to negotiate in good faith with politicians that are so brainwashed they do not understand the value of their public schools. Extremists are in charge of several states. People in the state are already suing Arizona for its unwillingness to fund public education fairly. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-arizona-education-lawsuit/school-districts-education-groups-sue-arizona-over-funding-idUSKBN17X2IW
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The demand for a 20 percent raise would only raise AZ from 50th to 49th, adjusted for cost-of-living. Governor Ducey gave most of his staff 20 percent raises recently.
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I’m sure this has been covered already, but does Arizona have any laws that bar teachers from striking?
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The Guardian has an interesting article about a 3 page document containing a strategy against striking teachers.
The new rightwing strategy to discredit the strikes that have erupted in protest against cuts in education funding and poor teacher pay is contained in a three-page document obtained by the Guardian. Titled “How to talk about teacher strikes”, it provides a “dos and don’ts” manual for how to smear the strikers.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/apr/12/teacher-strikes-rightwing-secret-strategy-revealed
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It’s clear that devos obtained the document, since her comment about the strikes were straight from this playbook.
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The 3 page document is priceless since it contains many gems—like a clear admission that in choice schools teachers are paid less than in public schools.
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