Arizona governor proposes 20 percent raise for teachers
GOP leader’s motion comes after a month of protests at schools
PHOENIX — Caving to demands from teachers who have protested low pay and school funding shortfalls for weeks, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey rolled out a proposal Thursday promising a net 20 percent raise by 2020 and pledged to push the proposal through the Legislature in the coming weeks.
The Republican governor’s announcement came after more than a month of protests at the state Capitol and at schools across Arizona that were fueled in part by successful teacher walkouts in West Virginia and Oklahoma.
“Today is a good day for teachers in Arizona,” Ducey said to open a press briefing.
Teachers who organized a grass-roots effort that drew more than 40,000 members did not immediately react to the proposal, but a school advocate who helped block a Ducey-backed voucher proposal was on the stage behind him and said they would likely be on board — if the proposal isn’t changed at the Legislature.
“We’re all unified in that if this plays out the way that it’s being said today then this is a major step forward,” said Dawn Penich-Thacker, a spokeswoman for Save Our Schools Arizona, who spoke to an organizer of the teacher group. “There’s a lot more to do, but it’s a good-faith gesture that we think is something to continue working together on.”
The developments come after a group formed in March called Arizona Educators United signed up more than 40,000 teachers and support staff. Teachers and others held “walkins” at more than 1,000 schools Wednesday to draw attention to their demands.
Up until early this week, Ducey said he was sticking to his plan to give teachers only a 1 percent pay raise this year.
Ducey changed his tone after Arizona Educators United threatened a walkout and said a strike date could be set soon.
Arizona teachers are among the lowest paid in the nation, with elementary instructors earning a median 2017 wage of $43,280 and high school teachers $46,470, the third and sixth lowest in the nation, respectively, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Adjusted for local cost of living, federal figures show elementary teachers rank 49th in earnings and high school teachers 48th.
Ducey says the average teacher earned $48,372 last year. Under his proposal, average teacher pay would go to $58,130 by the start of 2020, Ducey said, without taking money he promised earlier in the year to restore previous funding cuts.
The teacher pay boost will cost $274 million for the coming school year and $650 million by 2020 and go into the base school formula that increases for inflation each year.
The proposal rolled out by the Republican governor Thursday doesn’t increase funding for other school needs or provide raises for school staff that the grassroots teachers group demanded. But he already proposed $100 million in his budget plan as a start to restoring nearly $400 million cuts made earlier in the decade — including $117 million he cut in 2015.
“We know that there are other needs in public education, so there will be no shell games,” Ducey said. “This investment will be in addition to the $371 million in district additional assistance which will provide flexible funding for Arizona schools’ most pressing needs — fixing school infrastructure, modernizing curriculum, school buses and updating classroom technologies.