It's been a hot minute since I've posted, and I guess I have no excuse, except for that life happened. I have been busy teaching and working on a masters degree, and living my life. But being that there is a lot going on in the field of education right now, I felt the need to break the silence and share some perspective.
The state of funding education in Arizona has been abysmal. This is honestly, not a new development. I went into the field being told that I would have to be creative with my resources, careful with spending the limited budget I had for supplies, and to not expect to be able to get new things for my classroom. There just wasn't (and still isn't) the money. The further I got into my career, the more I relied on programs like Donors Choose to fund items for my room that I knew we needed to make a better experience for my students. I am fortunate to work in a district that allocates money well and to have had a principal that fought for me, and was able to get new carpet recently. That is something, however, I consider that a rare, lucky moment. We have volunteers from several local churches that come in and offer their time beautifying our campus and other campuses in our district with fresh paint and weatherized coating for our roofs. We have incredible community support, and I know many of my colleagues are not that fortunate. Good teachers are leaving because a job that is already taxing and difficult, is even more so due to lack of funding and lack of support from the state. I'll be honest, leaving Arizona (that has been my home for all 29 of my years) has been on my radar. Feeling supported financially by the state is not a small thing. It is really not surprising that educators are done accepting poor conditions as normal. And with other states leading the way, it isn't surprising that Arizona created their own movement.
So now here we are. Two months into a major movement towards protesting education funding and trying to make it better. We have been rallying in Phoenix and Tucson, walking into school united, standing out on major streets to generate support. The #redfored movement is about funding education, and generating the support from the community needed to vote for the inevitable tax increases that would be necessary. It seemed that the walk-ins were beginning to work. The Governor provided his 20x2020 plan in which he stated teachers would receive raises, equaling 20% by the year 2020. That sounds great, right? Teacher raises are so much of what we are working towards. But that's not all that educators are working towards, so the movement continues. And now we are on the precipice of a walk-out. The date has been set, and the Governor and legislature have been put on notice. Next Thursday, teachers will walk-out.
I will be honest, I'm terrified. There are so many potential consequences that I am honestly not sure I'm ready to deal with. There is a very real possibility that jobs could be lost, and even as an extreme, certificates can be revoked. However, despite all of these concerns and very real consequences, on Thursday, I will stand with my colleagues and participate in a walk-out. Here's why:
* Governor Ducey's plan is not inclusive. The raises he is proposing only go to certified teachers with a classroom roster. This means in the state's eyes, Special Education teachers, Reading Specialists, Physical Education teachers, Art teachers, Music teachers, and support staff such as custodians, attendance clerks, instructional assistants and so many more people who help raise our children will not see that raise in pay. Funding education means funding everyone. Support staff wages are not livable, and they are just as important in the school community. I have a friend who works as a member of the support staff for a local school, and when she recently did her taxes, she said she had made a grand total of $22k for the entire year. This is not okay. There is not a universe where that is an appropriate amount to live on. I have other friends who have to take on roommates or still live at home because they just don't make enough to survive.
* The plan does not include finding funding for supplies, capitol items (such as carpet, desks, chairs, air conditionings, etc.), or anything else related to keeping a school functioning and our kids safe. This movement has never been solely about teacher pay, and it still isn't.
* MY STUDENTS DESERVE BETTER. This is really the biggest reason I stand with my colleagues. I see my students doing the best they can with the things they have at home, which in my district, isn't much. And then I see them come to school and struggle to do the best they can with the things they have, which again, isn't much. That isn't fair. They deserve so much better. They deserve an education with limitless possibilities. They deserve to have working air conditioning, and functional plumbing, and textbooks that were written in this decade. They deserve to have functional playground equipment, and instruments that haven't been patched together 100 times. They deserve to have one place in their life that can give them comfort and make them feel loved and safe. And they deserve quality educators and support staff to provide all of those things for them.
I know there is so much to consider in a movement like this. There is so much that could go wrong if it is not executed properly. But the other side of that coin is, there is so much that could go right, too. I know that it is a BIG risk. I know that there is a lot a stake. But, I believe my students are worth it. I believe that my colleagues are worth it. I believe that the field of education is worth it. So I stand with my colleagues. I will walk-in for education, and on Thursday, April 26th, I will walk-out.
For more stats on what is happening, here's an article:
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2018/04/19/arizona-teacher-strike-gov-duceys-nightmare-redfored/534941002/
