News

The Tucson Sentinel reported that Arizona teachers plan to walk out of their classrooms April 26 to protest low salaries and nearly $1 billion cut from K-12 funding in the wake of the Great Recession that hasn’t yet been replaced.

As state policy makers weigh their options in response to the “Red for Ed” movement that is organizing the teacher protests, some conservatives and their allies have pointed to bloated administration costs as a reason teachers in Arizona have among the worst pay in the nation.

The Tucson Weekly reported that every Wednesday morning, educators across the state have been holding morning rallies, or “walk ins,” outside their schools. The Red for Ed movement, which began in early March, is calling for a raise for educators and additional funding for schools.

Tempe & West Chandler's Wrangler News reported that if lawmakers and Gov. Doug Ducey were inclined to find money for teachers, one place they could go looking is in the taxes that the state doesn’t collect: Arizona allowed more than $13.5 billion in taxes to go uncollected in fiscal year 2017, thanks to a litany of exemptions, deductions, allowances, exclusions or credits. And that number is likely to grow by another $1-to-2 billion once individual income tax deductions are tallied.

KTAR News Phoenix reported on current classroom conditions shown in photos posted on social media by dozens of Arizona teachers that included old and worn out textbooks, broken desks and carpets held together with duct tape.

Noah Karvelis, a lead organizer with Arizona Educators Untied, said these photos are a result of poor funding for Arizona public schools. The state ranks near the bottom of the nation for K-12 funding.