Arizona teacher raises passed after strike shuts schools

[Ptah]

Source: ABC

Arizona lawmakers pulled an all-nighter Thursday to enact a budget that provides big raises for many of the state's striking teachers, potentially ending the five-day walkout that kept more than a million public school students out of the classroom.

The Senate passed the pay raises just before dawn, and Republican Gov. Doug Ducey immediately signed off on the plan to give teachers a 9 percent raise in the fall and 5 percent in each of the next two years. A 1 percent raise had already been approved, so the teachers will get a 20 percent overall increase over four years.

The striking teachers, who are among the lowest paid in the country, kept watch at the state Capitol all night, packing the House and Senate galleries during the debate and holding a candlelight vigil in a courtyard.

Organizers of the strike had called for classes to resume Thursday if the budget passed. But many large districts ended up canceling school for a sixth straight day as the lawmakers worked through the night.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/arizona-teacher-raises-passed-strike-shuts-schools-54906851

[pandr32]

1. See what happens when THE PEOPLE organize and stand up!

[busterbrown]

3. Fucking A!

There's been a couple of great things happening out there...but far and few...

The Marches, A Couple of great election victories for us, THE KIDS...Stormy and her lawyer, anything else... All the other crap..moving very slowly and its mostly depressing and very tiring

[Leghorn21]

4. That's how you do it!!

Fantastic news, and all best wishes to our

TEACHERS

[bluescribbler]

5. Keep it up, teachers!

Don't let the bastards push you around.

[BigmanPigman]

6. YEAH TEACHERS!

The increases makes them closer to what they should have been paid for decades! Overworked and underpaid because the profession has been mostly women for a hundred years. Attention state governments...Compassion for others doesn't pay the bills! Stop taking advantage of teachers!

[Staph]

7. Hooray for Arizona teachers!

That's what happens when you go all West Virginia on them!

(I saw that on signs held by Kentucky and Arizona teachers!)

[riversedge]

8. The fight continues to reduce class size...............

....................."We will return to our schools, classrooms, and students, knowing that we have achieved something truly historic. We should take pride in what we have accomplished, and in the movement that we have created together."
But some teachers lamented that some "pro-education" amendments they fought for were struck down, such as one that would reduce class sizes.

Eskelsen García and Thomas said teachers will keep pushing for more.

"The #RedforEd fight continues," the joint statement said. "And over the next few days, we will provide additional details about next steps."

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/03/us/arizona-education-funding-bill-passed/index.html