Educators discuss hopes for new teacher pay bill

Governor Doug Ducey officially signed a $10.4 billion teacher pay bill, meaning teacher walkouts have come to an end.

As teachers head back to class, many question how the money will be distributed throughout various school districts.

While Governor Ducey’s bill promised a 20 percent raise by 2020, many teachers said a competitive salary will remain a priority.

“It’s really important to have competitive pay for teachers,” Amanda Rahkola, a Fourth Avenue Junior High teacher said. “If you want to have great students, if you want experienced graduated, we have to give them [the] education that gets them there.”

Moreover, several said they hope to see the money go toward student’s supplies as well.

“I hope that schools across the board get those opportunities,” Rahkola said. “[Hopefully] they can use their per-pupil funding, to have flexible seating classrooms and to have field trips.”