Teachers’ thoughts on education funding before Thursday’s walkout

“I think we are all taking this walkout very seriously. It’s not something that we chose to do or want to do, but we think it’s important.” Patty Sheppard, an instructional coach for Valle De Encanto Learning Center, is standing outside with her colleagues cheering for education funding on Main Street in Somerton. They are two days away from where herself and other teachers will walk out on Thursday, April 26th to send a clear message to Governor Ducey and legislators. “It’s not only about us, but it’s about the children,” said Araceli Valtierra, a second-grade teacher for the Somerton District. “We’re here because we care about them and we think education is really important.” A few blocks east of Main Street is Somerton Middle School. Outside, educators and parents are dressed in red to show their support for their children’s teachers. Andrew Layne, who is not only an art teacher but a parent, said not only do teachers deserve better but so do his daughters. “We want to educate your children better, we need more class sizes to do that. We need more education funding to do that, and we need the incentive to bring in good teachers in the state and we’re not going to get that unless the legislature does something about it.” Sheppard said even though some progress has been made from legislators, it’s not enough to fully support all school employees. “Governor Ducey made a generous offer for teachers to have a 20 percent pay increase, and that’s a wonderful gesture but it’s not enough. There are many people that work in schools, not just teachers and they’re the ones who are woefully underpaid. So we’re hopeful during this movement, we want to get the emphasis off simply teacher salaries and instead shift that emphasis for funding school appropriately.” For Araceli, the problem of education funding goes farther than inside the classroom. “Many times kids come to us because we’re the only support they have. I didn’t think it would come to this point, but I think we need to all stay united so the government can see that we’re all united to make a difference. It’s not just a couple of people we should all be together.” Watch the full report at 4/6/10 p.m. with 13 On Your Side or 5/6/10 p.m. with News 11.