Arizona teacher strike: #RedforED walkout in Yuma County
A sea of red filled the streets of Yuma Thursday morning.
Rallying in groups of 34 symbolizing the average Arizona classroom size.
“It’s like a can of sardines really. You know there’s almost days where we kind of hope students are absent just because we want our students to be able to fit into the classroom,” said teacher Dave Hannah.
Students giving up perfect attendance in honor of teachers that weren’t able to march Thursday.
“Because my teacher isn’t here to do it and so I’m going to do it for her,” said student I sabella Treynor.
Red For Ed supporters are demanding a 20 percent raise for teachers, restoring education funding to 2008 levels and increasing pay for support staff, among other things.
“Be involved. Ask questions. Figure out how the money goes. Where the money goes. Just because people think that we’re asking for money for raises. We have people that are making eighteen dollars take home,” said S tephanie Schindeln an educator in Yuma county.
This is the first ever statewide strike demanding for an increase in school funding. But the question remains: Will these walkouts make a difference?
Arizona governor Doug Ducey stands by his plan to increase teacher pay by 20 percent by 2020. But educators say that’s not enough.
“It was a very limited proposal, not just for salaries but it also didn’t include the classroom funding that’s probably the most important piece,” said C hristie McMorris a councilor in Yuma.
