Teacher walk-outs in Phoenix area (association, activity, employers)

[mkpunk]

Originally Posted by Burning Madolf

This guy doesn't look prepared to give up seeing his name in the news anytime soon:

Joe Thomas, president of the Arizona Education Association, said teachers will return to the classroom when the entire state budget passes, so it is still unclear if today will be the last day of teacher walkouts.

There are still bills that the teachers are looking to watch and take notice of it. There is a voucher bill that is out there that many think will siphon off more funds from public education. There is also that donor tax cut Ponderosa talked about. Also I can guarantee you, that the teachers and support staff will watch our paychecks VERY closely. If there aren't 9% raises, Ducey is done. If the legislators continue to give tax cuts and hurt the allocated school budget, they are ****ed.

Originally Posted by wase4711

Yeah, thats the message I am seeing everywhere, so I dont know why folks in this thread are saying that this is "over", and classes start in full everywhere tomorrow..

It is mostly over besides being intrigued by specific bills. I imagine my district will be back to work tomorrow even though I haven't heard anything. Why, it was planned to be open today before the legislature drug their feet. The only reason it wasn't was there were 62% of teachers calling out due to the fact that we only had three days of an actual walkout due to a spring recess on Friday and Monday. Plus the district was far more day-to-day and deriding the teachers on behalf of the parents rather than standing behind the teachers.

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

It's a district by district thing. I have family and friends among the teachers and all of them are planning to go back tomorrow, though they are still at the capitol demonstrating against proposed tax cuts for donors that they believe we can't afford and will ultimately hurt education. It only takes a few to shut down a school and we will see later today where that goes. The talk in our district is that the school is going to announce it will open and any teachers who don't show will be charged personal time.

Exactly. I am planning to be back tomorrow. I planned to be today until when I ironically went to a district operated summer camp when I heard about all the chaos in the legislature by legislators who wanted to slow it down to get their preference.

Originally Posted by rsontag

Red for Ed is like the Blue Fist which was used by the teachers in Wisconsin. Draw your own conclusion.

Only because the Red Hand took away for years and years and years. 10 years we have been at recession levels and Arizona was arguably out of the recession as soon as Ducey was sworn in and NOW the teachers get the raise after threating to walkout and that's all that is really given? Yeah it works both ways.

Originally Posted by wase4711

so, actually, there is no "statewide" decision that all schools will be open Friday at this point, correct?

No, some schools reopened today. Most closed when teachers called out due to the lack of a vote which turned into a very late vote. I stayed up until the House finished their vote and it was about 3/4AM.

[BIG CATS]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

I sure as heck never heard of him. Glad to hear he is for ed though. How about Red Skelton? Interestingly names like Red are a vestige of days when we did not have to be so politically correct. We had names like Shorty, Lefty, Stump, Fats and Fatty.

Oooh, Red Skelton. Forgot about that dude.


Red Grange was recently voted by ESPN to be the greatest college football player of all time. Went on to be signed by the Bears.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by rsontag

Red for Ed is like the Blue Fist which was used by the teachers in Wisconsin. Draw your own conclusion.

Blue Fist is an AFL CIO logo used in union activities. The movement is Arizona is not affiliated with a union. Redfored came from demonstrations in other states. FWIW, AZ teachers pulled off the most successful effort yet without having a union directing them. The power of Facebook and cell phones.

[mkpunk]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Blue Fist is an AFL CIO logo used in union activities. The movement is Arizona is not affiliated with a union. Redfored came from demonstrations in other states. FWIW, AZ teachers pulled off the most successful effort yet without having a union directing them. The power of Facebook and cell phones.

It is a lot of partisan bullcrap like others on this thread have pushed forth. There was no union because of the fact AZ is Right to Work and people fear unionizing in a nearly fully At-Will state. My employer is an At-Will employer and could fire us if we do as a politician said and take the fight to the districts.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by mkpunk

It is a lot of partisan bullcrap like others on this thread have pushed forth. There was no union because of the fact AZ is Right to Work and people fear unionizing in a nearly fully At-Will state. My employer is an At-Will employer and could fire us if we do as a politician said and take the fight to the districts.

Yeah, that would not be too bright at least with respect to walkouts. The only strength teachers have is in numbers. In any case, the school boards, superintendents, and principals in most districts were highly supportive, even encouraging in the walkout. Many of them took part in the demonstrations. They realize how schools have been short-changed in Arizona and that a bold step was needed to get the legislature to act.

[CypressHeat]

Edit:

[kell490]

Originally Posted by mkpunk

Charter schools are failing in Arizona due to running out of funds. Mind you, AZ has few restrictions on charters so any fast-buck artist can set up shop if they get accreditation. At least 40 charter schools are in danger right now of closing down.
Pick any of these four, they are the same AP article:
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news...oes/364727002/
Arizona charter schools at risk of closing due to money woes - Arizona's Family
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-sta...-to-money-woes
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news...ng-due-to-mon/

The following are from a local radio station and cite two specific Phoenix charters closing:
State board revokes charter for Phoenix-area school that closed last month
Phoenix charter school plagued with debt to close this summer

I'm not against charter schools, just Arizona NEEDS to create stiffer regulations to prevent fast-buck artists who start up and then dry up, especially due to mishandling of funds. Both articles from KTAR, show executives who stole from the schools. Now yes, this can happen in traditional public schools too, but it is a little bit rarer. Charter executives seem to use the charter school money as their own piggy bank far more commonly than traditional public schools.

As for private schools, what happens if the students cannot afford such. Oh but we offer vouchers, I'm sure this is coming, it always does. However they don't often go to those that need it and rather is a form of wrich welfare.
Nicholas Kyle: Who really benefits from school vouchers and ESAs? | Columns | joplinglobe.com

If state operated schools could fail they would have 30 years ago as far as regulation we don't need that a simple review by parents like yelp is all we need. The bad ones will float to the top of the bad list and go out of business as parents pull their kids out free market will take care of it.

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by kell490

If state operated schools could fail they would have 30 years ago as far as regulation we don't need that a simple review by parents like yelp is all we need. The bad ones will float to the top of the bad list and go out of business as parents pull their kids out free market will take care of it.

We don’t need state educational regulations we just need Yelp and the omnibenevolent “free market”?

[mkpunk]

Originally Posted by kell490

If state operated schools could fail they would have 30 years ago as far as regulation we don't need that a simple review by parents like yelp is all we need. The bad ones will float to the top of the bad list and go out of business as parents pull their kids out free market will take care of it.

And what of people not being able to be served by private schools? Also I see you fail to mention CEOs raiding the corporate piggy banks of the charter schools.

Originally Posted by JGMotorsport64

We don’t need state educational regulations we just need Yelp and the omnibenevolent “free market”?

There is also this. I don't see the free market solving all problems.

[pbenjamin]

FWIW Phoenix Elementary is back on regular schedule tomorrow.