Teachers at elementary schools in Glendale plan sick-out, a first for #RedforEd movement

Nearly all of the classroom teachers from at least one elementary school in Glendale plan to call in sick Wednesday to stage a #RedForEd protest at the Arizona Capitol, and teachers from more schools may join them.

The teacher sick-out at Sunset Ridge Elementary School in the Pendergast Elementary School District is the first action of this kind stemming from a statewide movement among educators calling for better pay.

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Teachers in at least two other schools in the district may be planning to take similar action, and parents districtwide have been notified.

The Arizona movement was inspired by the nine-day teacher strike in West Virginia over teacher pay.

Kassandra Dominguez, a first-grade teacher at the K-8 Sunset Ridge school, said teachers spontaneously decided Tuesday that they would call in sick Wednesday to protest at the Capitol.

The walkout will happen exactly two weeks after thousands of educators across the state wore red in a silent demonstration meant to bring attention to the low teacher pay they say has driven thousands of qualified teachers out of the classroom.

All but four of the nearly 30 teachers at Sunset Ridge have committed to participate in the walkout, Dominguez said.

"If we don’t speak, who’s going to speak for us?” Dominguez said.

Reports that teachers in other Pendergast district schools planned to take similar action Wednesday immediately surfaced via social media. Teachers at Sunset Ridge said educators at the school had been discussing their efforts with colleagues at other schools in the district.

The Pendergast district, which has about 10,000 students enrolled in a dozen schools in Glendale and west Phoenix, plans to monitor early Wednesday exactly how many teachers will be absent from work and then decide what to do.

Martin Quezada, a Democratic state lawmaker and president of the Pendergast school board, said Tuesday night that the district identified two other schools — Villa de Paz and Sonoran Sky elementary schools in Phoenix — in which teachers planned to stage a sick-out Wednesday.

One of those schools expected to have more than 20 teachers participate, Quezada said, adding that teachers' plans for Wednesday "spread like wildfire."

Nedda Shafir, spokeswoman for the Pendergast district, said the school district sent robocalls to parents Tuesday "letting them know of the potential impact." She said the district would not know how many of its schools would be impacted until Wednesday morning.

Quezada said those calls alerted parents that some teachers might not be at school Wednesday and that students would not be disciplined if they stayed home.

"The kids are welcome to come to school. We will cover all the bases that we can," Quezada said. "And if we feel that, for whatever reason, we don't have enough personnel to do that, we will reach out back to parents again and ask them to come pick up their children."

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Noah Karvelis, a teacher and organizer of the Arizona Educators United group that first started Arizona's #RedForEd movement, said Tuesday evening that Pendergast teachers "independently" organized the sick-out.

Karvelis in a Tuesday video to members of the Arizona Educators United Facebook group said that the organizers have no immediate plans to strike.

"While we were not involved in the planning of it, we certainly understand where they’re coming from," Karvelis said of the Pendergast teachers. "We support their action and their concerns, and it really shows where the minds of educators really are. Their backs are against the wall. They’ve been pushed for too long. They’re beginning to organize."

Brian Winefsky, the school's principal, and Lily DeBlieux, superintendent of Pendergast schools, did not encourage or approach teachers about staging a walkout, Dominguez said. But she added that "the administration and the district support their teachers."

Dominguez said school administrators' support is "what's giving us the strength" to plan Wednesday's sick-out.

"Our superintendent and our administration certainly do believe in us and are encouraging us so our voices are heard higher up," she said.

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Teachers and the school district both said Pendergast schools have been impacted by a shortage of substitute teachers.

Sunset Ridge Elementary School, located near the Westgate Entertainment District, has about 680 students. The school has an "early release" Wednesday at 1:15 p.m.

Shafir said "there’s very, very strong support from the administration" for teachers, adding that the school board recently approved tiered pay raises for teachers depending on how many years teachers have taught in the district.

"Teachers are going to do what they need to do," Shafir said. "I think in our state, what's happened is that it's come down to teachers making that strong statement and letting our Legislature and our governor know how important this is.

"If we want to attract and retain teachers, we have to support them and pay them what they're worth."

Since the start of the grassroots #RedForEd movement earlier this month, Arizona teachers have discussed among themselves on social media the possibility of taking escalated action, such as a walkout or strike.

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Many teachers have tried to gauge the level of support for the #RedForEd movement among the state's school principals and district superintendents. Few school leaders have publicly chimed in on the movement, either in support or opposition.

Quezada said Tuesday night that he had "mixed reactions" to Pendergast teachers' decision to miss school because it creates uncertainty for students.

He added: "I absolutely understand where these teachers are coming from."

"They've had a frustration that's been slowly getting hotter and hotter like a pot of water, and finally boiling over when they see a lack of action at all at the state Capitol," he said.

Gov. Doug Ducey and the Legislature are in the midst of negotiating the budget for next year.

When asked about the teacher protests and push for more pay, Ducey has pointed to his January budget proposal that would include $400 million in additional funding for education. That includes money for capital costs, required student growth and inflation funding, and the second half of a 2 percent pay increase promised to teachers last year.

Arizona Educators United has not released a proposal for what teachers would like to see, but educators statewide have said Ducey's budget proposal is not acceptable.

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