Ducey proposes 20 percent pay increase for teachers by 2020

Gov. Doug Ducey on Thursday boosted his proposal for teacher raises next year to 9 percent, up from 1 percent he proposed in January, saying lawmakers would work through the weekend to figure out how to fund the plan.

Coupled with 5 percent raises the following two years — and the 1 percent raise given last year — Ducey said his proposal would give teachers a "net pay increase" of 20 percent by 2020.

It was a sudden about-face for the governor, who watched as educators in Arizona for weeks protested and threatened a walkout. As recently as Tuesday, Ducey called the protests a "political circus."

Teachers have demanded 20 percent raises next year and restoration of about $1 billion in overall school funding that was cut during the recession. The governor's plan doesn't fully meet their demands, and on Thursday night, group members said they still would plan a walkout.

"I've been paying attention to what's going on across the state," Ducey said at a press conference, surrounded by state lawmakers, education advocates and some school superintendents.

"The winners today are the teachers of Arizona."

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The governor said the 9 percent increase would bring the average teacher salary in Arizona to $52,725 this fall.

By 2020, Ducey's plan would make the average teacher salary $58,130, he said.

The National Education Association is among the groups that tracks teacher pay. According to its 2017 data, the national average salary is $58,950. Arizona pay currently ranks 45th lowest in the nation, according to their data.

Adding the 9 percent raise would put Arizona in the middle of the pack among states.

Ducey said the initial 9 percent raises, which would cost about $274 million, are a "priority" in his budget proposal, though he offered only general answers about higher state revenue to explain how he would pay for it.

"It's going to be a long weekend," the governor said.

Later Thursday, Ducey's chief of staff Kirk Adams said some of the money would come from reductions in the Medicaid caseload. He said more details would be released in the coming days.

Governor says paying for raises won't be 'shell game'

Ducey said the plan would not simply redirect money meant for other school needs, such as buildings and buses.

"We know there are other needs in public education," he said. "There will be no shell games."

Education advocates said they were heartened by that promise.

"The fact it wasn't coming out of existing education buckets was key for us," said Dawn Penich-Thacker, spokeswoman for Save Our Schools Arizona. That group is pushing a referendum on the expansion of the state's voucher-style program for privates school students.

Also key, she said, was that the governor said he intended to put the increases into base pay, not make them one-time stipends.

RELATED: With walk-ins, Arizona teachers gauge support for walkouts, closing schools

"If this plays out the way it was explained today, this is a major step forward," she said.

Penich-Thacker said she secured a face-to-face vow from Senate President Steve Yarbrough, R-Chandler, and other legislative leaders that this money would not go to private-school tuition funds.

She said she was surprised to get the invitation to the news conference with the governor, a call that came from a Ducey staff member around noon. She said the work she and other parents did showed the importance of the public paying attention to the actions of their elected officials.

"It's taken a year, but I think we’ve reached a critical mass," she said. "All these folks who ignored us and rolled their eyes at us last year are now standing there and saying, 'Thank you.' "

Rep. Heather Carter, R-Cave Creek, said the plan Ducey outlined came out of several ideas that had floated around the Capitol in recent weeks.

"I've pulled many all-nighters going over plans," Carter said. "It's good to have one of them see the light of day."

House Democratic leader Rep. Rebecca Rios, D-Phoenix, noted that her party has made proposals to increase education funding for several years.

"So, we are happy that Republicans are beginning to see the light and joining us in this effort," she said in a statement. She added that many details remain unclear and Democrats would support it if the plan doesn't take from other education dollars or rely on cutting vital services

"But, it's amazing what can happen in an election year when teachers threaten to strike," Rios said.

RELATED: Ducey says protesters are 'playing games', as teachers rally outside radio station

Some teachers are skeptical

Joe Thomas, president of the Arizona Education Association, expressed skepticism over the governor’s announcement, saying it lacked detail.

Thomas said Ducey’s announcement "doesn’t happen without the #RedForEd movement and without teachers finding their voice."

"What the governor appears to be doing is trotting out a set of goals without details and probably hoping teachers would just shut up and go back to work," Thomas said. "And I don't think they will. Teachers have seen this maneuver before."

Organizers with Arizona Educators United, the grassroots group fueling the #RedForEd movement, said Ducey’s announcement doesn’t affect their plans to move forward with a possible walkout.

In a Facebook video to members of the AEU’s private Facebook group, organizers expressed skepticism of Ducey’s announcement.

They also urged their members to remain united.

Noah Karvelis, a Tolleson music teacher and AEU organizer, said in the video that he felt Ducey’s proposal "was essentially an attempt to stop whatever actions we may have been taking instead of a legitimate groundwork for future investment in education and to fulfill our demands."

"This has raised more questions for us than answers," Karvelis said. "We don’t know the details. We don’t know the funding sources."

Organizers of #RedForEd started their efforts a little more than a month ago.

In addition to the raise and funding restoration, the group wants competitive pay for all education support professionals, such as teachers' aides and paraprofessionals.

RELATED: Arizona teachers plan walkout; date to be announced

A few educators in the group voiced support on social media for the plan if Ducey could deliver, however.

Ralph Quintana, a Glendale teacher and president of the Arizona Federation of Teachers, said Ducey’s proposal was "a start in the right direction."

But, he added, "I don't think it's going to be enough. I think he is putting on a Band-Aid, and this isn't going to help teachers leaving."

Ducey had stuck to plan publicly

As recently as Tuesday afternoon, Ducey had stuck with his initial budget proposal made in January of 1 percent raises for teachers.

On Wednesday, a state Finance Advisory Committee reported that state revenue was continuing to exceed forecasts. And teachers' threats of walking out of classrooms, as has happened in other states, continued to dominate the news.

At the press conference, his reliance on the budget as he proposed changed.

"Our economy has been growing," Ducey said. "We have surplus revenues."

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Justin Desonen, a seventh-grade English teacher at Trailside Point Performing Arts Academy in Laveen, said he was surprised to hear of a plan that would boost pay so dramatically.

"It was 1 percent, 1 percent, forever," he said. "That’s all we heard."

Desonen said he thought Wednesday's walk-in demonstrations at schools across the state made a difference.

"He saw that it was (state) representatives on the line with teachers, PTA and parents groups, members of the community," he said. "He saw it wasn't just teachers marching and supporting this."

Desonen said he remained concerned that the raises didn't extend to school staff, like librarians, custodians and counselors, saying those people also played vital roles.

RELATED: Creative #RedforEd signs spotted during Wednesday's Arizona walk-ins

What lawmakers propose

Separately, lawmakers in the Legislature have been considering another alternative to increase funding for teacher raises. The plan would not increase taxes, but would redistribute money from school buildings and upkeep and direct it to teacher salaries.

The lawmaker plan would result in a 6 percent raise next year, short of the 20 percent teachers are demanding. It would increase for five years to a total of a 24 percent raise after five years.

That plan, pushed by House Speaker J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, would take discretionary funds proposed for school districts and put them into a "classroom site fund" that could only be used for teacher salaries.

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After Ducey's press conference, Mesnard said lawmakers likely would rally behind Ducey's proposal, but he still wants some assurance that money lawmakers intend for teacher raises goes to raises.

"The classroom site fund is certainly one possible tool," Mesnard said.

Some education supporters called the House plan a "shell game" because it didn't include new money for schools, only reallocating education dollars to different causes.

"Teachers, parents, and leaders across this state understand that many dollars put into school budgets can NOT be spent on teacher pay when school buses are broken down, health insurance and utility costs are going up, class sizes are growing, roofs are leaking, students are missing classroom aids and counselors, and textbooks are 15 years old," said Dana Wolfe Naimark, president/CEO of the Children's Action Alliance, an advocacy group.

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