Teachers hold #RedforEd rally at Capitol after sick-out at 9 West Valley schools

Nine schools in the West Valley closed Wednesday after a wave of teachers called in sick to stage a #RedForEd rally for higher wages and more school funding at the state Capitol.

The sick-out, which inconvenienced parents of thousands of schoolchildren, has spurred social-media chatter among teachers in other districts about taking similar action.

"Gov. Doug Ducey needs to prepare himself ... because I think this is only the first ripple effect," said Kassandra Dominguez, a first-grade teacher at the K-8 Sunset Ridge Elementary who led the sick-out. "It's going to keep happening."

Nedda Shafir, spokeswoman for the Pendergast Elementary School District, said only three of the district's 12 schools were operating Wednesday. Shafir said about 350 classroom teachers did not show up for work.

Shafir said teachers and students who were not present at school Wednesday would not be penalized.

The Pendergast district serves about 10,000 students in Phoenix and the West Valley. Schools in the district were on an "early release" schedule Wednesday.

The nine closed schools were: Desert Mirage, Canyon Breeze, Garden Lakes, Sunset Ridge, Sonoran Sky, Villa de Paz, Pendergast, Desert Horizon and Amberlea elementary schools.

Gathering at the Capitol to protest

The teacher sick-out is the first action of this kind stemming from the statewide #RedForEd movement among educators.

At the Capitol, hundreds of teachers and educational staff wore red to a rally organized by the Arizona Education Association.

"Teachers are tired of not receiving the funds that we need in our classrooms and in our pockets," Dominguez told a group of educators outside the Capitol. "We have teachers eating ramen noodles for dinner. We’re out of college and still eating ramen."

Dominguez said she welcomes Ducey to buy her a cup of coffee, because she can't afford it, and talk to her about what's going on in the classroom. She said she spends more than $1,000 a year out of her own pocket on supplies for her classroom.

"At the end of the day, which is something that the senators in there don't see and Governor Ducey doesn't see, the kids are paying for it," she said. "I think the bigger picture here is that they forget that a teacher educated them."

Immediately after, the group began marching around the Capitol, chanting "Red for Ed!"

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

Teachers in Oklahoma have indicated they may strike on April 2.

Such action is historically unusual in Arizona. Tucson teachers in the late 1990s and early 2000s staged several sick-outs over teacher pay. The last full-fledged teacher strikes in Arizona were in Tucson in 1978 and Sierra Vista in 1980.

After marching, educators and community members walked into two hearing rooms to listen to the Senate Finance Committee's hearing on House Bill 2528, a bill that would give higher tax breaks on capital gains. A legislative analysis estimated the bill could cost the state several million dollars a year.

"Teachers here don't really like this bill," Joe Thomas, Arizona Education Association president, said. "You can't keep teachers in the state. Why are we giving tax cuts to millionaires?"

It passed with a 4-3 vote, with Republicans supporting it and Democrats opposing it. It needs a final vote in the House before advancing to the governor.

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'What are my options?'

Tomorrah Howard, an eighth-grade math teacher at Sunset Ridge, broke into tears as she talked about her frustration. Despite having 13 years of teaching experience and two master’s degrees related to education, she can’t afford to send her oldest child to Northern Arizona University.

"I deserve every right to send my child to college, but I can’t because I make under $43,000 a year," she said, her voice cracking. "I’m from Chicago and I’ve been here three years and I really thought it was going to get better," she said.

There she made $56,000, she said.

"Do I pick up a second job and become an Uber driver? What do I do? What are my options?" she asked.

MORE: Parents have mixed feelings on #RedForEd sick-out at West Valley schools

Howard said that at 37 years old she moved back in with her parents to save up to send her daughter to college but is still $4,000 short, in part because she herself has $50,000 in debt from getting graduate degrees.

"I believe in being a teacher. I’m a teacher by heart. I shouldn’t have to walk away from my career to deserve a right to live or take care of my family," she said. "It’s very, very, very, very hurtful. There’s no other words to explain. I’m gonna be in my classroom tomorrow but I’m dealing with this hurt."

Michelle Abretske, a first-grade teacher, held a sign during the march that read, " 'I get paid too much,' said no teacher ever #RedForEd."

"I wanted to support not just for myself but for everyone that is in the education field for better pay raises and better pension," Abretske said.

She said she has been glad to not only see other educators' support but also parents' support.

Alicia Patton, a kindergarten teacher at Madison Rose Lane, said she hopes to bring more awareness not only to the Legislature but to the community because she's not sure parents know what goes on in the classroom.

She said not every early childhood classroom has instructional aides, leaving a single teacher to oversee more than 26 young children. She also said not every school has an on-site counselor to help students with social, emotional, behavioral or academic struggles.

"It takes a lot to be a teacher and I can't imagine doing anything else," Patton said. "I've thought of other things because I have a family of my own now and I like to spend time with my family, but I'm not sure what I would do. It's difficult, to say the least."

Widespread concern over low pay for teachers

The sick-out occurred 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.

Teachers who sparked sick-outs in the Pendergast district told The Arizona Republic the decision had been spontaneous. They said they were frustrated with how the state has handled Arizona's teacher crisis.

School administrators in the Pendergast district did not encourage their sick-out, the teachers said, but offered support to let their voices be heard.

At Sunset Ridge in Glendale — where the plans for the sick-out originated — all but four of the school's nearly 30 classroom teachers had been expected to call in sick.

After Pendergast officials first learned Tuesday that large numbers of teachers planned to call in sick Wednesday, they sent out robocalls to all parents.

Wednesday morning, schools called parents again letting them know that school would not be in session for the day.

Sen. Martin Quezada, a Democratic state lawmaker and president of the Pendergast school board, said parents were alerted 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.

Many parents support teacher protests

Sunset Ridge appeared nearly empty when the 8:45 a.m. start-of-school bell rang.

Mike Haggerty, a Sunset Ridge parent, stood outside the school to pick up his third-grader when it became apparent to him there would be no school.

Haggerty said he supported teachers' actions and believes they should be paid more.

"Our government is not doing enough," Haggerty said. "They keep cutting the budget on education and they need to put more money in it.”

At the protest at the Capitol, Sunset Ridge first-grade teacher Michelle Froehlich said every one of her students' parents support her.

"I was brought to tears last night by the support from my parents," she said. "It was last night, this morning, from past and present. I mean, overwhelming."

Her phone has been buzzing nonstop with supportive messages via emails, text, Facebook and on the ClassDojo app, she said.

"We’re not disrespecting parents. We’re not disrespecting kids. We are doing this for them."

Educators call Gov. Ducey's budget proposal unacceptable

Arizona Educators United, the grassroots group that sparked Arizona's #RedForEd movement, did not take part in organizing the Pendergast walkout.

Noah Karvelis, a teacher and Arizona Educators United organizer, said Tuesday that there were so far no plans for a statewide strike — a drastic action that teachers have discussed among themselves on social media ever since the #RedForEd movement gained traction this month.

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

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 organizers have not released a proposal for what teachers would like to see, but educators statewide have said Ducey's budget proposal is unacceptable.

Organizers have said they planned to announce a proposal before a planned March 28 protest at the state Capitol.

Includes information from Arizona Republic reporters Lauren Castle and Perry Vandell.

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