Thousands of teachers in Arizona participated in a state-wide “walk-in” Wednesday to call for increased education funding and teacher salary raises.

Teachers and students alike wore red and held #RedforEd signs as part of a grassroots movement to sway Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) and state lawmakers to consider five key demands, according to The Arizona Republic:

Restore education funding to what it was in 2008, with approximately $1 billion in new funding

Increase teacher salaries by 20 percent

Offer competitive pay for all educational support staff

Implement a permanent salary structure

Block new tax cuts until Arizona’s per-pupil funding is on par with the national average

Because teachers and students deserve to be able to THRIVE!! Because teachers mold the minds of the future and need LIVABLE WAGES!! Because my mother works HARD!! #RedForEd pic.twitter.com/BMmAY0vkqo — kate (@katehostal) April 11, 2018

Arizona is the latest state where teachers have rallied for more education funding, joining Oklahoma, Kentucky, and West Virginia in recent months. As ThinkProgress reporter Casey Quinlan previously reported, in many of these states, school funding is far below what it was before the Great Recession of 2008.

According to a March 2018 Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) report, Arizona and Oklahoma both cut taxes before the Great Recession and continued to do so afterward, which “squeezed state general fund dollars — the amount available to lawmakers to fund schools and other state priorities.” This squeeze has contributed to making Arizona schools the second-least adequately funded in the country. As The Arizona Republic reported, the state spent only $7,489 per pupil in 2015, a 34 percent difference from the national average of $11,392.


The CBPP goes on to report that while most states eventually restored education funding after 2008, Arizona and Oklahoma have lagged behind. To make matters worse, the state faces major teacher shortages, largely due to low pay and minimal educational resources.

Great morning of walk-ins in Maricopa. Thank you to the teachers and staff at BES & MWMS (& all MUSD schools) for inspiring and supporting my children and our community. #REDFORED @AZEdUnited @MacandGaydos @mcurtis12news @abc15 @InMaricopa pic.twitter.com/yIYfeq9m3j — Christine Tifft-Cobb (@bellaluna418) April 11, 2018

The walk-ins follow Tuesday’s teacher protests outside a Phoenix radio station, where about 300 teachers marched on the sidewalk while Gov. Ducey was on the air inside the studio. During his interview, Ducey said, according to The Arizona Republic, that he already increased teacher salaries and suggested that teachers weren’t paying attention because they were being swayed by a “political movement.”

If @dougducey thinks this is just teachers playing political games, he couldn't be more wrong. So many parents and students out at Hamilton HS today who know EXACTLY what #REDforED is about. Ball's in your court, Governor. #ChandlerWalksIn @AZEdUnited @ArizonaEA pic.twitter.com/QO32qjhNuL — Shaun Creighton (@shauncretian) April 11, 2018

Ducey also said that he was not interested in meeting with protesters from the #RedForEd movement.

“What I don’t want to do is get into these political operatives’ political circus,” he said on air, according to The Arizona Republic. “Why would I sit down with someone who wants to play games?”


“This is not a political circus,” Lise Spangenthal, a teacher in the Tempe Elementary School District, told The Arizona Republic. “This is a bipartisan movement that is trying to get things settled for our kids, who deserve way better than what they’re getting right now.”

Why did you wear red today? "I think teachers should have more pay." "I want more teachers down the road." "I want my city to have teachers." #redfored pic.twitter.com/MJ0iEmz8TN — Emma Grigsby (@EmmaGrigsby16) April 11, 2018

In a post in the group’s private Facebook page on Monday, organizers with the Arizona Educators United expressed their intention to plan a long-term walkout throughout the state.