KGUN 9NewsStatewide News

Actions

Arizona teacher walkout? Red for Ed gets Capitol permits for Friday

Friday walk-outs coming? See districts' plans
Posted at 3:51 PM, Apr 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-19 08:12:37-04

Arizona teachers are one step closer to staging an official walk-out from class as soon as Friday, which could force Arizona students to stay home from school.

Leaders of the Red for Ed movement in Arizona have been granted a permit for an all-day protest on the grounds of the State Capitol starting Friday morning.

RELATED: Teacher salaries in Arizona: See how much each district pays teachers

ABC15 has confirmed that the group, in partnership with the Arizona Education Association (AEA), has also been approved for permits at the Capitol through most of next week.

Arizona teachers on Tuesday began voting on whether to stage walkouts, but final votes will not be tallied by the AEA until Thursday night.

Sources tell ABC15 that many districts are expecting a "yes" on the vote, and are now making contingency plans for potential teacher strikes on Friday.

ABC15 is reaching out to every district across the Valley right now to understand what the walk-outs mean for students.

See below for list of district responses we have received as of 11:15 p.m. Wednesday.

The walk-out vote comes after Gov. Doug Ducey proposed for teachers a 20 percent raise staggered over the next three years.

Educators in the grass-roots Red for Ed group say the plan doesn't address other needs, including raises for support staff and a return to pre-Great Recession school funding levels.

 


Dysart Unified School District

DUSD says if there is a walkout, they will do everything in their power to keep school open if enough staff is available. The district has released their contingency plan in a letter sent home for parents. You can read that ONLINE HERE.

Deer Valley Unified School District

DVUSD says if there is a walkout, they will do everything in their power to keep school open if enough staff is available. They have set up a page with the most common questions parents might have about the issue. You can read that ONLINE HERE.

Washington Elementary School District

WESD says they plan to use all available district employees to keep schools open if possible. The district says their priority is keeping students safe and to limit disruptions to their families.

Peoria Unified School District

PUSD says they're unable to share exact contingency plans, but encourage all parents to make sure they have the emergency contact information updated with their schools should they need to be reached.  

Tempe Union High School District, Balsz School District, Osborn School District, Phoenix Union High School District and the Chandler Unified School District have all responded to our request, but say it is too early in the planning stages to release any official information.