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I got my promotion!

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Here are a few of my talking points for the 2019 CCCC presentation:

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Women taking action for what they deserve is inspiring. Fighting for equal rights and breaking out of “typical stereotypes” calls for a radical approach, which is what these strong women are doing in the strikes across the nation.

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I’m inspired by teachers in my home state of West Virginia. They went on strike again this year to defeat a terrible education bill

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Teachers spent only a few hours striking before West Virginia's House of Delegates effectively killed a new bill thatwould pave the way for charter schools and private school vouchers in a state that relies primarily on public education.

Cheers came from the rooms in the Capitol where teachers on strike had assembled, and Fred Albert, president of West Virginia chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, told The Associated Press, "It was very clear today that the House heard our voice."

In anticipation of the strike, nearly all of the state's 55 public school systems canceled classes for Tuesday.

A motion to delay action until later in the day failed in the Republican-led House, and a motion to postpone the bill indefinitely prevailed. There were 53 lawmakers in favor, with 45 opposing the delay.

"I am disappointed, but let me be clear: I am not defeated," said West Virginia Senate President Mitch Carmichael.

The state's House of Delegates and Senate had goneback and forth on different versions of a bill that would overhaul West Virginia's educational system. According to the Charleston Gazette Mail, the education bill raised pay for teachers and would have increased funding for public schools, but alsopermitted the creation of charter schools in the state, which currently has none.

The bill also funneled public money into a voucher system, called educational savings accounts, that could be used for private and online schooling. The new proposals were unacceptable to the state's teachers unions, which called for the strike to begin Tuesday.

"We are left with no other choice," said Albert, according to the AP.

Democrats in the Senate complained Monday that they didn't have a chance to digest details in amendments to the bill, which local media said were revealed just 10 minutes before the floor session.

"Why are we pushing it through with about 10 minutes of advance notice?" said Democrat Michael Romano, the AP reported. "Here we are with no time to digest it." The Senate then adjourned for an hour to give lawmakers a chance to read the proposals.

In a statement, the president of the state Senate criticized the unions for their decision to strike for the second time in two school years.

"After years of ruining our state's public education system, the teacher union bosses have finally lost their grip on the Legislature and seemingly have lost their grip on reality," Republican Sen. Mitch Carmichael wrote Monday evening. "Locking our students out of schools because the teachers union bosses have lost is an embarrassment for our state."

In 2018, teachers across the state walked out in protest of what they called low teacher pay. The proposed 2 percent pay increase would have done little to offset insurance premium increases and cuts in benefits, teachers said. That strike, which lasted nine days, resulted in a 5 percent raise and inspired similar teacher strikes across the country.

Details of the controversial bill changed - sometimes dramatically -as it bounced between the two legislative chambers. At one point the Senate version of the bill would have allowed an unlimited number of charter schools. The House bill subsequently limited the number of charter schools to two and killed the voucher program; the Senate's amended version permitted seven charter schools and reinstated vouchers for up to 1,000 students who have been bullied or have special needs.

The state's three teachers unions were watching the developments carefully.

"They have made this bill so ugly in the Senate, and we've been told they have support in the House," Albert told the Gazette Mail. "We feel that we have no other measure but to send the message that we're following this hour by hour."

Republican state Sen. Craig Blair told the AP that the bill included $66 million to go directly to teachers and school service workers.

"Change is never easy in West Virginia," he said. "This is the right thing to do. At this moment in time, this is exactly the right thing to do to get a better education outcome for our students."

In Oakland, Calif., 3,000 teachers plan to walk off the job Thursday over teacher pay, class size and lack of support staff.

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West Virginia's Education Bill Dies As Teachers Strike

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Teachers spent only a few hours striking before West Virginia's House of Delegates effectively killed a new bill thatwould pave the way for charter schools and private school vouchers in a state that relies primarily on public education.

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Teachers must unite...

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In the state where I live now (North Dakota), both K-12 and higher ed are WOEFULLY underfunded. My state representatives are known for listening to contituents. I could reach out to them before our next legislative session!

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KY Governor Matt Bevin says children sexually assaulted during teacher protests

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As 30 Kentucky schools closed statewide Friday while teachers traveled to the state Capitol in Frankfurt to show support for increased funding for public education, Republican Gov. Matt Bevin told a reporter that children were harmed by the school closures.

"I guarantee you somewhere in Kentucky today a child was sexually assaulted that was left at home because there was nobody there to watch them," Bevin said in a video posted to Twitter by WDRB-TV reporter Marcus Green. "I guarantee you somewhere today a child was physically harmed or ingested poison because they were home alone because a single parent didn't have any money to take care of them. I'm offended by the idea that people so cavalierly and so flippantly disregarded what's truly best for children."

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin on the teacher rallies today. "I guarantee you somewhere in Kentucky today a child was sexually assaulted that was left at home because there was nobody there to watch them." pic.twitter.com/Q4PpzFsTt2
- Marcus Green (@MarcusGreenWDRB) April 13, 2018

Kentucky lawmakers on Friday voted to override the Republican governor's veto of a two-year operating budget that increases public education spending with the help of a $480 million tax increase. Kentucky is one of several states, including West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona, to be roiled by teacher protests in recent weeks. The surge of activism is enough to cast doubts on whether Republicans can keep control of the state House of Representatives in the fall and whether Bevin, an ally of the Trump administration, could survive a re-election campaign in 2019.

After electing a Republican governor in 2015 and giving the party full control of the state legislature for the first time in 2016, it seemed the GOP had solidified its grip on Kentucky for years to come. But the legislature's rush to change the state's troubled public pension system, coupled with Bevin's burn-the-bridges approach to politics, has led to a wave of protests and prompted at least 40 current and former teachers to run for public office this year - most of them Democrats.

Bevin has not said if he will seek a second term. Representatives in his office did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Republican Rep. Melinda Gibbons Prunty, one of 17 new GOP members who ousted Democratic incumbents in 2016, said Saturday she did not know if Bevin's political future is in doubt. But she knows her own re-election is in trouble.

"I'm embarrassed by (Bevin's comments). I can't defend it," she said. "I felt like we were finally getting some calm and he just kind of, you know, stirs the hornets' nest."

In one of its final acts of 2018, the Kentucky House of Representatives, where Republicans hold 63 of out of 100 seats, approved two resolutions formally condemning Bevin's comments. Republican Senate President Robert Stivers called Bevin's comments "indefensible." But he scoffed at the notion of Republican rule being in jeopardy.

"I think Republicans will control both chambers this time next year," Stivers said. "I don't see any type of political turmoil or problems."

Republican Rep. Jim DuPlessis has seen it in his district. Six months ago, he said people would speak kindly to him in public. Now, some confront him with "a different mentality than they ever had before."

"(Gov. Bevin's) rhetoric made this a toxic situation," DuPlessis said. "It's hard for us to get our jobs done because it made people think we were out to get them when we truly weren't."

Other Republican lawmakers facing contested re-election campaigns said they weren't worried about the future of the party. The included Republican Rep. Adam Koenig from the northern Kentucky suburbs of Cincinnati, where Bevin has some of his strongest support. He noted the pension changes they passed do not affect current or retired teachers, and once people realize that "I think a lot of this will go by the wayside."

But Koenig noted he had many constituents call him and ask that he vote to override Bevin's veto of the two-year operating budget that included increased classroom spending.

"They are all going to get calls from me saying you asked and I delivered," he said.

Three years ago, Robin Cooper voted for Bevin. An occupation therapist in Kentucky's second-largest school district, she was one of thousands protesting.

"This is not what I would have voted for had I known he was going to harass and try to ridicule and try to intimidate teachers," Cooper said. "That makes me second guess his character and his vision for the Kentucky that I want."

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Kentucky gov. says "I guarantee" child was sexually assaulted during teacher protests

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As 30 Kentucky schools closed statewide Friday while teachers traveled to the state Capitol in Frankfurt to show support for increased funding for public education, Republican Gov. Matt Bevin told a reporter that children were harmed by the school closures.

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KY Governor Matt Bevin calls teachers "selfish and shortsighted" for protesting pension bill

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KY Governor Matt Bevin calls teachers "selfish and shortsighted" for protesting pension bill

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CLOSE

Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin slammed teachers for being "selfish and short-sighted" for protesting policies in the pension reform bill.

"If they get what they wish for they will not have a pension system for the younger people who are still working, and that to me is remarkably selfish and short-sighted," Bevin said on a Campbellsville radio program on Wednesday.

Bevin's comments come as hope for the governor's pension plan dwindle. Senate President Robert Stivers told Courier Journal that he "didn't see a lot of hope" for the bill.

Just this week, hundreds of teachers and educators flocked to Frankfort to protest the pension reform bill, particularly an unpopular provision - a reduction of the annual cost-of-living increase in benefits of retired teachers from 1.5 percent to 1.0 percent.

"It's about just straight up wanting more than your fair share," Bevin said. "This is a group of people just throwing a temper tantrum."

Brent McKim, the president of the Jefferson County Teacher's Association, said in a statement that he was "shocked" by Bevin's comments.

"We ask our Governor to remember he is a role model for Kentucky students too, so he should not be modeling name-calling or the disparaging of any group of our Commonwealth's citizens," McKim said in a statement. "We teach more by what we do than what we say."

A Bevin spokesman did not immediately respond to an email and phone call seeking comment Wednesday night.

The governor said on the radio program that Kentucky teachers are paid much higher than neighboring states. He also criticized teachers for getting pay raises during retirement saying that state Troopers "who get shot at" don't get raises.

► 'I don't see a lot of hope for it': Kentucky's pension reform bill is unlikely to pass

► Senate puts off vote on pension reform bill, raising doubts about proposal's fate

► LMPD cop's widow, FOP say death benefits bill being obstructed over pension reform

► Kentucky teachers are angry over pension reform. Could they go on strike?

"It's about just straight up wanting more than your fair share," Bevin said on the radio. "This is a group of people just throwing a temper tantrum."

The version of the bill sent to committee on Friday would make many changes intended to put Kentucky on a course of paying off retirement system liabilities of more than $43 billion.

Bevin said that legislators need to save people from their own "mis-informed opinions" and said they need to pass the pension bill "whether the people want it or not."

In addition to the cut to teacher's retirement benefits, opponents object to other provisions that trim benefits and that would move all future teachers and public employees into what is called a "hybrid cash balance" plan rather than in the traditional pension plan.

"I truly am confused by people who are protesting the idea that we should save the pension system," Bevin said. "They don't want to make any changes, it's the most bizarre thing I've ever experienced."
Tom Loftus contributed to this report.Thomas Novelly: 502-582-4465; tnovelly@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @TomNovelly. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/tomn.
Read or Share this story: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2018/03/14/matt-bevin-pension-reform-teachers/425524002/

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Gov. Matt Bevin calls teachers 'selfish and short-sighted' for protesting pension bill

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CLOSE Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin slammed teachers for being "selfish and short-sighted" for protesting policies in the pension reform bill. "If they get what they wish for they will not have a pension system for the younger people who are still working, and that to me is remarkably selfish and short-sighted," Bevin said on a Campbellsville radio program on Wednesday.

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"When I first heard about the walkout I felt like it was an extremely selfish decision made by the state's most selfless people," said Lillian Santa Cruz.

It was a powerful statement by the eighth-grader, who instead of getting excited about her eighth-grade graduation, is worrying about if she can graduate at all.
[SPECIAL SECTION: Arizona schools in crisis]
"I feel like we got the bad side of all of it," said Lillian.

And here's why. Her school, Copperwood Elementary, will be closing Thursday and Friday because of the walkout. Their eighth-grade graduation is still scheduled for May 22, but she said there are mandatory days at the end of the school year students have to attend to get their diplomas. Those now must be made up after the graduation ceremony on specific dates the school just decided on, and Lillian won't be here.
[RELATED: Arizona teachers vote to walk out on Thursday, April 26 over education funding]
"We have a planned and paid for vacation on the days when the makeups are scheduled to be," she said.

Lillian said the school hasn't offered any other solution to those mandatory days but said she knows several classmates who are in the same bind.
[RELATED: Arizona school districts release plans for teacher walkout]
"A lot of my friends won't be here for those makeup days so we're missing those days of learning," she said.

The eighth-grader said she supports teachers getting the raise, but feels the walkout has gone too far, forcing families to scramble to find childcare this week.
[RELATED: Valley businesses step up to watch students if teacher walkout forces districts to close schools]
"We're old enough to stay home but I do have friends whose parents are taking off because their siblings are not old enough to stay home alone," said Lillian.
[RELATED: 'Stay on the job!' AZ school superintendent urges teachers not to strike]
She believes the walk-ins and "Red for Ed" social media awareness were very effective, without causing major disruption to classroom learning. She's now calling on the government to figure out this mess that's affecting hundreds of thousands of students like her.
[POLL: Would you support a tax increase to fund teacher salaries?]
"I do think they need the raise and I think we need to find the money to give them that raise. However, I feel like walking out on us is not the way to do it at all," said Lillian.

More teacher protest stories

Gov. Ducey pushes for teacher pay deal as strike looms Valley businesses offer child care during teacher walkout Tempe Elementary to lean on substitutes to continue classes through walkout
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Student calls teacher walkout 'selfish,' says it causes major disruptions to learning

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"When I first heard about the walkout I felt like it was an extremely selfish decision made by the state's most selfless people," said Lillian Santa Cruz. It was a powerful statement by the eighth-grader, who instead of getting excited about her eighth-grade graduation, is worrying about if she can graduate at all.

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Oklahoma governor compares striking teachers to "a teenager wanting a better car"

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Oklahoma governor compares striking teachers to "a teenager wanting a better car"

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Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) said on Tuesday that the teachers asking for more school funding are like "a teenager wanting a better car."

"Teachers want more," Fallin said. "But it's kind of like a teenager wanting a better car."

Fallin made the remarks after she signed a bill giving support staff a $1,250 raise.

Last week, the governor signed a measure that raised teachers' salaries by $6,100. She also added $50 million to school funding even though teachers were asking for $200 million more.

Oklahoma teachers - who have been on strike since Monday - are also asking for a $10,000 raise over three years and a $5,000 raise for support staff.

The Oklahoma protests come after a strike in West Virginia that led to a 5 percent pay raise for teachers.

Teachers are also on strike in Kentucky and Arizona could see a statewide walkout soon.

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Oklahoma governor compares striking teachers to 'a teenager wanting a better car'

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Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) said on Tuesday that the teachers asking for more school funding are like "a teenager wanting a better car." "Teachers want more," Fallin said. "But it's kind of like a teenager wanting a better car." Fallin made the remarks after she signed a bill giving support staff a $1,250 raise.

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Arizona Educators United is a coalition of teachers, education support professionals, administrators, and those who care about the state of education in Arizona. Our goal is to ensure that students have access to highly qualified and experienced teachers, that educators are compensated fairly, and to improve the educational environment in the state of Arizona.

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What Az teachers actually demanded when striking

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What Az teachers actually demanded when striking

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Apoye la petición de los educadores ante el gobierno de Arizona Agrega su nombre a la siguiente petición para appoyar a la red de educadores unidos de Arizona conocido como Arizona Educators United y #REDforED. Les pedimos su apoyo por las siguientes razones: Las escuelas tienen una baja de fondos de mas de $1 billion debido a los recortes del presupuesto en 2008.

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April 2018

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Interviews with Arizona teachers in support of #REDforED

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May 3, 2018

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What do you call a grassroots movement that was organized on Facebook, has jumped five state lines, and made itself a force in the push to win pay increases for tens of thousands of teachers across the nation?

Increasingly, that movement has taken on the banner (and social media hashtag) of #RedforEd, though some groups use Red for Ed without hashtags. While this phrase isn't unique to any particular state or group it's especially caught fire with this latest round of teacher protests.

In Colorado and Arizona in particular, where grievances over teacher pay have led to strikes, walkouts, and protests, activists embraced the label of #RedforEd. And they have demonstrated with signs that don't have the hashtag, too. They have turned out in the thousands at state capitals, in town centers, and in front of schools decked in bright red shirts and holding bright red signs listing their demands.

In the last month alone, #RedforEd has been tweeted about by influencers more than 5,500 times, according to CrowdTangle.

VIDEO: The passion and desperation jumps from the screen. I've edited a small sample. "Schools have to choose whether to give students subs all year or put 50 kids in one room with me." Teachers tell #RedForEd stories to AZ House Appropriations Committee. #12News pic.twitter.com/kty3qWrvbV
- JOE DANA (@JoeDanaReports) May 2, 2018

That's not to say there hasn't been some pushback. A few weeks ago, Jasper Nichols, an Arizona resident opposed to the teacher protests, tried to trademark #RedforEd with Arizona's Secretary of State in order to stop local businesses from printing paraphernalia for the protesting teachers, according to local media reports.

"All this campaign is, is to change the elections, the primaries, the elections in November," said Nichols. He said he's going to file a lawsuit in court but many legal experts in the state say his argument won't hold up.

And, as noted, the term isn't exclusive to the latest round of teacher activism. A foundation in Florida used Red for Ed as part of a fundraising campaign that had little to do with teacher pay but instead raised money for food and school supplies.

Still, #RedforEd-at least the social media label-seems to be following in the footsteps of other hashtag movements including #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo and #NeverAgain.

It remains to be seen if #RedForEd turns out to have the same staying power.

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What Is #RedforED? Behind the Hashtag That's All the Rage in Teacher Strikes

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What do you call a grassroots movement that was organized on Facebook, has jumped five state lines, and made itself a force in the push to win pay increases for tens of thousands of teachers across the nation? Increasingly, that movement has taken on the banner (and social media hashtag) of #RedforEd, though some groups use Red for Ed without hashtags.

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NEA Today

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When we think about the promise of education today, we see the future leaders of our nation and the qualified educators who reach, teach and inspire them. We see classrooms with modern tools that help students prepare to make an impact on the world. We see students getting the support they need to thrive and educators having the support they need to serve.

We see progress and hope.

But today we also see budgets being cut, overcrowded classrooms and outdated materials. We see educators working around the clock to make a difference in the lives of their students and standing up to lawmakers to ask for better pay and school funding. We're raising our voices together for our students, for our schools and for ourselves as educators.

That's why we're wearing Red for Ed.

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When we think about the promise of education today, we see the future leaders of our nation and the qualified educators who reach, teach and inspire them. We see classrooms with modern tools that help students prepare to make an impact on the world.

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September 2018

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Certain elements in our perception, depending upon the situation, can seem more important or special than other elements. The elements that are present in our mind are the most important, of course, while those that are absent are less important. Presence, then, is "the displaying of certain elements on which the speaker wishes to center attention in order that they may occupy the foreground of the hearer's consciousness."

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"...broadly social and independent of verbal form, where communion is the term used to denote a community's agreement around the values affirmed in epideictic performance, values that subsequently serve as starting points for forensic and deliberative discourses aimed at immediate action."

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Az Legislature trying to prevent future teacher strikes

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Az Legislature trying to prevent future teacher strikes

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January 4, 2019

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A handful of bills introduced ahead of the 2019 legislative session are already stirring up tensions in the education community, leaving some to wonder if the Capitol will again be awash in red.

Reps. Kelly Townsend of Mesa and Mark Finchem of Oro Valley have introduced proposed legislation that gets at several qualms they and their fellow Republicans had with the Red for Ed movement in 2018.

Finchem's House Bill 2002 would require the State Board of Education to adopt an educator code of ethics explicitly prohibiting politicking in public schools. In a written statement, he said the bill is a response to calls from parents to stop politics in the classroom.

Arizona School Boards Association lobbyist Chris Kotterman said it does not appear to be a genuine effort to improve the teaching profession, but rather a list of grievances. Meanwhile, Phoenix New Times reported on January 3 that the language of the proposed code is nearly identical to that of the Stop K-12 Indoctrination campaign sponsored by the conservative David Horowitz Freedom Center, which bills itself as the School of Political Warfare.

And Townsend has so far introduced four education-related bills, two of which are drawing a lot of attention as they appear to be retribution for the Red for Ed movement.

HB2017, which Townsend said is a direct response to the movement and teachers' decision to strike last April, would prohibit public schools from shutting down except during pre-approved breaks and holidays, or in the event of a variety of dangerous situations, from natural disasters to an invasion. And HB2018 would require the attorney general to investigate any policy, procedure or other official action taken by a school district governing board or any district employee that lawmakers allege violates state law.

The reaction online was swift, including calls for another show of force from educators.

"Clearly the legislators were not listening," Red for Ed organizer Rebecca Garelli wrote on Facebook in response to HB2017. "Perhaps we need to make our voices even louder."

Dozens of educators and their supporters responded, slamming Townsend and calling for renewed action.

Garelli told the Arizona Capitol Times that they're frustrated by where these lawmakers have put their focus - on punitive measures rather than funding a workable solution. And she said the Red for Ed movement will definitely return to the Capitol this year.

What that might look like, she doesn't yet know.

"If our elected representatives are incapable of finding a bipartisan solution to the funding crisis, then every option is on the table," she said. "It's not up to me. It's up to the members. No options are off the table."

Townsend has also filed HB2015 to prohibit school district employees from using school resources to promote a political or religious ideology, and HB2016 to prohibit employees from harassing, intimidating or harming parents, students and their colleagues. There are laws already on the books to cover each of those offenses.

Whether Townsend's proposals will lead teachers to defy her and walk out of classrooms again, that's not for her to say either.

"They're going to have to make the decision if they're going to do that again to the people of Arizona," Townsend said.

But Rep. Reginald Bolding, D-Laveen, who will join her on the House Education Committee, said Townsend and Finchem are sending a dangerous message, potentially leaving educators feeling like they've been backed into a corner.

"These bills send the message that if you become vocal and if you become an advocate for your profession, then we will fight back with laws that will directly impact you economically," Bolding said. "This sets a very bad precedent."

He said legislators should not be running retaliation legislation against members of the public, especially those whose perceived crime was to participate in the political process.

The future of these bills is in no way secure, though. Townsend and Finchem will have to win favor in the House where the partisan split is now just 31-29 in favor of Republicans. And that's if they can first get their proposals out of the Education Committee where they are likely to be heard.

Republicans do hold a greater statistical advantage there with eight Republicans and five Democrats serving on the committee; the split was originally 7-4. But Bolding said he hopes Rep. Michelle Udall, who will chair the committee, and House Speaker-elect Rusty Bowers won't even "allow these bills to see the light of day."

If they do, he said the education community will surely return to the Capitol tenfold.

"Once you awaken individuals in our community about policies that are directly affecting them, it's hard to turn off that switch," he said.

Udall was not immediately available for comment.

Arizona Education Association President Joe Thomas, who has stood beside leaders of Red for Ed, said the movement last year was about so much more than teacher pay. He said teachers want to be in their classrooms, but if they have to pressure legislators on their own turf again, they will.

"We are in a system that's been starved for so long that it's at a breaking point," Thomas said. "We saw some steam released last year. The legislators and the governor should really think long and hard about whether they want that to be a recurring event or not."

If legislators thought the movement was a one-time phenomenon, Thomas said they are either blind, deaf or "just unwilling to see the crisis that they have been perpetuating.

Red for Ed first took shape online after Noah Karvelis created Arizona Educators United on Facebook. The platform attracted thousands of supporters within hours.

Still, if you'd asked Karvelis whether that would lead teachers to strike just a few months later, he would have told you that was crazy. Now, he said the movement will mobilize again if that's what teachers believe they have to do.

"We certainly don't want to go through that again," he said. "It's taxing. It's difficult. It's one of the hardest things anybody's ever had to do in the classroom or outside of it. The simple way to end this is to come up with bipartisan solutions."

Teachers feel like their voices have been entirely disregarded because this is the conversation ahead of the legislative session, Karvelis said, not the issues they believe to be vital.

Bolding said the Democratic caucus is working on legislation that would address those issues - increased funding for education, money for school infrastructure, a fix for the disproportionate student-counselor ratio and more.

"I would hope that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will back up their campaign rhetoric with actual action," Bolding said. "The public will judge legislators not by what they say during the election cycle but what they actually do during the legislative session."

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Bills to restrict teachers reawakens Red for Ed movement

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A handful of bills introduced ahead of the 2019 legislative session are already stirring up tensions in the education community, leaving some to wonder if the Capitol will again be awash in red. Reps.

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December 27, 2018

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The Red for Ed movement that brought thousands of striking teachers to the Capitol this year could leave an unintended mark on state statute.

Rep. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, wants to prevent public schools from closing on regularly scheduled school days, threatening fines if they do. Her proposal in House Bill 2017 would prohibit district and charter schools from closing except during pre-approved breaks and holidays.

"People are saying, 'Oh, you know, this is just a response to Red for Ed.' Who's saying it isn't?" Townsend told the Arizona Capitol Times . "So many parents were inconvenienced. The students were inconvenienced and scared of what was going to happen if they had to stay beyond graduation day. Absolutely - and I don't apologize - it is a response to Red for Ed."

HB 2017 would allow for unanticipated closures in the event of a variety of potentially dangerous situations: "an invasion, hostile attack, riot, insurrection or other act of violence," "an epidemic of disease or plague of insects" or "a flood of floodwaters," for example.

The bill would also empower the attorney general, county attorneys or "any person" to file a suit in superior court where there is an alleged violation. If a violation did occur, the court could impose fines of no more than $5,000 against offenders. The language of the bill would require individuals to pay the fines rather than their districts.

Within HB 2017, Townsend also proposed an amendment to a state law forbidding the use of public school resources to influence elections to also bar the use of school resources to coordinate school closures.

"We saw massive amounts of 15.511 violations," she said, referring to the law prohibiting electioneering in the classroom. "In all fairness, I don't think a lot of people realized that that statute even existed because it's just been an accepted part of this is what goes on in schools."

She said people have to be educated about the law. But if that was her intention, she may have already missed the mark.

Arizona Education Association President Joe Thomas, a champion of the Red for Ed movement, said HB 2017 was "blind and deaf" to the message teachers brought to the Capitol in April.

"If this is how she's going to address the teacher shortage, if this is how Rep. Townsend intends to address a completely underfunded system, overcrowded classrooms, then she has no business being down at the Capitol," he said.

Now, tensions are stirring again in the wake of Townsend's proposed legislation.

"If the intent is to anger educators and threaten them to where they feel like they have to do a repeat of last year, she's going to be very successful," Thomas warned.

Educators felt ignored, he said, but now, they expect solutions that go far beyond a pay raise.

"It's about getting students the schools they deserve," he said. "Educators are ready to see someone lead on that, and if it has to be them, they'll lead again."

Threats of recurring demonstrations at the Capitol aren't phasing Townsend at this point.

Asked whether she has any concerns about goading teachers back into action, she said, "They're going to have to make the decision if they're going to do that again to the people of Arizona."

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Townsend introduces Red for Ed retaliation bill

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The Red for Ed movement that brought thousands of striking teachers to the Capitol this year could leave an unintended mark on state statute. Rep. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, wants to prevent public schools from closing on regularly scheduled school days, threatening fines if they do.

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"But if this is truly a big problem, then why haven’t parents across the state raised holy you-know-what about it?"

December 19, 2018

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Opinion: A bill aimed at barring teachers from engaging in politics reads like a laundry list of grievances. Is there really a big problem in Arizona's schools?

Attention teachers: it looks like it's payback time at the Arizona Legislature.

Rep. Mark Finchem has dropped a bill aimed at banning public school teachers from engaging in political activity while at school.

The fact that state law already bans teachers from engaging in political activity while at school is, apparently, irrelevant.

Under Finchem's bill, no longer could teachers voice support for or opposition to political candidates while at school, or about anything the Legislature does or may do or about anything the governor or the governor's appointees does or may do, or about anything the courts do or may do.

Finchem insists his bill is not a response to the tens of thousands of teachers who took the streets last spring to protest our leaders' refusal to properly fund schools - a move he called "an incredible show of bad faith" given that Gov. Doug Ducey and the Legislature already were working on a plan to raise teacher pay.

Something they never would have been working on had teachers not revolted, but I digress.

Finchem: This isn't payback

Finchem, R-Oro Valley, has definite ideas about how things should be done.

Two years ago, he complained that another legislator's opening prayer wasn't properly ... well, prayerful.

Last year, he tried to strip the Board of Regents of its constitutional power to set tuition and other vital policies for the state's three universities, proposing to give control of such things to ... well, legislators like Finchem.

Now he's is turning his attention to teachers.

House Bill 2002 would mandate a code of ethics for teachers in "taxpayer-supported schools" and require them to get three hours of training every year. He told me he's not certain whether the bill would apply to private schools that enroll students whose tuition is paid with public money.

Finchem says his bill is not a response to #RedforEd but instead a response to hundreds of complaints he's fielded from parents who say their kids are being indoctrinated, ridiculed and otherwise mistreated by their teachers.

It's about indoctrination, he says

"I've talked to a lot of parents, a lot of parents, who are very upset about the invasion of political activity in the classroom," he told me.

They range, he says, from a neighbor who claims a teacher demanded that his 6-year-old son wear a red shirt in support of #RedforEd to teachers who harassed students wearing Trump or Clinton shirts to a sixth-grader who came home from school and announced "America is a rotten country. We nuked Japan."

Finchem said the parent was upset that the child didn't have a broader understanding of why the U.S. dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II.

"We pay teachers to educate, and there are a significant number of parents who are coming to me and I know going to other legislators," Finchem said. "They say that are 'sick and tired of the indoctrination going on in my kid's school.'"

What the bill does

Granted, my kids have been out of school for a while so I may not be up to date on the nefarious political activities inside Arizona's classrooms.

But if this is truly a big problem, then why haven't parents across the state raised holy you-know-what about it?

If it's an isolated problem, then why haven't school administrators who turned a blind eye been held to account?

Finchem's bill goes beyond merely reiterating a ban on already illegal activities. Among other things, it would allow police and military recruiters greater access to schools, and it takes yet another swipe at Tucson Unified School District's Mexican-American studies program - something the courts already have ruled on.

It also would impose restrictions on any discussion of "controversial issues" which the bill defines as "an issue that is a point in a political party platform at the local, state or federal level."

The bill would bar a teacher from introducing "any controversial issue that is not germane to the topic of the course or academic subject being taught."

So, for example, if on the morning after one of America's frequent mass school shootings, a nervous classroom full of teens asks their algebra teacher what we can do to make schools safer, she could be fired for answering the question?

Do I smell Eau de Payback?

Finchem's bill may be well intended but it carries a distinct odor of eau de payback. It reads like an overreaction at best or at worst a laundry list of grievances by someone still smarting over the sight of tens of thousands of red-shirted educators at long last finding their voice.

If Arizona truly has a widespread problem with teachers who are indoctrinating little Jose and Jessica - teaching them to hate America or to hate Republicans or to hate Democrats - then let's hear about it.

FInchem should hold a hearing and invite those hundreds or thousands of outraged parents to come and tell their horror stories.

While we're at it, let's also hear why this bill applies only to "certificated" teachers.

Interesting, don't you think, that state law doesn't require charter school teachers to be certified?
Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com.
Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2018/12/19/payback-time-redfored/2365587002/

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Look out teachers, it's payback time for #RedforEd

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Opinion: A bill aimed at barring teachers from engaging in politics reads like a laundry list of grievances. Is there really a big problem in Arizona's schools? Attention teachers: it looks like it's payback time at the Arizona Legislature. Rep. Mark Finchem has dropped a bill aimed at banning public school teachers from engaging in political activity while at school.

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April 25, 2018
-Watch Videos

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Arizona teachers walked out of their classrooms on Thursday in an effort to secure more funding and support for districts across our state.

Teachers in the #RedforEd movement have in recent weeks been wearing red, conducting "walk-ins," and protesting on Valley streets ahead of the planned walkout.

According to information released Thursday night by the AEA, #RedforEd leaders and supporters are planning to be back at the Capitol on Friday morning beginning at 9 a.m. Speeches are expected to begin at 9 a.m. and the rally is supposed to end at 11 a.m.

Thursday's rally was cut short because of heat, so AEA leaders are urging people to bring lots of water, dress comfortably and wear sunscreen Friday.
FULL COVERAGE: Teacher walkouts in Arizona Here are five things to know about the teacher strike in Arizona: 1. WHICH SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED?
More than 30 school districts will be closed in the Phoenix metro area. Several school districts will remain open despite the walkout.
2. WHERE CAN I TAKE MY CHILD?
If you are a parent or guardian impacted by the walkout and have no place to bring your child, there are several options available. Valley businesses such as the Arizona Science Center, Boys & Girls Club, and the Salvation Army are offering day camps.
3. WHERE CAN MY CHILD/FAMILY FIND FOOD?
Tens of thousands of students qualify for reduced or free lunches in Arizona. In some cases, the food at school will be their only meal of the day. FIND LOCATIONS OFFERING FOOD NEAR YOU
4. HOW MUCH ARE ARIZONA TEACHERS PAID?
The statewide average teacher salary for fiscal year 2017 was $48,372, according to data obtained from the Arizona Auditor General. CLICK HERE FOR AVERAGE TEACHER SALARIES ACROSS ARIZONA
5. WHAT ABOUT GOV. DUCEY'S PLAN FOR TEACHERS?
Ducey announced on April 12, a proposed increase would bring the average teacher salary up to $58,130 by 2020. CLICK HERE TO SEE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

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5 things to know about Arizona teacher walkout

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Arizona teachers walked out of their classrooms on Thursday in an effort to secure more funding and support for districts across our state. Teachers in the #RedforEd movement have in recent weeks been wearing red, conducting "walk-ins," and protesting on Valley streets ahead of the planned walkout.

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InvestinEd ballot initiative thrown out by Az Supreme Court

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InvestinEd ballot initiative thrown out by Az Supreme Court

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September 4, 2018

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Valley teachers were out in full force, wearing their red t-shirts on national #RedforEd day Tuesday.

Fueled by outrage, disappointment, and passion after the Arizona Supreme Court tossed out the InvestinEd ballot initiative teachers had worked so to collect signatures for all summer long, there was a new fire burning within the movement.

The InvestinEd initiative would have funneled millions of dollars into education funding by taxing those making over $250,000. The supreme court cited "unclear language" before tossing the initiative off the November ballot.

Marisol Garcia, the Vice President of the Arizona Education Association, said they were sure the motives were political behind this decision.

"We had a lot of polling data; we had a number of attorneys that looked into this. This was shocking, and it almost felt like completely out of left field," Garcia said.

Teachers all over the Valley were taking to social media encouraging school districts to designate leaders, to organize and to campaign in their communities.

Despite the lack of the ballot initiative, all eyes were still focused on the November election.

"We need good policy and the only way to get good policy is to get good policymakers," Garcia said, during a community event to paint cars with RedforEd signs and slogans, on this national RedforEd day.

Garcia added they were getting messages from RedforEd organizers all over the country expressing shock and outrage over what was taking place in Arizona.

"RedforEd is not dead. It is nowhere near even starting the work that we need to get done, and we are resolved to make sure we have the best schools our kids deserve," Garcia said.

RedforEd supporters planned to protest in front of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce building on Wednesday, as the chamber funded the legal challenge to the InvestinEd act.

Jaime Molera, chair of Arizonans for Great Schools and a Strong Economy celebrated the ballot measure's disqualification.

"Not only was the initiative poorly crafted, it was the wrong plan. It would have harmed all taxpayers, small businesses, and would not have delivered on its promises for teachers, while weakening education reforms that were achieved in a bipartisan fashion under Proposition 301," Molera said in a statement.

Opponents said the measure would have been catastrophic for Arizona's economy and small business owners.

RedforEd organizers planned to canvass their communities to get people to register to vote, and encourage them to support candidates who supported investing in education.

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RedforEd movement sparked again after ruling

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Valley teachers were out in full force, wearing their red t-shirts on national #RedforEd day Tuesday. Fueled by outrage, disappointment, and passion after the Arizona Supreme Court tossed out the InvestinEd ballot initiative teachers had worked so to collect signatures for all summer long, there was a new fire burning within the movement.

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May 25, 2018

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Although the walk-out ended after six days, the movement is far from over

By

Photo by Madison Pennisi | The State PressAndi Blodgett | 05/25/18 11:03pm
"Students should continue to support #RedForEd by voting." Illustration published on May 29, 2018.

Rachael Clawson doesn't need to look very far to see the extreme need for change in Arizona's public education system. The four-year Marcos de Niza high school history teacher only needs to look around her classroom.

Clawson, a 2010 ASU alumna who also earned her master's degree two years later from the school, said the carpet in her classroom becomes sopped in some places during monsoon season. She teaches her class with 20-year-old history textbooks that do not even cover Monica Lewinsky. She said that even though the state requires that she administer standardized tests to her students on computers, it does not provide adequate resources for the task.

For these reasons and many more, Clawson is dedicated to the #RedforEd movement and said it is not over. She, among thousands of other Arizona teachers, participated in the walk-out. Clawson said she was among the educators who waited at the capitol in the middle of the night while senators worked to pass the budget.

That was the moment that the #RedforEd grassroots movement in Arizona came to a head. However, after weeks of protests and a walk-out, the movement did not see many of the changes they were demanding in the newly passed budget.

Although Governor Doug Ducey's 20 percent by 2020 plan to increase teacher salaries was a part of the new budget, there were many more demands that were not addressed. Still more needs to be done in order to restore education funds to pre-2008 levels, obtain higher pay for support staff and ensure annual raises and no new tax cuts.

In the aftermath of the walk-out and the budget passage, some of the general public may be under the impression that the #RedforEd movement has achieved its end or that it will lose its momentum, but there is still more to come.

To Clawson, having the public's support is very important.

"It means a lot because so much of what we do already is determined by public opinion," Clawson said. "Every decision that can possibly be made about resources and materials and that sort of thing that can be decided by the public is influenced by it."

63.8 percent of ASU students on metropolitan campuses are in-state students. To many of these students, the #RedforEd movement may seem irrelevant now that they are in college, but this is an issue that should be important to all of us - and not just students of Mary Lou Fulton Teacher's College.

For those of us who were educated in Arizona for primary and secondary school, we were subject to one of the worst education systems in the nation.

We were the students in school during the recession in 2008 when education funds were slashed. We were the students who never saw those funds restored. Yes, we moved past high school and into college. But that does not mean this is not an issue for us to think about, and we can find ways to be a part of the solution.

The next step on the road to higher quality education in Arizona is putting all of this to a vote. Arizona Educators United is seeking to ensure that a proposition is put on the ballot this coming November to see more of the changes they were striking for. It is campaigning the #INVESTinED movement in hopes that they can continue making progress.

Noah Karvelis, a K-8 music teacher at Tres Rios Elementary School in Tolleson and a leader of #RedforEd, said this movement is relevant to college students too, and they should be engaged in it as well.

"They're a part of the education system here," Karvelis said. "It's a K-16 system essentially, so they should care about that. It affects our economic system as well. Even if you're looking at it strictly from dollar and cents and the economy, a positive, effective school system is going to equal a positive workforce and economy."

As for the momentum of the movement, Karvelis said he is not worried about losing it between now and November.

"We have events all the time," Karvelis said. "There are things sustaining people's energies, and we're continuing to mobilize, especially around this ballot initiative. Summer is also a time for people to refresh and rest up and come back even more engaged and more fired up and have fresh ideas."

For the betterment of our state, our younger family members and future children, we need to be proactive, take a stand, sign petitions and get out to the polls this November. When we left high school behind, we did not leave behind the responsibility to use our voice to do what we can to improve our state's school system.
Editor's note: The opinions presented in this column are the author's and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
Reach the columnist at amblodge@asu.edu or follow @AndiBlodgett on Twitter.

Want to join the conversation? Send an email to opiniondesk.statepress@gmail.com. Keep letters under 500 words and be sure to include your university affiliation. Anonymity will not be granted.

Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.

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Noah Karvelis, an Arizona teacher and #RedforEd leader, is confident that the movement will not lose its momentum before November.

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November 24, 2018

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Midterms show educators have been swept into office in record numbers

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A wave of pro-education energy, spurred by the April walkouts, led to election victories in Oklahoma, Arizona and Wisconsin

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February 19, 2019

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PHOENIX - One year after Arizona teachers went on a six-day strike demanding higher pay and more funding, could we see another one?

Arizona Education Association President Joe Thomas says it's a possibility. He tells ABC15 some teachers in the state are disturbed by numerous bills going through the legislature this session. He says some bills focus more on inside the classroom, rather then actually providing more funding for them.

"It's disappointing that instead of focusing on our students and their needs we have legislators that have these ridiculous bills that don't make sense to anybody," Thomas said.

Last year's walkout resulted in more than $300 million in funding for teacher raises, and a pledge from Governor Ducey to raise educational salaries by 20 percent by 2020.

Thomas says after seeing teachers in West Virginia go on strike, many are asking him if Arizona will be next.

"I think a walkout is a possibility but I think that a lot of things would happen between now and then before teachers saw that as the only possibility," Thomas said. "What they really want is for the legislators to focus on the funding they really need."

Thomas says educators are asking for lawmakers to find a way to give $700 million back to schools, in order to reach 2008 spending levels.

"If they continue to ignore the teacher crisis and they continue to ignore teachers needs I think more options are on the table," Thomas said.

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Red for Ed, part 2? Educators not ruling out second walkout

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PHOENIX - One year after Arizona teachers went on a six-day strike demanding higher pay and more funding, could we see another one? Arizona Education Association President Joe Thomas says it's a possibility. He tells ABC15 some teachers in the state are disturbed by numerous bills going through the legislature this session.