Arizona Governor Announced 20% Raise for Teachers
Today, after much protest from teachers in Arizona, Governor Doug Ducey proposed a plan to increase teacher salaries 20 percent by 2020.
According to KTAR News, teachers will see a one percent pay raise in fiscal year 2018, a nine percent raise in fiscal year 2019 and then a five percent raise in both fiscal years 2020 and 2021.
Arizona teachers are among the biggest difference-makers in the lives of Arizona’s children and we need to reward them for their hard work — that’s why we’ve put together a plan to give teachers a 20% pay raise by school year 2020. #AZEducation
Posted by Governor Doug Ducey on Thursday, April 12, 2018
In this proposal, Ducey claims that the state’s revenues are on the rise and have been higher than originally projected, combined with a reduction in state government operating budgets through strategic efficiencies.
The governor claims that the average teacher salary is $48,723, so with this wage increase, it is projected that teachers will have their salary increase to about $58,130 in 2020.
This was proposed due to many teachers threatening a walk-out over their low wages. This was a quick action, because Wednesday teachers staged “sit-in’s.” The Associated Press reported that Arizona Educators United says the “walk-ins” were held at 1,112 schools in 130 districts across the state. The demonstrations saw teachers march arm-in-arm into school wearing red shirts as part of the #RedforEd campaign.
National Education Association data showed Arizona teachers are paid around $47,000 annually, compared to a national average of about $58,000.
https://twitter.com/ProgressNowAZ/status/984083933913464832/video/1
