#RedForEd

Deal? No Deal!

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Doug Ducey, the ice cream man hired by Koch Industries to run their Southwest subsidiary formerly known as the State of Arizona, is a practitioner of propaganda over policy. He rolls out a glossy media P.R. campaign and gets his corporate benefactors to pay for advertising praising him for his P.R. campaign. The substance of the actual policy gets lost.

Ducey did this for his #ClassroomsFirst initiative in which he declared himself to be the “education governor,” he did this to sell his unconstitutional Prop. 123 to settle the education inflation adjustment lawsuit against the state so that the state would not have to pay restitution for funds stolen by our GOP-controlled legislature, and he is doing it yet again with his #20by2020 teacher pay proposal.

Ducey’s dark money “Kochtopus” allies in the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry started a new group called the “Arizona Education Project” and fielded a $1 million soft-sell TV ad blitz to say  “Arizona schools are making progress.” Arizona “Ground Zero” for Koch Attack on Public Education. As the Arizona Daily Star editorialized, “no number of feel-good TV spots will change the fact that Arizona comes in last, or almost last, in numerous rankings of per-pupil state spending in the nation.” Education ad campaign doesn’t change the facts.

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A Sea of Red at the Arizona State Capitol Wanting Better Schools for Children

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Red for Ed RallyToday was a great day for business at the Thursday State Capital Farmers Market as new customers in the form of education stakeholders involved with the functioning of our public schools came to the Capitol grounds, rallying for a better education and school climate for children.

With news helicopters hovering over the capital and public safety and state troopers making sure traffic safely proceeded, the education stakeholders (students, parents, support staff, educators, community members, aspiring and current office holders including Senate Pages) started arriving before 10:00 a.m.

They came from schools all over the valley. They were from elementary, middle, and high schools. Universities were there to show support. They traveled in cars. They filled and came in light rail trains. They mostly wore red shirts that featured slogans like “Save our Schools,” “Strong Schools, Strong State,” “Red for Ed,” and “Educators Strike Back.”

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In support of our hard-working, under paid and under appreciated teachers

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The Arizona Daily Star does not do regular editorial opinions like many newspapers, but today the Star editorialized in support of our hard-working, under paid and under appreciated teachers. Star Opinion: We stand with Arizona educators:

The Arizona Legislature has been short-changing and devaluing public school educators and students for at least two decades.

The bill has finally come due. What seems like a whirlwind of public protests has been simmering for years, as educators waited — and waited — for the Legislature’s action to match lawmakers’ campaign rhetoric on supporting education.

They’ve reached a breaking point. And they’re right. Educators are taking a risk by walking out. We respect their fortitude and support their cause.

Thousands of Arizona educators are walking off the job Thursday morning to protest their low pay, untenable working conditions and the state’s long-standing refusal to do what is necessary to adequately fund public schools while offering tax cuts to corporations.

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Colorado teachers are also walking out today

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It is not just Arizona teachers who are walking out today. Colorado teachers are also walking out today.

The Denver Post reports, Thousands of Colorado teachers expected to march to the state Capitol on Thursday and Friday, seeking pension fix and higher pay:

The first wave hits Thursday, followed by a bigger one Friday.

In all, thousands of teachers from mostly Front Range school districts are expected to march to the state Capitol on both days to demand more state funding for schools and a fix for the state’s pension plan for public employees.

ColoradoTeachers

Teachers from Douglas County and Jefferson County school districts are rallying at the Capitol on Thursday, while teachers from Denver Public Schools — the state’s largest district — will join educators from Aurora, Boulder Valley and Cherry Creek and 20 or so other districts at the statehouse on Friday.

Douglas County parents were notified over the weekend that classes would be canceled Thursday because so many teachers were walking out to join the “Days of Action” at the Capitol. The district made its decision reluctantly, Interim Superintendent Erin Kane told parents.

“However, with over 500 or our educators out, we will simply not be able to provide a safe and effective learning environment for all of our students,” Kane said.

At least four Colorado school districts will be closed Thursday and almost 30 will be shuttered Friday because of teacher walkouts as educators demand that more money be sent to schools to help pay for the most basic classroom supplies, CEA members said.

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