PHOENIX (AP) - The Latest on teacher protests in Arizona (all times local):
4:45 p.m.
The state PTA has pulled its support from Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s plan to give teachers a 20 percent raise by 2020, saying its funding sources are not sustainable.
PTA President Beth Simek released a video Wednesday saying new reports and the group’s own analysis cast doubt on whether the funding for the raises can be sustained. She urged the Republican governor and the Legislature to come up with a new plan for funding teacher raises and restoring school funding that is long-term, permanent and sustainable that “does not hurt others.”
The PTA on Monday embraced Ducey’s plan, but Simek says new reports and the group’s own analysis shows major flaws.
The state’s teachers have been protesting over low pay and school funding for weeks and are currently taking a strike vote. The results are expected to be released late Thursday night.
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4:30 p.m.
A grass-roots teachers group that is voting on whether to walk off the job to call for increased school funding has reserved space for rallies at the Arizona Capitol.
The Arizona Educators United group reserved space Friday and for four of five days next week. The lawn area it reserved is regularly used for lunches, special events or rallies.
Organizer Noah Karvalis says the group is “preparing for all options right now.”
The walkout vote comes after Republican Gov. Doug Ducey offered teachers a 20 percent raise by 2020 but did not address other demands, including more overall school funding.
Results are expected late Thursday.
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8:15 a.m.
Arizona teachers are conducting another round of protests outside schools as they weigh whether to escalate their push for more school funding by walking out of their classrooms.
Teachers staged so-called walk-in protests Wednesday morning outside schools in communities such as Glendale, Phoenix and Peoria.
Meanwhile, a grassroots teachers group is conducting voting in which teachers indicate whether to go on strike.
The walkout vote comes after Republican Gov. Doug Ducey offered teachers a 20 percent raise by 2020.
The grassroots-group says Ducey’s plan doesn’t address other needs, including raises for support staff and a return to pre-Great Recession school funding levels.
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11:30 p.m.
Arizona teachers are weighing whether to walk out of their classrooms to demand more school funding after weeks of growing protests.
The walkout vote comes after Republican Gov. Doug Ducey offered teachers a 20 percent raise by 2020.
Officials of a grassroots group that has mobilized tens of thousands of teachers say the governor’s plan doesn’t address other needs, including raises for support staff and a return to pre-Great Recession school funding levels.
The potential for Arizona educators to walk out en masse is causing some confusion about how school districts would respond.
It’s also unclear what the repercussions could be in the right-to-work state, where unions don’t collectively bargain with school districts and representation is not mandatory.
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