Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1036706
E ducators play by the rules. Fairness and respect are core components of our classrooms and work sites so that the students we serve have a level playing field beneath them and limitless potential above. We strive to create schools that value all students, and we expect the same in return. Whether it be our colleagues, our community, or elected officials, treat us fairly. Value the work we do. Arizona educators haven't always felt valued. Starting with the 2008 recession, legislators and governors drastically cut school funding. Ten years later, we still haven't seen all those dollars restored. Treating our students and colleagues fairly means funding us appropriately. For years we did everything we were supposed to do when advocating for restored funding to our schools. We emailed legislators. We left voicemails for the governor. We testified in front of legislative committees, pleading for the resources and support we needed for student success. Our calls for restored funding fell on deaf ears. Year after year we watched lawmakers fail to re-invest in our schools, and instead, divert more and more money to private school vouchers. Frustration with being ignored by those in power led to the rise of the #RedforEd movement in Arizona. After years of playing by the rules only to see our students' needs not met, we decided to act. The result was the largest educator walk-out in the nation. Voting to walk out and take a stand for our students seemed the only option remaining. When we stood together as educators it shifted the power – from the legislature and governor to us. Without a single face-to-face meeting with the governor, we were able to add a quarter of a billion dollars in education funding to the budget when we acted in solidarity. It was an amazing feeling, winning. With the state budget behind us, we went back to finish the year with our students. At the same time, we launched an effort to secure permanent funding for our schools. We collected 270,000 signatures in 110-degree summer heat in a historic effort – the Invest in Education initiative. If passed by the voters, it would create $690 million in permanent revenue for our schools. As soon as we submitted the signatures; however, Governor Ducey and the Arizona Chamber of Commerce threw every legal challenge they could dream up at us. Their arguments failed repeatedly until a last-ditch appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court resulted in the unprecedented decision to knock a citizen's initiative off the ballot based on its 100-word description. Our error was not in our ballot language, which was reviewed by a team of legal experts before submittal. Our error was in trusting a broken system – one that has consistently been used against us and our students, year after year. It's time to fix the system. We must be "All In" for this fight. Educator voices are trusted. The #RedforEd movement proved that. Our communities listened to us, walked in to our schools with us, and marched to the Capitol alongside us. They were with us every step of the way. And they will help us fix the system. They will support us as they did last spring. But we have to start the conversation. They walked in to schools with us, now it's time for us to walk in to the neighborhood with them. We must use our voices to help our community members understand who supports our students and schools and who doesn't. It is our responsibility to inform them which candidates signed the Invest in Ed pledge, see sidebar on page 13, and that our students and our colleagues need their vote. The system won't fix itself. It is up to us – for our students, for our colleagues, and for ourselves. 4 ADVOCATE | FALL 2018 IN SOLIDARITY by Joe Thomas AEA OFFICERS Joe Thomas President Marisol Garcia Vice President Angela Philpot Treasurer AEA STAFF Mark J. Simons Executive Director Sheenae Shannon Editor Roxanne Rash Graphic Design Advertising The AEA Advocate is published by the Arizona Education Association, 345 East Palm Lane, Phoenix, Arizona 85004-1532. Phone: 602- 264-1774 or 800-352-5411 Fax: 602-240-6887. Email: sheenae.shannon@arizonaea.org. AEA's website may be found at www.arizonaea.org. Permission to reprint any material originating with this publication is granted provided that credit is given to the AEA Advocate. The AEA Advocate (ISSN 0194-8849) is published in Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer for $3.50 per year by the Arizona Education Association, 345 East Palm Lane, Phoenix, AZ 85004-1532. Periodicals postage paid at Phoenix, Arizona. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the AEA Advocate, 345 East Palm Lane, Phoenix, AZ 85004-1532. Moving? Please let us know before you go. Simply clip your mailing label from the back of the Advocate and send it along with your new address to: AEA Advocate 345 East Palm Lane Phoenix, Arizona 85004-1532 - 9 Joseph H. Thomas, President Arizona Education Association