Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1541963
AEA IN ACTION 5 WINTER 2025 | ADVOCATE Big Wins for Public Education Grassroots power drives big victories in Arizona's 2025 bond and override elections n the evening of Tuesday, November 4, thousands of AEA members across the state were waiting for big news. Aer months of campaigning — calling their neighbors, writing postcards, and knocking on doors in the heat and rain — the election was over, and the only thing le was to wait for results. By The Numbers 29,613 doors knocked by union educators TOP DOOR KNOCKING LOCALS Deer Valley (7,749 doors knocked) Tucson (5,100 doors knocked) Higley (2,449 doors knocked) Dysart (2,582 doors knocked) Kyrene (2,107 doors knocked) Roosevelt (1,454 doors knocked) Sunnyside (1,417 doors knocked) Phoenix Union CTA (1,358 doors knocked) Isaac (1,032 doors knocked) For decades, Arizona school districts have depended on educators to get out the vote for bond and override campaigns that raise local funding for cash-strapped schools. When these efforts succeed, they are a lifeline for districts and the students they serve. When they fail, the results can be devastating — from staff layoffs and program cuts to delayed repairs that leave schools less safe for students and staff. "We're asking voters to pay for basics," Rachael Eggebeen, a Sunnyside Education Association member, told the news station KOLD. "Every school needs critical infrastructure investments because we haven't had the money from the state and the federal government to do basic things." It shouldn't have to be this way. In states that fully fund public education, districts work to pass bonds and overrides to fund special offerings — not to keep the lights on. In Arizona, our bonds and overrides are about survival. ankfully, this November brought good news for public schools. Our union won races in 90% of the districts we campaigned in, with the passage of every school bond and override measure in Pima and Yavapai counties, overwhelming margins for public education in urban Phoenix, and hard- fought victories in Chandler and Deer Valley that reversed losses from previous years. In a smaller number of communities, including Maricopa County's Higley and Tolleson school districts, educators faced heartbreaking losses despite their hard work. ose districts deserve better – and as our locals regroup in the days and months ahead, we will all stand shoulder-to-shoulder to oppose any cuts that hurt educators and the students they serve. Next year, new bond and override elections will be on the ballot, along with races for local, state, and federal races. Check your registration and get ready to vote — and win — by visiting AZSOS.gov.