Ross D. Franklin / AP
Some of the nearly 80 day campers play at the Webster Recreation Center as the state-wide teachers strike enters a fourth day Tuesday, May 1, 2018, in Mesa, Ariz. Arizona lawmakers are rushing to pass a plan that will give a pay bump to teachers who have walked off the job in an unprecedented statewide strike, closing schools for the fourth day.
Tuesday, May 1, 2018 | 6:49 p.m.
PHOENIX — Arizona teachers said they will end a historic statewide strike Thursday that shut down schools for days if lawmakers pass a plan that offers big raises and increased school funding but that still falls short of their demands.
Organizers made the announcement Tuesday after educators statewide walked off the job last week and closed schools to demand higher pay and education dollars. Arizona's action followed a teacher uprising that started in other parts of the U.S. and was punctuated by a march of tens of thousands of red-clad supporters.
Those mobilizing teachers criticized a Republican-led funding plan but said it was time to go back to work.
"Our fight is not over, we have options," said Rebecca Garelli, a strike organizer. "But it is time for us to get back to our students and get back into our classrooms."
Republican Gov. Doug Ducey and GOP legislative leaders have agreed on a state budget proposal that could be passed into law this week but doesn't increase classroom resources as much as educators sought.
The plan moving through the Republican-led Legislature gives teachers a 10 percent raise next year and starts restoring some of the nearly $400 million in cuts to a fund that pays for supplies, repairs and some support staff salaries.
Ducey has promised to bump teacher pay 20 percent by 2020 and restore payments to that fund to pre-recession levels in five years.
The walkout launched Thursday, shutting down most public schools. Two-thirds of Arizona's student population was still out of school through Tuesday, though some districts began opening their doors. Some districts were expected to stay closed Wednesday.
Teachers have packed raucous rallies at the state Capitol for days, while others have helped care for students and tried to maintain community support.
Grass-roots organizers have urged teachers to hold community events, with some talking to parents over coffee before they head to work and others crowding street corners in red shirts.
Gladys Garcia said many of her students rely on free or reduced price meals at Challenger Middle School in Tucson and she organized with colleagues to collect food to hand out at a local public library.
"It's our way to let the kids know, 'We're actively trying to do something for you, please don't feel like we're turning our backs on you,'" the first-year teacher said.
Many community members were supportive of teachers' efforts, but pressure was increasing on some parents and school administrators.
Gabriel Trujillo, superintendent of the Tucson Unified School District, the second-largest in the state, said he didn't support the walkout because it takes teachers out of classrooms. He said he does support the objectives of the so-called #RedforEd movement, with his schools facing a host of funding needs.
But Trujillo is concerned teachers will lose public support as the strike drags on. He said when he called off school for the fourth day in a row, he received more "angry communications" from parents than he had last week.
"I felt like the energy on Thursday (when the walkout started) was palpable," Trujillo said. "Now that we're into Day 4, I think that's on the line."
Organizers seemed to acknowledge the strain but reasserted what the walkout was about.
"Our greatest victory is the powerful movement we have created, which we are going to continue on behalf of our students, because this movement has always been about our students," Garelli said.
