Pendergast Federation of School Employees (AFT) members have been rallying the teachers, staff, community, and district for a Day of Action at the Arizoan State Capitol. They have begun a district-wide petition with their local PTAs to petition the district's school board for support in closing the entire district down for one day. AFT-AZ supports the demands of the teachers, staff and community members who are willing to go down to the state Capitol to take a stand and express their frustrations for the lack of school funding! We encourage the citizens of Arizona to join PFSE and the AFT-AZ

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK—Statement by Ed Allen, president of the Oklahoma City American Federation of Teachers which represents 2,600 Oklahoma City public school teachers, on the Oklahoma House of Representatives’ bill to raise teacher salaries by an average of $6,000, which would be paid by, among other sources, raising the gross production tax on oil and gas to 5 percent, a 3 cent-a-gallon tax on gasoline purchases, and a $5-per-night tax on hotel and motel stays. 

“We’re gratified that legislators listened to teachers’ voices and their stories about how their salaries were not a livable wage and

Arizona schools are suffering from a combination of lower public investment, higher child poverty and rising enrollments. This is the result of a multiyear effort by Republicans and allies like the Goldwater Institute to cut taxes for the rich in a manner that forces schools to make tough choices while the state’s richest households do better than ever. The legislature should make a bold investment in public education with reliable and sustainable revenue sources; K-12 education in the state remains over $1 billion below 2008 funding levels when accounting for inflation and population growth

Teachers say low pay ends careers in Arizona, leaves some at crossroads

By: Katie Campbell December 4, 2017, 4:10 am

Arizona teachers have not been quiet about their reasons for abandoning the profession and even the state: high stress, low morale and low pay. Yet the state’s response has not been enough to end the ongoing crisis, a new report from a Washington D.C.-based think tank concludes.

According to a report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, state funding for K-12 education is nearly 14 percent below what is was before the Great Recession. And while Gov. Doug Ducey is pushing

WASHINGTON—Statement by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on Kansas Supreme Court ruling that Kansas still has unconstitutionally inadequate school funding:

The Arizona Federation of Teachers is dedicated to putting in place EFFECTIVE RESEARCHED-BASED alternative to suspension measures at all levels of a child's education. The school-to-prison pipeline is spreading throughout the urban environment and there are far too many inexperienced teachers and administrators unwilling or unable to effectively intervene in a student's life before it is too late. Our legislation makes sure measures are put into place and protects those willing to intervene effectively with alternatives to suspension programs and placement. It's time to mandate these