PHOENIX -- A sea of teachers clad in red shirts flowed toward the Arizona Capitol on Thursday for a walkout that closed most of the state's public schools, part of an educator uprising that bubbled up in other parts of the nation and spread west.
Waving signs and red balloons, tens of thousands of teachers and their supporters headed through downtown Phoenix for a rally at the state Capitol to demand a 20 percent raise for teachers, about $1 billion to return school funding to pre-recession levels and increased pay for support staff, among other things.
Widespread protests also were underway in Colorado, where some schools have shut down.
Teachers in both states want more resources in the classroom and have received offers either for increased funding or raises. But teachers say the efforts aren't enough, with Arizona educators launching the first-ever statewide strike to press lawmakers to meet their demands.
The crowd in downtown Phoenix began its 2-mile trek to the Capitol, with demonstrators carrying signs saying, "Money for Schools" and "Make Schools Great Again."
Young women carrying babies joined retired teachers as rock music blared. With temperatures expected to reach at least 100 degrees, many carried water jugs and umbrellas to try to beat the heat.
The walkouts in two states follow protests in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Kentucky. A grass-roots movement known as #RedforEd began weeks ago with protests in Arizona, and Colorado teachers later took up the fight.
In Colorado, several thousand educators rallied around the Capitol, with many using personal time to attend two days of protests expected to draw as many as 10,000 demonstrators. They chanted, "Education is our right" and "We're not gonna take it anymore," drawing honks from passing cars.
Lawmakers have agreed to give schools their largest budget increase since the last recession. But teachers say Colorado has a long way to go to recover lost ground because of strict tax and spending limits.
In Arizona, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey has offered teachers a 20 percent raise by 2020 and said he has no plans to meet with striking teachers and or address their other demands.
The leader of the state's largest teacher membership group told Phoenix television station KTVK that Ducey's unwillingness to meet with organizers makes him believe they "will be out for a while."
Joe Thomas of the Arizona Education Association has said the walkout has no end date, and educators may have to consider a ballot initiative for education funding if lawmakers do not come up with their own plan.
Ducey told the TV station in a separate interview that he's "not ignoring anyone" but is focused on meeting with lawmakers to push his plan, which has raised concerns about how it would be funded.
Teachers and some lawmakers say the proposal relies on rosy revenue projections. A key legislative leader said a budget deal that could provide money for teachers is likely still at least several days away.
School districts across Arizona announced closures before the strike began, including the state's largest -- Phoenix, Mesa and Tucson.
More than 840,000 Arizona students were expected to be out of school Thursday, according to an analysis from the Arizona Republic that tallied up at least 100 school districts and charter schools that are closing. The state Department of Education said the state has more than 200 districts and more than 1.1 million schoolchildren.
Information for this article was contributed by Colleen Slevin, Felicia Fonesca, Terry Tang, Bob Christie and Paul Davenport of The Associated Press.
A Section on 04/27/2018