Arizona's teacher walkout enters its third day on Monday, with many issues in flux included a proposal moving through the Legislature and the potential of multiple voter initiatives.
On Friday, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced he and legislative leaders had reached an agreement on a package that would give teachers a 20 percent raise and add more money to school funding. While the package met teacher demand for pay, it fell short of their demand for increased education funding.
That announcement came roughly an hour after a group in part led by former state legislator David Lujan filed an initiative seeking to impose higher income taxes on those people making more than $250,000 annually in order to provide a permanent financing method for education.
Leaders of the #RedForEd movement also have considered filing an initiative if legislators don't meet educators demands, and such a move could come as early as Monday.
The now three-day walkout has closed schools across the state, and Monday will see the 10 largest districts' schools remain shuttered while some smaller districts begin to reopen. School closures have put pressure on the Valley's business community as workers are scrambling to find childcare accommodations.
Tens of thousands of teachers participated in a march on Thursday to protest the state's ranking near the bottom in teacher pay. They also are seeking raises for support personnel and a return of education funding to 2008 levels.
The marches and walkouts have been spreading across the country, starting in West Virginia before hitting Oklahoma and now Arizona and Colorado. Teachers are again planning to gather at the Arizona Capitol on Monday.
Business groups have backed Ducey's proposal for a 20 percent raise for teachers, but questions remain about how it will be funded.
