The Breakdown, Episode 15: The teachers have spoken
Public school employees voted last week, and they've decided to strike - but leadership behind the Red for Ed movement pumped the breaks.
Ducey goes on veto spree to push teacher plan
Ducey, playing hardball with state lawmakers to get his teacher-pay raise plan passed, vetoed 10 Republican-sponsored House bills in an attempt to force the legislature to finish the state budget.
Gun bill advances, but foes say it doesn’t go far enough
A Senate panel voted 4-3 on April 19 to allow judges to force some people to surrender their weapons - but only after a multi-step process that supporters say will protect due process rights.
Teachers vote to walk out
Teachers have voted overwhelmingly to walk out beginning April 26. Nearly 80 percent of the 57,000 votes case were in favor of a strike.
Many rural teachers out of reach of Red for Ed movement
Some rural districts were left without any representation from Arizona Educators United or any clear sign that their voices mattered as public education employees across the state took part in a vote on whether to walk out of schools.
A tale of two votes: One will walk, the other won’t – yet
For teachers who carried Red for Ed signs, anxiety about their careers and their students, and frustration over the voting process grew as they weighed whether to strike in spite of Gov. Doug Ducey’s plan for a 20 percent raise by the 2020 school year.
Ducey takes on budget risk to fund teacher pay hike
As Arizona clawed its way out of the Great Recession, Gov. Doug Ducey sought to ease the state’s reliance on borrowing and gimmicks to balance the budget.
PTA group withdraws support from Ducey’s teacher pay hike plan
Calling the governor’s plan not sustainable, the Arizona PTA has withdrawn its backing for Gov. Doug Ducey’s teacher pay hike plan.
Dennis Smith: A driving force of the Valley’s freeways
During his time at MAG, Dennis Smith was instrumental in developing the region’s 911 system and led the charge on passing two successful transportation taxes.
The Breakdown, Episode 14: Enough is enough?
Gov. Doug Ducey offered teachers a 20 percent raise by 2020, but will that be enough to satisfy their demands?
Missing details of Ducey pay plan leave teachers skeptical
Lack of details of where the money is coming from and what the governor's plan does not include has Arizona educators panning his offer of a big hike in teacher pay.
Dem candidates in red districts taught to embrace progressive values
The mantra of the day was “any blue just won’t do” and the event, which boasted speakers like Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, said the path for Democratic victory in conservative districts is to embrace progressive values and positions, not hide from them.