How I Found My Voice and Power By Kate Van Roekel
I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I studied education in college and was a certified teacher in Missouri until I left to join the Peace Corps. I served as a volunteer English teacher in Chad and Mauritania. When I returned to the states, I landed in Arizona and got my Master’s in Education. My time in graduate school overlapped with the 2008 financial crisis and the corresponding cuts to public education funding. When I finished my degree in 2010, I realized I couldn’t make enough working in the Arizona public education system to pay back my student loans. I worked in adult education instead.
Over the years, as news of more and more cuts to public education funding in Arizona came out, I felt powerless to do anything. I stuck my head in the sand when it came to national politics, too. I assumed that other people would take care of the activism, that I didn’t need to get involved or shouldn’t get involved because I wasn’t serious or informed enough.
The scary shifts happening at the federal level woke me up to the political landscape all around me. I was seeking ways to make my voice heard and effect political change. I started paying more attention and finding ways I could take action. Calling lawmakers was a step in the right direction, but I wasn’t seeing direct results. I learned there are local, behind-the-scenes actions that can change outcomes, like what candidates and issues are on the ballot and voter turnout. I considered I might make a more direct impact by acting locally.
After watching educators in other states with low-scoring education systems like Oklahoma and West Virginia walk out of their classrooms to protest cuts to public education funding, a group of Arizona teachers created the Arizona Educators United Facebook group. In a short time, this group grew to 49,000 members. Through the spring of 2018, Arizona Educators United organized demonstrations to bring attention to the public school funding crisis and made formal demands for the state government to restore funding cut since the financial crisis of 2008 and raise teachers’ salaries. In response, Governor Ducey proposed giving teachers a twenty percent raise by 2020. This small concession would improve teachers’ pay but didn’t address the demands to return school funding to 2008 levels or stop tax cuts on per-pupil spending.
On April 19, the state teachers’ union, Arizona Education Association, held a walkout vote. Seventy-eight percent of educators who took part voted to walk out. By this point, thirty percent of the state’s school districts were publicly supporting the Red for Ed movement.
On April 26, educators across the state walked out of their classrooms. Over 1,000 schools were closed for six days while 50,000 protestors descended on the state capitol in Phoenix. More than 850,000 students were impacted by the walkout.
On May 3, the walkout ended when the Arizona state legislature passed a budget that included nearly $273 million for teacher pay raises. However, Arizona Educators United’s demands for school funding were not addressed. Education advocates didn’t rest and created the Invest in Education ballot initiative to further negotiate public education funding. This ballot initiative proposed increasing taxes on the top twenty-five percent of earners in the state to generate school funding. We would need to gather 150,642 signatures in ten weeks to get the initiative on the ballot.
When the Invest in Ed initiative was proposed, I knew I wanted to help, but I had to drag myself to a training meeting to learn how to gather signatures. I was afraid that everyone would look at me and know I wasn’t a classroom teacher. I didn’t feel smart enough or informed enough, but I couldn’t not do it. I could no longer sit back and let fear keep me quiet.
At first, I was scared to ask even friends to sign the Invest in Ed petition. I didn’t want to sound preachy, and I was afraid people would ask me questions that I couldn’t answer. With time, I got bolder. I forced myself to spend an hour every day after work gathering signatures outside of a local library. I dreaded it every day, but I couldn’t not do it.
I was just one of thousands of educators and supporters who spent hundreds of hours in the merciless Arizona heat gathering signatures. We collected 270,000 signatures—almost double the required number. This was an incredible feat, as it was done in large part by volunteers new to political action in only two and a half months.
However, on August 29, the Arizona Supreme Court removed the initiative from the ballot because of a technicality in the wording. Red for Ed supporters were devastated. My friends and I were heartbroken but not surprised. We’d always known that Arizona government was very much in the pocket of corporations and the richest Arizonans. After a brief pause to grieve and regroup, we pivoted to an electoral strategy. Red for Ed started organizing to get out the vote for the midterm election. Our focus was to get as many pro-public-education candidates as possible elected at local, state, and national levels.
In the end, the efforts of Red for Ed and other activist groups drove a record voter turnout for the midterm election. Election results showed that voters were hungry for candidates who supported public education. We stopped an initiative that would have expanded school vouchers, elected an educator as State Superintendent of schools, flipped a national Senate seat, and came within two seats of flipping the Arizona state house.
Anti-public-education Republicans still hold control of the Arizona legislature and governor’s office in the 2019 legislative session, and they continue to launch attacks on teachers’ political action and public education funding. However, the newly awakened Red for Ed activists of Arizona are vigilant: commenting on bills, attending committee meetings, organizing rallies, and speaking to the press. Arizona Red for Ed educators and supporters are just getting started. The fight for a fully funded public education system in Arizona continues. We’ve had some successes and many setbacks, but we’ve gone from individuals alone in our frustration to an educated, coordinated, fearless community of grassroots activists. I’m so grateful for having been pushed out of my comfort zone again and again, and I look forward to whatever’s next. With a year of organizing under our belts, just wait to see what we make happen in 2020!
Over the years, as news of more and more cuts to public education funding in Arizona came out, I felt powerless to do anything. I stuck my head in the sand when it came to national politics, too. I assumed that other people would take care of the activism, that I didn’t need to get involved or shouldn’t get involved because I wasn’t serious or informed enough.
* * *
That all changed with the 2016 election. After the administration change, new policies that were further reducing education funding and dismantling environmental protection disgusted and terrified me. For the first time, I started calling my lawmakers. I dreaded these calls but I couldn’t not make them. I felt too ashamed for my inaction before the election.The scary shifts happening at the federal level woke me up to the political landscape all around me. I was seeking ways to make my voice heard and effect political change. I started paying more attention and finding ways I could take action. Calling lawmakers was a step in the right direction, but I wasn’t seeing direct results. I learned there are local, behind-the-scenes actions that can change outcomes, like what candidates and issues are on the ballot and voter turnout. I considered I might make a more direct impact by acting locally.
* * *
In 2018, I learned of the growing Red for Ed movement when I heard about plans for a teacher walkout. I couldn’t believe my ears! Finally! Maybe something could be done about the devastating lack of funding for Arizona public schools, and maybe I could help! I began to gather information about this grassroots movement. I learned that since the financial crisis of 2008, Arizona cut more from its public education budget than any other state. Statistically, Arizona is at the bottom of the barrel, with the lowest national rates for per-student funding, teacher pay, graduation rates, and achievement.After watching educators in other states with low-scoring education systems like Oklahoma and West Virginia walk out of their classrooms to protest cuts to public education funding, a group of Arizona teachers created the Arizona Educators United Facebook group. In a short time, this group grew to 49,000 members. Through the spring of 2018, Arizona Educators United organized demonstrations to bring attention to the public school funding crisis and made formal demands for the state government to restore funding cut since the financial crisis of 2008 and raise teachers’ salaries. In response, Governor Ducey proposed giving teachers a twenty percent raise by 2020. This small concession would improve teachers’ pay but didn’t address the demands to return school funding to 2008 levels or stop tax cuts on per-pupil spending.
On April 19, the state teachers’ union, Arizona Education Association, held a walkout vote. Seventy-eight percent of educators who took part voted to walk out. By this point, thirty percent of the state’s school districts were publicly supporting the Red for Ed movement.
On April 26, educators across the state walked out of their classrooms. Over 1,000 schools were closed for six days while 50,000 protestors descended on the state capitol in Phoenix. More than 850,000 students were impacted by the walkout.
* * *
The teacher walkout resulted from grassroots organizing, mostly by people who had never been politically active. Once I understood what was happening around me, I was eager to join the movement. During the walkout, I attended rallies in Tucson and recruited my co-workers to join me. This was far outside of my comfort zone but I was learning ways to get involved and make a difference. I felt empowered.On May 3, the walkout ended when the Arizona state legislature passed a budget that included nearly $273 million for teacher pay raises. However, Arizona Educators United’s demands for school funding were not addressed. Education advocates didn’t rest and created the Invest in Education ballot initiative to further negotiate public education funding. This ballot initiative proposed increasing taxes on the top twenty-five percent of earners in the state to generate school funding. We would need to gather 150,642 signatures in ten weeks to get the initiative on the ballot.
When the Invest in Ed initiative was proposed, I knew I wanted to help, but I had to drag myself to a training meeting to learn how to gather signatures. I was afraid that everyone would look at me and know I wasn’t a classroom teacher. I didn’t feel smart enough or informed enough, but I couldn’t not do it. I could no longer sit back and let fear keep me quiet.
At first, I was scared to ask even friends to sign the Invest in Ed petition. I didn’t want to sound preachy, and I was afraid people would ask me questions that I couldn’t answer. With time, I got bolder. I forced myself to spend an hour every day after work gathering signatures outside of a local library. I dreaded it every day, but I couldn’t not do it.
* * *
The factor that really launched me into action was the development of a community of Red for Ed activists in Tucson. I started to see the same people out gathering signatures or on social media and we gradually got to know each other. These people are now some of my best friends in Tucson! This sense of community was an incredibly important motivator. I now looked forward to spending time with my new friends while gathering signatures! I felt accountable to this group of badass people! By the end, I had gathered about 800 signatures, drafted an email that went out to 7,000 people, helped launch a social media campaign with silly videos, spoken at a political rally, and—with the team of Tucson Red for Ed activists—coordinated a signature gathering strategy across Tucson. It was incredible to find my voice and a new community. We did things together that we would never have been able to do individually. I was just one of thousands of educators and supporters who spent hundreds of hours in the merciless Arizona heat gathering signatures. We collected 270,000 signatures—almost double the required number. This was an incredible feat, as it was done in large part by volunteers new to political action in only two and a half months.
However, on August 29, the Arizona Supreme Court removed the initiative from the ballot because of a technicality in the wording. Red for Ed supporters were devastated. My friends and I were heartbroken but not surprised. We’d always known that Arizona government was very much in the pocket of corporations and the richest Arizonans. After a brief pause to grieve and regroup, we pivoted to an electoral strategy. Red for Ed started organizing to get out the vote for the midterm election. Our focus was to get as many pro-public-education candidates as possible elected at local, state, and national levels.
* * *
Knocking on voters’ doors sounded incredibly intimidating. I dreaded it, but I knew that if I concentrated on baby steps, I could do it. I started by going to organized canvasses where I was paired with an experienced canvasser. After a few tries, I got more confident. I started asking for my own turf (a map of targeted voters to contact) and going out door knocking every night after work and on weekends. It was still tough when a voter asked a question I couldn’t answer or raised a point that I couldn’t counter, but I learned and got more confident. Again, the Tucson Red for Ed community came out in full force. My friends made canvassing less scary. They helped me weather rough days and laugh at tough interactions. Together we organized rallies, wrote press releases and spoke to the media, and made silly Facebook live videos that racked up thousands of views.In the end, the efforts of Red for Ed and other activist groups drove a record voter turnout for the midterm election. Election results showed that voters were hungry for candidates who supported public education. We stopped an initiative that would have expanded school vouchers, elected an educator as State Superintendent of schools, flipped a national Senate seat, and came within two seats of flipping the Arizona state house.
Anti-public-education Republicans still hold control of the Arizona legislature and governor’s office in the 2019 legislative session, and they continue to launch attacks on teachers’ political action and public education funding. However, the newly awakened Red for Ed activists of Arizona are vigilant: commenting on bills, attending committee meetings, organizing rallies, and speaking to the press. Arizona Red for Ed educators and supporters are just getting started. The fight for a fully funded public education system in Arizona continues. We’ve had some successes and many setbacks, but we’ve gone from individuals alone in our frustration to an educated, coordinated, fearless community of grassroots activists. I’m so grateful for having been pushed out of my comfort zone again and again, and I look forward to whatever’s next. With a year of organizing under our belts, just wait to see what we make happen in 2020!
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Kate Van Roekel is a longtime educator and brand new education activist. She loves books and bikes, and lives in Tucson, Arizona, with her husband, Dan. |