Arizona teachers demand 20 percent raise at Capitol protest

By MELISSA DANIELS
18 minutes ago

PHOENIX (AP) — Thousands of teachers descended on the Arizona state Capitol on Wednesday to demand a 20 percent pay raise and increases to public education funding, which they say was $1 billion higher before the Great Recession.

Clad in red shirts and carrying signs with the hashtag #RedforEd, demonstrators filled the lawns of the capitol for a three-hour protest.

Kelley Fisher, a 20-year teaching veteran who attended Wednesday’s demonstration, said education funding should be increased so educators don’t have to take multiple jobs.

“I really feel like everyone has been pushed to the brink at this point, and if we’re going to make a move, this is when it’s going to be,” she said.

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