Arizona teachers are preparing to strike on Thursday, despite a promise by Governor Doug Ducey to give them a 20 percent raise by 2020.
Cathy Matsumoto has been a special education teacher in Mesa for the past eight years. Speaking on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday, Matsumoto said Ducey’s plan is missing some key points.
"He has neglected to meet the demands regarding our support staff and providing funding to give those support staff such as custodians, cafeteria workers, instructional assistants- there needs to be funding to also increase their wages for all the work that they do for our students," she said.
Matsumoto said many educators rely on their partners or other part-time jobs because they don’t make enough money on teaching alone.
"Certified teachers with master's degrees, teaching in their district for 15 years are still making around $30,000 to $35,000," Matsumoto said. "To have that amount of education and that amount of experience and be paid that- that’s not a livable wage.”
