As the Arizona teacher walkout approaches its fourth consecutive day, we wanted to alert you to some interesting news: the overwhelming majority of Arizona charter-school teachers and students were in class Monday!
It’s true – an Association survey of our members revealed 92 percent of charter schools across the state were in session Monday. Informally, we know that many charter schools have remained open throughout the walkout – a stark contrast to district schools, nearly all of which have been closed since Thursday. Why such a disparity between district and charter schools when it comes to the walkout? That’s impossible to know. But we applaud Arizona charter administrators for fostering an environment in which teachers want to be where their students need them most: in the classroom.
The issues being debated right now at the State Capitol are not easy. We fully support Arizona teachers and their right to have their voices heard as part of our state’s democratic process. But we are also encouraged to see so many Arizona charter schools returning to normal operations during these important final weeks of the school year.
As always, on behalf of the Arizona Charter Schools Association, we are grateful to Arizona’s outstanding charter-school educators, administrators, support staff and students.
