In response to Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s duplicitous proposal to Arizona teachers, in response to the Red For Ed movement, DNC spokesperson Vedant Patel released the following statement: 

“Debbie Lesko is an ardent supporter of Governor Doug Ducey, whose recent haphazard proposal to Arizona teachers offers more questions than solutions. Instead of offering concrete details and a legitimate groundwork to give Arizona educators the competitive and livable wages they deserve, Gov. Ducey is doing nothing more than attempting to silence the actions and momentum of the Red for Ed movement. Moreover, Gov. Ducey continues to prop up student- and teacher antagonist Debbie Lesko in the race for Arizona’s 8th congressional district. Arizona families deserve a representative who will fight for them in Congress, not someone like Lesko, who has found ways to slash funding for public schools and shortchange Arizona students and teachers.”

Governor Ducey’s proposal still doesn’t address:

• Increased pay for education support professionals

• A permanent raise structure for Arizona educators

• A freeze on corporate tax cuts until per-pupil spending reaches the national average

• The return of school funding in Arizona to 2008 levels

• A decrease in class sizes to a 23:1 student-to-teacher ratio