By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Teachers in the CITY charter school network voted to unionize, making it the second charter school in Arizona to do so.
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Eighty percent of teachers voted to unionize on Tuesday, May 19. They represent the network’s five campuses, which are located in downtown Tucson.
Teachers first brought the idea to the board last year. The board rejected the idea and hired lawyers to fight back. After months of organizing, the board said yes, and teachers held a vote.
“When we don’t get to have a say in what decisions are being made that impact us, it’s really a hard pill to swallow,” said City High teacher Haley Odom.
Teachers say organizing brought the community
John Sax, a math educational assistant, said teachers were worried after initially hearing from the board.
“We got a letter stating there was going to be pushback, and as a staff, we were all pretty worried and scared,” Sax said.
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools reports that around 10% of charter schools have unions. In Arizona, less than 1% of charter schools are unionized. Of the 520 charter schools in the state, only one was unionized before City did.
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City teachers will join the BASIS teachers’ union, the only other charter school union in Arizona. The City school board declined to comment.
Teachers said the union will benefit students.
“Being able to have our voices heard towards the board and collectively bargain means we’re going to be able to have better resources for our students, have better opportunities for our students,” said Keegan Adams, a City Middle humanities teacher.
Odom said parents noticed a difference this year as teachers organized.
“We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from parents that have said that, in their opinion, this has been the best year as far as their child’s experience in the classroom,” Odom said.
The vote happened on the same day as the City High graduation.
Isabela Lisco is a Report for America corpsmember covering education solutions for 13 News. Her position is made possible through funding from Report for America and the Arizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative Fund.
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