Nearly 1,000 protest proposed education cuts at the state Capitol in Phoenix

Nearly 1,000 people converged on the state Capitol Thursday to protest proposed cuts to the education budget.

Teachers, parents, students and residents marched and chanted for more than two hours, holding signs and sharing stories of how the proposed cuts would impact them and their families.

Eric Best, the husband of one of the rally organizers. led protesters in such chants as "S.O.S save our schools" and "2-4-6-8 we want to graduate."

"This is like an army," Best said. "The kids are the soldiers, but if they don't have the support, there's no way they can win the war, and this war is education."

Elizabeth Sanchez, her husband, Osvaldo, and their daughter Scarlett all held signs in protest of the cuts. Scarlett is a second-grader in the Peoria Unified School District and Elizabeth and Osvaldo both attend Estrella Mountain Community College.

"We have already gotten letters from Scarlett's school about possibly going to a four-day week," Elizabeth said. "We are worried because we want her to be in school as much as possible."

The proposed legislation also would make it more difficult for Elizabeth to complete her degree, she said.

"He is a veteran, so the government pays for his school because he served," Elizabeth said. "But if tuition goes up for me, that will really affect our family's budget. We are young parents already so that would really impact us."

A group of about 30 ASU students came to the march in maroon and gold t-shirts to address the impending cuts to university funding.

"I am a college senior, getting ready to graduate in May, and I am tens of thousands of dollars in debt," said Gilbert Romero, a women and gender studies major. "I have a younger sister in high school and she is college-bound, and I don't want her to be in even more debt."

Romero said he is particularly worried about potential tuition increases, which he said would make a college degree more inaccessible to students.

Rep. Andrew Sherwood, D-Tempe, said the turnout at the protest inspired him.

"This shows that everyone is invested in education," Sherwood said. "There isn't just one demographic here or one political party, this is everyone."

Sherwood, an ASU graduate, called the proposed university cuts "catastrophic," and said he wants Arizona students to have the same opportunities he did.

"Whether it is increasing tuition, delaying building repairs or cutting research, there is nowhere left to cut."

Michael Cady, a retired teacher, said cutting non-classroom spending will ultimately affect students' learning, as well as the operations of public schools.

"Classrooms don't exist in isolation," Cady said. "It's a big mistake to think you can cut one side and it doesn't affect the other."

Cady said he fears the quality of education in Arizona will decrease so much that businesses will not want to operate in Arizona and the workforce will not be educated enough to do their jobs after graduation.

"Education is not something extra," Cady said. "It's like water. It's not something we can do without. I've been in education for 40 years and I've seen a lot of changes, but I have never seen anything like this."

Many parents and teachers feared the loss of non-teacher staff, like nurses and librarians, which are positions that many districts have announced could be cut if the proposal passes.

"I used to be a long-term substitute in the Mesa district," said Lisa Olson, a parent of Mesa Public School students. "We had students who had to visit the school psychologist regularly to deal with problems, and students have to go to the nurse for long-term issues like diabetes."

Arthur Washington brought his two elementary-school aged sons to the protest, to teach them about the democratic process and take part in the demonstration.

"Education is fundamental for any growing citizen to engage in society and contribute to society," Washington said. "I worry that the cost of higher education here will get too expensive, and all of the ideas that could come out of Arizona will stay at the lowest level."