Local Area Teachers Join Strike to Demand Fully Funded Education

by Alex Garland (originally published on The Dignity Virus)

Educators from South Seattle area schools- including Rainier View Elementary, Rainier Beach High School, and Franklin High School- joined yesterday with thousands of other teachers, students, future students, and parents for a rally and march in a "rolling strike" to demand fully funded education.

The demonstrators marched from Seattle Center near the Space Needle, to Westlake Park in downtown Seattle.

They were frequently met with cheers and waves from those friendly to the protest as they passed workers and tourists on the sidewalk (and an occasional friendly honk from a "Ride the Ducks" duck).

The energy was high as children and adults in support of quality education via smaller class sizes and higher wages for school employees advanced through the city.

State Senator Jamie Pedersen was found marching hand and hand with his two children and said he supported higher taxes to fund education through "repealing the 1% gap on property tax increases, that's responsible for almost all of our shortfall."