These past few months have been full of rallies throughout California school districts, fighting for the overall status of public education. Due to recent multi-million dollar budget deficits, teachers have been coming together to advocate for changes to be made.
According to ABC 10 News, “32 school districts across the state are joining forces” to make these current issues known. These teachers want “improved staffing, pay and stability as contract negotiations begin.”
Over 100 teachers state wide are speaking up for their schools goals in hopes of grabbing enough attention to make them come true. Elementary schools such as Oak Park Elementary, to High Schools like Hoover and Crawford High are all partaking in the rallies. Though it doesn’t stop there, our own campus is participating in this current fight.
Plenty teachers around campus took part in the rally earlier this year, including theater teacher Ms. Cantalupo, APES teacher Mrs. Tempelton, and Biology teacher Mrs. Galm. Despite the lack of familiarity surrounding the issues in schools, Mrs. Tempelton decided to speak up and contribute to this advocacy.
“Our union motto is strength in numbers, so even though I wasn’t familiar with everything, as teachers we stand together for the best opportunities for our students,” Tempelton shares, “We wanted to inform parents and students that we would be bargaining with the district.”
Besides spreading the word and struggles of public education, the teachers also had a petition they were signing. Mrs. Galm really took a step up during these difficult times, acting as an organizer in the rally.
She shares a few of the duties she carried out, “I organized the rallies, so I was in contact with the union at the district level, then I invited teachers to congregate in front of the school. I handed out flyers for us all to hold and I provided the petitions for everyone to sign.” Along with the organization of it all, Galm expresses the meaning behind the goals, “I think it’s important as teachers and a union to show a united front and to all work together to express our needs and what would best help our students and our communities.”
These rallies are not solely based on educators receiving a reasonable salary for their hard work, but to provide for our students. Young students from elementary to high school will grow to be the future leaders of our world. To spread the importance of the quality of education and lack of resources, we can only hope for more to be put into the system, for both the devoted educators and the students.
