Jennifer Hall, special education specialist, protests today's statewide half-day furlough. She and other teachers gathered at the West Seattle High School Commons. She has lived in West Seattle 19 years, and has worked at the school for eight years. She and other protesters from different schools then stationed themselves at the busy Fauntleroy/Alaska intersection at 1:00 p.m. CLICK ON PHOTO FOR MORE.
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Teachers, parents, professionals, school nurses, psychologists, and office workers were released at 11:00 a.m. today for a statewide furlough. At about 1:15 a.m. some teachers gathered with signs in the West Seattle High School Commons. At 1:00 p.m. they joined others from area schools holding signs at the Fauntleroy/Alaska corner and waved as cars drove by, some honking with support. They demonstrated against budget cuts and for the legislature to fully fund education.
Protester and Schmitz Park third grade teacher, Sabrina Storlie, has a son attending her school and another at West Seattle High School.
"Some genius, I'd like to know who, decided we should have furlough days- today, and we also had one at the beginning of the year- because the state didn't have enough money to pay us, so we were forced to leave," said Storlie.
"The worst part about it is the days they chose," added Storlie, a Delridge resident. "We just came off of Christmas break. This is a critical time of year when things get going and the kids are really rolling. Plus, we just had a bunch of snow days. The teachers are trying to catch up.
Chief Sealth teacher Roberta Lindeman, was one of over six protesting. She teaches Proyecto Saber, an enrichment program for Latino students. She is a board member of the teacher's union, the Seattle Education Association, or SEA, and an SEA representative at the school. She said the union orchestrated the protest.
"When the state budget came down and they cut funding, again, to schools, I think they cut three days," she said of furloughs. "Seattle managed to make things work so that we would just take one and a half days. (Including the full day at the beginning of the school year.) Plus, some got pay reductions on top of this furlough. I think it is significant. If you account for inflation. And, of course, it is taking away from the education of the students.
"Many of us in education feel that education doesn't get the priority and attention it deserves in this country," she said. "Instead of addressing the economic deficiencies and the issues we face in education it seems to be, 'Let's blame the teachers because the students aren't achieving academically. Let's blame the teachers because they are not staying in high school.'
"Recently, the decision was handed down by the courts that finally said that this state has not lived up to its primary obligation for years, probably decades, when they were mandated to fully fund education," she said. "If it wasn't for the Seattle government body and the generous people in Seattle who always pass our levies, we would be in a much worse situation."
