Fossil Teachers walk-in to raise awareness about school funding
A sign from the walk-in carried by a teacher. Photo Credit: Milena Brown
April 16, 2018
At around 7:00 am on April 16 Fossil Ridge High School teachers stood on the corner of Ziegler and Sabercat Drive wearing red and holding signs that read “together we are stronger” and depicted a raised fist that clenched a pencil. They then walked into the school to raise awareness about funding for education. This was one of many planned “walk-ins” held across the state.
According to Lisa Plank, a teacher at Fossil and a member of the Poudre Education Association, teachers organized the walk-ins to “bring awareness to our local community and our state lawmakers that drastic changes in funding public education need to happen.” Plank believes that public funding for schools has been a nationwide problem for a while now. She also says that “a walk-in is just one tool being used right now to make change.”
Matt Murphy, a counselor at Fossil said that he came to the walk in, “to support students and student’s education. Colorado is grossly underfunded and that needs to change. That’s why I’m out here.” The teachers feel strongly that something needs to be done about the way Colorado schools are funded and feel that now is the moment to make their voices heard.
“We need the resources to provide what we know you guys need in the classroom,” said Daniel Berard, a Band Director at Fossil. He added, “We are standing up to provide the very best opportunity that we can for our students in the classroom.”
The way that Colorado public schools are funded is complex and different than the way other states fund their schools. Rather than the state legislature having control over the spending for public education funding, there is legislation in Colorado that complicates the process. This legislation is known as the Taxpayers Bill of Rights or,TABOR, and the Gallagher Amendment. TABOR makes it so that any change in taxes must be voted on by the taxpayers. The walk-ins and walk outs that are taking place across the state are to raise awareness about how these pieces of legislation affect funding for public education.
Kristin Rust • Apr 17, 2018 at 10:58 am
Thank you! I feel that your coverage of the day’s events more accurately reflect the walk-in than the report the Coloradoan gave! Thanks for your interviews.