Chicago students walk out to protest education cuts | Civic Revolution |Axisoflogic.com

Chicago students walk out to protest education cuts | Civic Revolution |Axisoflogic.com

Chicago students walk out to protest education cuts ( 0)

Print This ShareThis

By Pepe Lozano

People's World

Saturday, Apr 10, 2010

CHICAGO - More than 500 high school students walked out of classrooms at public schools city wide here Thursday, April 8, to protest municipal and state education budget cuts.

The students were joined by dozens of parents, teachers and community activists.

Speakers at the rally said education is a right, not a privilege and schools deserve an economic bailout, too. They add that the city, state and federal government should prioritize public education and invest in children's future, not slash the budget, which only makes matters worse.

To learn more, visit: Chicago Youth Initiating Change

Chicago Public School officials plan to cut non-varsity sports, after school and pre-K programs, bus and bilingual education services. CPS will also lay-off 3,200 teachers and increase classrooms to 37 pupils. Support staff and alternative education courses including honor, music and drama programs are also on the chopping block.

"These are things we really count on," says 16-year-old Amber Perry who attends Lincoln Park High School on the city's north side.

Her classmate, Dalilah Villafane, agrees, "I don't think it's fair that CPS officials are getting salary raises while our badly-needed programs are getting cut. We don't