'We Teach, We Vote!': 10,000 Teachers Rise Up Against Republican Legislature in Deep Red South Carolina
"For too long we have allowed our schools to go underfunded while taking the blame for the host of issues that come with that."
Demanding an end to austerity measures that have kept classrooms overcrowded and educators underpaid, about 10,000 teachers, students, and supporters staged one of the largest protests in recent years at the South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia on Wednesday.
Led by the grassroots group SC for Ed, teachers from across the traditionally deep red state took personal days to stage the walkout. The protest is aimed at forcing the Republican-controlled legislature to fund higher wages and more hiring in order to reduce class sizes and staff schools with support staff.
"For too long we have allowed our schools to go underfunded while taking the blame for the host of issues that come with that," SC for Ed said in a statement Wednesday. "We hope the state of South Carolina will commit to starting over the process of reform with current classroom teachers at the table."
Many of the teachers chanted, "We teach, we vote" as they marched to the Statehouse Wednesday morning.
Approximately 10,000 at the #AllOutMay1 #SCforEd rally today at the SC Statehouse. @BPS_CRO @ColumbiaPDSC pic.twitter.com/03di948FfQ— SCDPS (@SCDPS_PIO) May 1, 2019
Look who walked with me today! I am so fortunate to be their teacher! We see who’s listening! We teach, we vote! @SCforEd #AllOutMay1 #scfored #iloveecon pic.twitter.com/DOfFCaKZWP— Amanda Stiglbauer (@astiglbauer) May 1, 2019
The sleeping giant in SC politics is awake and pissed off!!! Teachers are the most powerful force in our communities and they are demanding to be treated fairly and to be treated as professionals! #AllOutMay1 #SupportOurTeachers #JoinJaime pic.twitter.com/saNHeq4TTV— Jaime Harrison (@harrisonjaime) May 1, 2019
Former educator Sariah McCall, who cited a chronic lack of resources when sheresigned from her job at Charleston County School District in November, was among the speakers at the rally.
McCall's resignation letter was printed in the Washington Post last month.
"The public has to demand that they receive the time, funding, and resources they require," McCall wrote. "We need to prioritize education, not just offer it lip-service. Until enough people decide that this is worth making a fuss over, those that are in CONTINUE READING: 'We Teach, We Vote!': 10,000 Teachers Rise Up Against Republican Legislature in Deep Red South Carolina