Tuesday, April 27, 2010

NorthJersey.com: Students walkout to protest state of Englewood School District finances

NorthJersey.com: Students walkout to protest state of Englewood School District finances

Students walkout to protest state of Englewood School District finances
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
NORTHERN VALLEY SUBURBANITE
NEWS EDITOR
ENGLEWOOD – Hundreds of Dwight Morrow High School students took part in a walkout Tuesday morning showing their displeasure with the state of the district’s budget. Voters rejected the tax levy increase in the April 20 election.
Dwight Morrow High School students hold signs April 27 encouraging motorists on Knickerbocker Road in Englewood to honk in support of their efforts protesting the state of the district budget.
ELIZABETH LARA/THE RECORD
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Dwight Morrow High School students hold signs April 27 encouraging motorists on Knickerbocker Road in Englewood to honk in support of their efforts protesting the state of the district budget.
The demonstration, which was organized through Facebook and forwarded text messages, began around 8:15 a.m. after homeroom and lasted until around 10 a.m. when education leaders asked the students to return inside.
Students held up signs asking motorists to honk in support of their education. Cheers rang out from the crowd each time a horn sounded.
Freshman Chanel Ortiz believed the rally was important.
"It’s good for everybody to participate in this because we really need this for our school and we really care about everything. We want a better education for us," she said. "We just need money for our school."
Students said even this year money has been tight and they have to bring paper to use the district printers. They were concerned about keeping events such as prom and trips, saying certain trips have already been canceled because of budget constraints.
Class size was another big issue on students’ minds. They worry about the quality of learning in larger classes.