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Thousands Of Teachers Demand Better Conditions During March & Rally

DENVER (CBS4) - Thousands of teachers walked out of the classrooms on Friday as part of another powerful teacher protest at the State Capitol building.

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Some of the state's largest districts had to close so they could march for higher and better funding for students.

The group included teachers from Denver Public Schools, Aurora and Cherry Creek.

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For many teachers, the salaries haven't come close to keeping up with the cost of living in the Denver metro area - something Gov. John Hickenlooper acknowledge when he spoke to the crowd.

"I know that you deserve to get a fair pay. You should be able to afford to live in the community where you teach," he said.

While the issue maintains a level of seriousness, some teachers had some fun delivering their message.

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They figured if you could read their protest, you value their worth and agree they need more resources.

"If we don't have the funds, this is how it's going to look when kids communicate," said one teacher.

Conditions for teachers send them shopping at Goodwill. One teacher says it's not fair to think the only good place to teach is at wizard school.

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"At Hogwarts, the four houses, they're all equal. They all have uniforms. They have the supplies they need," one woman said.

Teacher pay is not a new problem. Some educators stealing from their own homes to provide their students.

"My husband is always asking me where this went and I'm like 'Oh, that went to school.' He's probably the most upset by this, but it happens all the time," one woman said.

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Nancy Jirka teaches at a school in South Park saying she'll gladly trade for teaching conditions on the show.

"It may be better, I don't know. I imagine the teachers get paid better than we do," she said.

Teachers offer they'd make better laws than current lawmakers - a debate sweeping the country.

"Thanos is going to ruin the world, but in Colorado TABOR has ruined out state," an educator stated.

Teachers at Friday's rally were efforting thousands of people to sign petitions to get an initiative to add $1.6 billion in state funding for education on the November ballot.

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