Colorado Teachers To Rally At The Capitol March 19 For Educator Day of Action
EDGEWATER, Colo. (CBS4) – Educators will rally at the Colorado State Capitol later this month for a Day of Action. The event will raise awareness about Senate bills in the Colorado legislature and build support for a ballot initiative this fall.
"All of the educators in Colorado are coming together to make our voices heard," said Rhiannon Wenning, Community Site Coordinator at Jefferson Junior/Senior High School. "We're two years later and things haven't changed."
Wenning has worked at the school for almost two decades. She says there needs to be an increase in school funding from both the legislative bills and the ballot measure they hope to get before voters this November. She says the funding will help increase teacher wages but also address needs of students including mental health and healthcare.
Wenning says funding for teachers and other educators needs attention because Colorado is ranked 50th when it comes to competitive pay. One of the Senate bills would address this concern. The ballot initiative would change the tax code to bring in more money for education, according to the CEA.
"A lot of these kids work separate jobs just to support their families," said Riley Robert Hawkins, a social worker at Jefferson. "We need to make a point here. Sometimes people don't listen until we do."
Teachers note that students are more stressed and their living situation may be getting worse as they go through school. They hope the Day of Action planned for March 19 at the Colorado State Capitol will get the attention of lawmakers on the needs for not just teachers but families as a whole.
"People's lives are at stake, students' lives are at stake, and the staff's lives are at stake, and what we're trying to do to support them," he said. "I think this is all for the greater good of Colorado."
School districts have various responses to this planned day with educators outside of schools. Some will be in spring break and not need to make any changes. Other districts, including JeffCo, are asking teachers to use a personal day or get a doctor's note to call out sick.
Some parents have criticized the event because it forces students to miss a day of classes. Districts have explained they must cancel school on that day because of a lack of available instructors based on educators who are already scheduled to be off.
"I am actually making less money now than when I started teaching," Wenning said. "I'm tired of being in debt because of school loans."
The CEA also reports that teachers spend $600 a year of their own money on supplies for their students. Some also have to work additional jobs and certain positions not only are beyond a living wage but struggle to reach the minimum for the state, Wenning said.
Two years ago, the event happened later in the school year. Organizers acknowledge by April they were too far into the legislative session to gain the impact they want in 2020 by hosting the Day of Action in March.
"I'm doing this for my students," she said. "Our legislators need to hear us, they need hear our stories."
