The first wave hits Thursday, followed by a bigger one Friday.
In all, thousands of teachers from mostly Front Range school districts are expected to march to the state Capitol on both days to demand more state funding for schools and a fix for the state’s pension plan for public employees.
Teachers from Douglas County and Jefferson County school districts are rallying at the Capitol on Thursday, while teachers from Denver Public Schools — the state’s largest district — will join educators from Aurora, Boulder Valley and Cherry Creek and 20 or so other districts at the statehouse on Friday.
Douglas County parents were notified over the weekend that classes would be canceled Thursday because so many teachers were walking out to join the “Days of Action” at the Capitol. The district made its decision reluctantly, Interim Superintendent Erin Kane told parents.
“However, with over 500 or our educators out, we will simply not be able to provide a safe and effective learning environment for all of our students,” Kane said.
At least four Colorado school districts will be closed Thursday and almost 30 will be shuttered Friday because of teacher walkouts as educators demand that more money be sent to schools to help pay for the most basic classroom supplies, CEA members said.
“Thousands of Colorado teachers are in the classroom educating children every day, and we need money for protractors, history books, whiteboards and other materials,” said Palmer Heogh, a math teacher at Highlands Ranch High School. “Teachers spend hundreds of their own dollars for their students’ supplies each year. Doctors don’t pay for their scalpels, it’s about time we don’t have to pay for our markers.”
Other school districts are planning other events, besides walkouts, to support the effort, the Colorado Education Association said.
“Now is the time to build on Colorado’s economic growth and focus on a future where all Colorado families and communities can thrive,” said Kerri Dallman, president of the CEA. “We need to make sure we have great public schools in all our communities, where every child has the opportunity to succeed.”
Colorado’s schools are underfunded by $822 million and are $2,700 below the national average in per-pupil funding, the CEA said. The positive state revenue forecast clearly shows that there is substantially more money available this year for classrooms, Dallman said.
Teachers on Thursday and Friday will specifically ask legislators to make a down payment on the budget stabilization factor — also known as the negative factor — of at least $150 million this year and pay if off by 2022.
Lawmakers also will be asked to reduce or freeze corporate tax breaks of all kinds until school funding is restored and per-pupil funding reaches the national average, according to the CEA.
The CEA also supports Initiative 93, which will raise $1.6 billion annually in support of public education, while 92 percent of taxpayers will not see an increase in their taxes.