Colorado teachers walk out, surround Capitol

Colorado teachers rally at the Capitol in Denver, April 27.

Denver — Over 10,000 teachers surrounded the state Capitol in Denver on Friday, April 27, making their loud voices heard. They were demanding legislators reverse the cuts in education, which have hurt teacher pay and pushed Colorado’s standing almost $2,800 below the national average in per-pupil spending. Rural schools are hurting the most. The day before, over 2,000 teachers had come to protest.

When rallying teachers were asked how to pay for education, many said that lawmakers must commit to freezing corporate tax breaks of all kinds until funding for education reaches the national average. One man questioned the wisdom of the U.S. spending tens of millions of dollars to lob missiles for “no purpose” — referring to the latest U.S. bombing of Syria. The estimated minimum cost of the weapons used in that April 14 strike is $165 million. (businessinsider.com)

There is a connection between U.S. yearly military spending of over $1 trillion and the continuous cuts to education. The needs of the people suffer from enormous expenditures on the many wars and military bases that suck so much from the federal budget.

In an attempt to stop the teachers’ protests, Republican state senators introduced Senate Bill 264, which threatens fines and jail time for striking teachers.

But out on the march there was no fear. Solidarity was strong and public support overwhelming.