Teachers, parents rally against future budget cuts

BARSTOW • Teachers, parents and students held signs and waved to cars driving on Avenue H in an effort to generate support for teachers and to call for solidarity in a time of budget cuts on Thursday.

Candy Michelson, a teacher at Henderson Elementary School, was among the crowd of about 25 people who rallied across the street from the Barstow Unified School District office who hoped that the solidarity rally would send a message that teachers are standing together in the midst of the budget crisis.

“We just want them to know that we’re here and we’re not going away,” said the fourth grade teacher.

Their also voicing opposition to cuts — like teacher layoffs and creating larger class sizes, Michelson noted — that directly hit the classrooms.

“We have places where there are three secretaries to one person,” Michelson said.

Rally organizer Gay La Carmichael, an elementary teacher at Hinkley School, said she hoped the event would create unity among teachers across the district.

Carmichael said she believe that the district would not have to make budget cuts like closing down a school if teachers united to come up with a solution instead of picking sides.

“Everyone was fighting for their own school,” Carmichael said.

For Laura Gates, the purpose of the rally was to reach district administrators as well as the entire community.

“This not only hurts kids, it hurts the community,” said Gates, who painted several signs displayed at the rally.

Anthony Hinton, a parent as well as a Barstow High School history teacher, said that many teachers are frustrated with all levels of leadership, from the state officials to county leaders, down to district administrators and the school board.

Hinton said teacher frustration with low salaries and high insurance rates are compounded by the budget situation.

“When you see things going from bad to worse, it’s frustrating,” he said.

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4122 or elee@desertdispatch.com