Subscribe
to the E-Star!

Rally turns intersection to a sea of pink

People supporting teachers

Jill Coppler

(Updated: Thursday, March 19, 2009, 6:41 PM)

By 4 p.m. Friday around 100 people gathered at the intersection of Highways 41 and 49 to protest state budget cuts that resulted in five pink slips given to teachers at Bass Lake Unified and 21 to teachers at Yosemite Unified. Chawanakee Unified could not be reached at the time of publication and 21 notices were given in Mariposa along with cuts that will include the closure of the county's only middle school.

The focus of the California Teachers Association-sponsored "Pink Friday" rally was to draw attention to this year's spike in the number of teachers receiving pink slips for next school year due to state budget cuts. The deadline to notify teachers, who may face job loss come June, was Friday the 13th -- an unlucky day for many in education this year.

Among those at the rally in Oakhurst was the California Teachers Association representative, Carol Reichert, who said, as she handed out pink flags and signs, that the turnout was positive.

According to the association, more than 26,500 teachers have received preliminary notices and the budget cuts to education total $11 billion.

Kim Meeks, a second-grade teacher at Wasuma, received a pink slip Friday and was present at the rally to protest alongside the school's PTA president, Monica Miller. The two held signs that were misspelled to emphasize what the loss of teachers could mean for students.

Janie Long of Fish Camp said her daughter, 6-year-old Michelle Barnes, came home from Coarsegold Elementary School Friday crying because her favorite teacher, Mrs. Haggard, had received a pink slip. Long said that's why she donned pink and took her daughter out to the protest.

The CTA and parent groups are recommending that concerned citizens contact their representatives in the Legislature and local school boards.