Noah Meisel sat on his father’s shoulders and shouted louder than the rest of the crowd: “Shut the prisons! Save my school!”
Josh Meisel, Noah’s father, is a sociology professor at HSU. They were there to show their support for increased funding for education.
By early evening last Thursday, March 4, signs saying, “Stop the cuts to my future!” and “Save my education, keep the doors open!” lined 5th Street in Eureka. In front of the Humboldt County Courthouse, protesters yelled, “You say cut back! We say fight back!”
Several hundred teachers, students, parents and concerned citizens took to the streets to demand more funding for education in California.
The protest was one in a series of rallies to put pressure on the legislature to end budget cuts to public education. Students from universities all over California, Oregon and Wisconsin participated. Students and teachers from Cal State Northridge, San Jose State and San Francisco State came together to fight for funding.
One protest in Oakland ended in 150 arrests when demonstrators tried to march down U.S. Highway 880. Humboldt’s rally was peaceful.
“The state budget is being discussed this month,” said Chris Haynes, a geography professor at HSU and Humboldt County chapter co-president of the California Faculty Association. He said, “We want the public to remind their legislature that education is too important to cut funding.”
Humboldt County Schools Teachers Association President Damon Collier said the state already cut $17 billion from public education, and now, Governor Schwarzenegger has a new proposal that would cut another $2.5 billion.
Public schools were supposed to see a refund of $11.2 million. Now, the state says it will not pay it back, Collier said.
Graduate student Dusty Marby said, “Cutting education over other sectors is deplorable.” The sociology major added, “This is a major piece of the puzzle in terms of creating real social change.”
Marby was joined by Stacie Lyans and Romi Hitchcock-Tinseth, who both work in the admissions department at HSU. They all climbed up the concrete base of the flag pole and raised their signs high in the air.
Stephanie Lane, who also works in admissions, said they can no longer accept any late applicants, and they have to reduce enrollment by 6 percent for the year due to new CSU requirements.
All CSUs have this requirement. “Instead of being accessible, we have to get used to saying no,” Lane said.
Phil Glickerson, a worker for the federal government, was there with petitions to increase the portion of the state lottery that goes to education and to stop the state from taking money from city and county budgets.
Kathleen Bryson, a candidate for District Attorney, said she came out because she is a mother and because she has represented minors in court. The lack of funding forces schools to cut programs like detention, which helps keep kids out of trouble. “We have to stop producing criminals,” she said. “I am sick and tired of the most vulnerable people getting hurt.”
Bryson said, if she gets elected as D.A., she plans to help support education by taking a 20 percent pay cut from the $150,000 salary and placing the majority of it into education.
Eureka High teacher Ryan Keller said she was excited to see drivers honk their horns as they passed by. “I love to see the interaction. It makes me glad to see that other people care,” she said. The cheers from the crowd swelled each time a driver showed their support. Even an officer in a marked police car honked as he drove by.
In the background, marine biology major Pamela Ward pounded her drum and created a beat for the chants. Protesters danced, marched and shouted.
Ward is tired of seeing her classes cut. “My education is suffering right now because I had to miss physics to be here. I vote, but it doesn’t seem to help.”
1 comments
It took HSU five weeks to get my transcripts!! And I actually had to drive to Arcata to get them. Pasadena had my transcripts to College of the Redwoods in three days. So, investigative reporters....Lumberjack reporters...put your money where your pen[s] used to be....God only knows what you youngsters think real news is about these days!Respectfully submitted....but I doubt you'll publish it!
Elaine Hyatt [also a.k.a. Elaine Hyatt-McAllister]
P.O. Box 11, Rio Dell, CA 95562/3515 Cottage Ave., Eureka, 95503
(707) 502-5579 elaineh88@yahoo.com
[anytime.....anywhere.....I dirty double dog dare you!!]