Gian Maldonado, a junior at Kennedy High School in Richmond, joined dozens of fellow students in skipping classes Tuesday morning to show their support for teachers planning to go on strike Thursday.
He acknowledged though that they didn’t belong there.
“It is outrageous that I am out here protesting with my fellow students when I should be in a classroom learning,” Maldonado shouted. “I should be worrying about midterms … and instead I’m worrying about making signs, walking out, and a teachers strike.”
Standing outside the WCCUSD administration building on Bissell Avenue, Maldonado raised a blowhorn toward the offices and demanded, “And what are you doing?”
The question was met with a loud, collective “boo” from those who made the two-mile walk from campus to the district office. During the 45-minute trek, the students kept up a steady stream of chants, many carrying hand-painted signs.
The walkout began at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Outside the school, several students shared about their classroom experiences and why they feel they must advocate for a better education.
Empty classrooms, slashed electives, canceled classes
Empty classrooms, slashed electives, canceled classes, and the departure of favorite teachers were among their top concerns. And like the United Teachers of Richmond, the union representing about 1,500 district educators, students said they believe higher pay for teachers is essential to stabilizing schools.
The union has been asking for a 10% raise over the course of two years, in addition to changes to the special education program, smaller class sizes, and a lighter workload for special education teachers, therapists and school nurses. WCCUSD initially offered a 0% raise and did not accept any of the union’s other proposals.
After the state-mediation process, which ended last week, a mediator recommended the district offer a 6% raise, among other compromises on union proposals. The district on Monday, instead, offered 3%, noting it cannot afford to pay more. The district is saddled with a $16.9 million structural deficit and must make $7.7 million in cuts this year to balance its budget.
Princess Ramirez, a senior at Kennedy, said she believes an investment in teachers is an investment in student success — the two inseparable. She said she has seen her teachers pay for their supplies, work while sick to make sure students weren’t left behind and go above and beyond to make learning engaging.
But she has also been in classes where she said she learned virtually nothing because there was a revolving door of substitutes.
“Not only that, there’s a lot of times when we’d have to sit in the cafeteria with the security guard because there’s no subs available,” Ramirez told Richmondside at Tuesday’s protest. “This would happen more than two times a week (during my first two years) but I feel like even now, it’s starting to reoccur.”
She walked out in hopes of getting the attention of the superintendent and other district officials. When asked if she was nervous about the impacts of a strike on her education, she said it’s the district that should be more concerned.
“I feel like if the district really cared about it, they would have listened to the teachers and what they were preaching, what they needed,” Ramirez said. “Actually I’m pretty excited, and hope that change happens.”
Junior Xitlali Gomez said she is nervous about the strike, noting that the campus is going to be filled with “strangers.” Like many other students who walked out, however, she plans to not cross the picket line.
“Our teachers help us with everything, so if we don’t speak for them, who’s gonna do it?” Gomez told Richmondside half way through the walk.
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Kennedy students have track record of standing up for their education
Gomez said it’s unfair that the onus falls on students to advocate for themselves but she is proud that Kennedy students have a reputation of fighting for their rights. Last year, she and several other students walked out when career pathway programs and elective classes were at risk. The student’s advocacy saved the pathway program, but some electives were cut, such as a popular silk screening class, where students created thousands of T-shirts for the district.
This year, students also organized alongside teachers after three AP classes were cut at the beginning of the year. They showed up at school board meetings, emailed and met with district officials and started an online petition. The AP Spanish Literature class was reinstated.
Senior Elias Avalos helped lead that effort and, now as senior class president, he organized Tuesday’s walkout. He said students had to leave class to make their message impossible to ignore.
“We are the dollars that fill their wallets. And if we leave our schools during the strike, they will get hurt,” Avalos told students. “They will not listen to our teachers. They will undermine them and toss them aside. But when we get together in unity and strength, we create change.”
The student-led walkout was supported by the RYSE Center, which provided students with water, snacks and logistical help. Throughout the walk, fire trucks and cars honked in support. Some members of the community in nearby shops and homes chanted them on.
Students were also trailed by police and campus security cars. When they reached the district’s building on Bissell Avenue, security officers locked the front doors.
Avalos said he wasn’t surprised that district officials did not come outside to meet with students. Rather, he felt inspired to keep the pressure on.
WCCUSD officials did not respond to Richmondside’s requests for comment.
In an email sent to community members on Monday night, Superintendent Cheryl Cotton assured families schools will be open during the strike, meals will be provided, and students can expect to continue to learn in a safe environment.
Cotton also emphasized a strike is not the solution.
“A strike takes teachers out of classrooms, harms relationships, and can make it harder to keep strong educators. It will not improve our budget and may deepen our deficit. And it will interrupt essential services for students with special needs—students who rely on us the most,” Cotton wrote. “I understand our staff’s needs and frustrations. But I am heartbroken for our students. They deserve stability, care, and a learning environment where adults work together.”
