Students from five high schools led another walkout Tuesday to protest the $35 million in budget cuts approved last month by Vancouver Public Schools’ board of directors. The protest culminated in a gathering outside the district office.
The protests continue a trend in recent weeks of Vancouver students expressing frustration with the district’s decision, which will eliminate 262 staff positions from the district next year. The first walkout came March 19, when Fort Vancouver High School students walked more than a mile to the district office, where leaders were in the midst of contract negotiations with the Vancouver Education Association.
“Our students have been chanting ‘Fund our Future’ during recent protests. As a community, state and nation we are grappling with what funding our future means,” district spokeswoman Jessica Roberts said in an email Tuesday. “We are grateful to have students that understand the importance of their education. Our hope is that others recognize that, too.”
Roberts added that students will not be disciplined for protesting, but those not present for class will be marked as absent.
