On Thursday, March 20, Manual teachers gathered outside the school building, walking inside together in protest of the possible dismantling of the United States Department of Education.
The protest occurred alongside nationwide responses organized by the National Education Association (NEA) in reaction to the expectation that President Donald Trump will issue an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, which he did later that day.
In the past few days, teachers, parents and students from over 70 other JCPS schools have engaged in similar walk-ins, a form of protest that allows impacted parties to share their opinions without disrupting instructional time or posing employment risks. The Jefferson County Teachers Association (JCTA) passed along information from the NEA to help organizers at each JCPS school.
“The National Education Association is calling for nationwide action and the action we chose is a walk-in to raise awareness about the threats against the U.S. Department of Education,” said JCTA President Maddie Shepard.
If President Trump successfully downsizes the Department of Education via executive order, every public school district across the country would lose funding. According to the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, 19% of the JCPS budget comes from federal funding. This is on the lower end of the spectrum, whereas in more rural counties, like Owsley County, federal funding makes up as much as 44% of their annual budget.
Without federal funding, larger, wealthier districts might see higher tax rates. However, smaller, impoverished districts that rely heavily on local funding often do not have the tax base to continue funding their education and would be forced to make stark cuts to programs.
“The Department of Education’s continued mandate is essential for meeting the needs of students throughout this country,” Mr. Tim Holman (Social Studies) said.
Mr. Harsh Upadhyay (Academic Coordinator) organized Manual’s walk-in. Out of 113 full time staff members at Manual, 11, including Upadhyay and Holman, attended the walk-in.
Several of the teachers in attendance shared their passionate feelings and thoughts about the importance of the Department of Education and continued federal funding.
“I feel like America as a whole is being destroyed,” Ms. Jen Groseth (Design and Production) said. “I was in the military and I defended this place, but I don’t feel like this is the place that I defended.”
The teachers and leaders did not focus on their own political thoughts and beliefs, but rather on the implications for students.
“This is less of a protest against any particular administration, but more the decisions that are being made that I think could really impact students,” Holman said.
Many teachers did not participate in the walk-in. The majority of those who were asked about their choice not to participate simply forgot that the protest was planned for this morning.
“I just totally forgot. I would’ve totally been there because education is my life and I think it’s very important for the future of our country,” Ms. Margaret Mattingly (Journalism) said.
However, some teachers choose not to participate.
“I wasn’t sure how effective walk-ins are as a movement,” Ms. Emily Sales (English) said. “I don’t think people really care.”
