About two dozen St. Paul school teachers on Monday called on continued federal funding for programs that focus on the arts and improve literary rates.
The march came on the day pandemic-era federal funding ran out, in front of the Adams Spanish Immersion School south of downtown.
Because of the location, they chose to chant in Spanish:
“Maestros unidos nunca serán derrotados!”
Translation: Teachers united will never be defeated.
This was among a number of so-called "walk-ins" staged across the nation organized by the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools.
"We are building a movement all over this country, and that movement this morning is starting here," said NEA national president Becky Pringle following the short presentation.
Short in time, because the teachers all had to get back to class.
As part of the American Rescue Plan, St. Paul schools received more than $200 million to address long-term outcomes affecteed by the pandemic.
Among those programs that were elimated before the school year began was for reading support.
NikkiNolan taught that class for three years at Adams School, and now is back teaching first graders.
“Students loved coming to their reading groups,” she said. “This year, students have come to me (to say) I wish you could be my reading teacher, still.”
Not to mention Nikki getting hugs in the hallway from her former students.
“Funding for early Elementary education and literacy is important as an equity issue, accross the board,” she said, adding that there are hopes of a permanent funding solution for that critical extra staffing.
“It’ll be intertesting to see over the next two-or-three years, if it doesn’t get funded again, how that falls through, and then we’re back in the same place where we’re happy to build back up those skills,” she said.