“Fund our schools, fund our schools!” A chant heard outside of WY the morning of February 17th. WY participated in the mass walk-ins that occurred statewide. The walk-ins throughout Chicago were not only prompted by the ongoing contract negotiations between the city and the CTU (Chicago Teacher’s Union), but also the recent budget cuts that have been imposed on schools. At WY, teachers, students, and parents met at 7:15am in front of WY. Several teachers made speeches, everyone marched around the school, and then the whole group walked into the school.

Iris Postma ‘17 explained the significance of the walk-in, “It’s very easy for us as students to get caught up in complaining about homework and our classes when those are things we could lose. We don’t always realize how important education and our teachers are and how lucky we are to have them, which is why it’s so important that we do what we can to fight for our school.”

Postma got involved with the walk-in through one of her teachers and created a Facebook event to increase student involvement. “One of my teachers asked me if I could spread the word about the walk-in to students because she knew I have been involved in the Chicago Students Union and had been to the other student-led rallies in the past,” said Postma.

Many teachers express the importance of solidarity in the next few months as the contract negotiations continue. “Solidarity is very important, collective bargaining requires collective action and a sense of shared interests,” stated WY teacher and associate representative of the Chicago Teachers Union, Jay Rehak.  Whether or not further demonstrations occur depends on the government’s interest in funding CPS fairly.