Virginia teachers turn out in droves to protest for more funding and higher pay

About 10,000 walked out in Richmond, Virginia, in the latest of many protests by educators across the US

Mike Elk in Richmond, Virginia
Mon 28 Jan 2019 23.14 GMT

An estimated 10,000 teachers and their supporters packed the streets of Richmond, Virginia, on Monday to protest for higher pay and more funding.

The teachers were demanding that the legislature increase the education fund to pre-recession levels and to raise teacher pay, which lags $9,400 behind the national average despite Virginia being the 12 wealthiest state per-capita in the United States.

Activists with Virginia Educators United had expected only 2,000 people to turn out for the event and said they were delighted by the scale of the event, the latest in a series of actions by teachers across the US.

“I am ecstatic about today’s turnout especially because sometimes, we as teachers don’t always come out, we don’t always speak out, we don’t always let our voices be heard, so I am excited that we are out here today doing just that,” said Milondra Coleman, who teaches at John Marshall High in Richmond.

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