Hundreds of teachers around Sacramento were out of their classrooms Thursday striking and making their voices heard. Their goal was to put pressure on the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) as it's under threat of a state takeover.
Teachers and the teachers union are upset. They said the district signed a contract with them in December 2017 in order to avoid a strike. They want the district to honor that contract.
Angela Jones is a third-grade teacher at Parkway Elementary School who has been with SCUSD for 23 years. She said she could not sleep the night before the strike wondering how it would affect her students. But she hopes they will pick up one important lesson from her striking.
"If you're treated unfairly in your job, stand up for your rights," she said.
Thursday was the first time SCUSD teachers walked out of the classroom in 30 years.
Robert Krause walked his grandson, Anthony, to school Thursday. He said he supports the position of the teachers.
"I can see the teachers are struggling and I think they should be paid more," Krause said. "I mean, basically that's the bottom line as far as I see it."
Representatives of the school district also met Thursday at Success Academy in South Sacramento. Speakers like Superintendent Jorge Aguilar and school board President Jessie Ryan explained they support the teachers and said it's what happens going forward that matters.
"I look forward to tomorrow to making sure we begin the process of figuring out how we are going to come together to make sure that we put ourselves in a position where we can achieve long term viable fiscal sustainability," Aguilar said.
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President of the Sacramento City Teachers Association says that an overwhelming number of teachers are willing to strike.