Rally on Sunday May 17 at Orcas Ferry Landing

RedForEd— by Margie Doyle —

Teachers Lorena Stankevich and Anne Ford McGrath and High School Senior Daria Stankevich attended the “Red for Ed” Rally on the Washington State Capitol steps on Saturday, April 25.

Lorena writes, “The legislative session has just ended and a special session is being called to begin on Wednesday, April 29. This rally was planned to let our legislature know that we want education to be fully funded state wide. This is an important priority for the state.

“Anne Ford, Daria and I attended to show our support from the Orcas Island Education Association.”

Since then the Orcas Education Association voted not to have a rolling walkout as other state teachers are planning to send a message to the legislature that it support the McCleary Decision to adequately fund basic education and the classroom size initiative that was approved by voters in 2014.

The Orcas public school educators instead announced that Sunday, May 17 would be a Day of Action, and encouraged the school district administrators and board of directors to gather at the the Orcas ferry landing around noon, wearing red,  “to make a push that our legislature needs to act and take this seriously.”