SEATTLE — Teachers and students from several community colleges held walkouts and rallies on Tuesday calling for higher pay for teachers and more funding from the state.
Some of the biggest rallies included a teach-in at the Washington State Capitol and walkouts at Seattle Central College, Yakima Valley College and Lynnwood Convention Center. The rallies were led by the Washington branch of the American Federation of Teachers.
“We love our students, but we've got to pay the bills,” said Pete Knutson, a professor at Seattle Central College. “We got to pay food, rent and everything else.”
Knutson said he feels K-12 education and four-year universities get the most attention and funding in Washington, and that community colleges are left behind. He said he knows multiple teachers who live in vans or are forced to live outside the city. He worries about the future of community colleges.
"Future teachers that are coming out with student debt are not going to be able to come here and teach,” said Knutson. “They're not going to be able to afford to do that."
Students said the teaching abilities of their professors are not reflected in how they are compensated.
"I just hope that our community and our government starts valuing our teachers the same way that students do,” said Brett Palso, a student at Seattle Central College.
Seattle Central College sent KING 5 a statement from Dr. Rosie Rimando-Chareunsap, the Interim Chancellor of Seattle Colleges, saying:
“Seattle Colleges supports our faculty in making their voices heard and organizing collectively as part of a statewide union ‘Day of Action’ today. Educators across our state are underpaid. We want our faculty and staff to be fairly compensated in a way that is consistent with our values. That’s why we’ve joined all other Washington community and technical colleges in advocating with the state legislature to increase faculty and staff compensation and program funding statewide and in Seattle.”