Proud to stand up for high-quality education

I want to recognize and applaud educators in our region during Teachers Appreciation Week. There are countless ways in which our teachers are taken for granted, under-resourced, and scapegoated. We need to stand up to the bullies who demean and undermine the professionals dedicating their lives to educating the next generation.

For years, a handful of billionaires rigged the rules with lobbyists, special-interest groups, and elected officials to defund public schools and attack public school educators. As a result, teachers have had to do more with less, all while trying to create the best learning environment for their students to succeed.

Now the same wealthy CEOs are backing a Supreme Court case to divide teachers' power in numbers to speak up for smaller class sizes, adequate textbooks and supplies and other investments our kids and communities need. And when people like Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos say that teachers' job is to "serve" students, they ignore a brutal reality: many teachers struggle to make ends meet. Until Oklahoma teachers went on strike, they hadn't received a raise in a decade.

It's inspiring to see educators in Oklahoma and West Virginia stand up and walk off the job to demand an end to corporate tax breaks, unsustainable jobs and disinvestments in our schools. We have to unite with them and all of the teachers who are fighting on the front lines and behind the scenes for quality public schools.

I am proud to stand alongside those walking off the job and pushing back against the relentless attacks on their profession.

Dawn Lamarca

Vernon Hills