Sarah Pedersen and her husband imagined teaching careers would provide stability for the large family they wanted.
Over time, another reality became clear. Pedersen and her husband, both educators in Richmond’s public schools who have taught for eight years, do not make enough to support a second child, she said.
“The large family we envisioned for ourselves is just not possible,” said Pedersen, who has a 1-year-old daughter. “We can’t afford any more kids.”
Higher wages are among the issues Pedersen and other educators from throughout Virginia plan to trumpet when they converge Monday in Richmond for a march to the Capitol. The rally, organized by the grass-roots group Virginia Educators United, is expected to mark the latest example of educators taking to the streets to protest a lack of money for public schools.
The demands animating the Virginia march have been at the heart of teacher strikes and walkouts elsewhere, including Los Angeles, West Virginia, Oklahoma and North Carolina: boosting teacher pay, recruiting and retaining teachers, providing money for building needs and bolstering school support staff.
Unlike in other states, the Virginia march is not expected to extend into a days-long walkout or strike.
Pedersen, a middle school social studies teacher and march organizer, said her students shiver in their seats when boilers fail. WiFi and laptop access are unreliable. So are printers and copiers.
