Ballard students protest possible budget cuts

Hundreds of Ballard High School students are protesting possible budget cuts to public education by the state legislature.

Students with cardboard signs, “Save our Music” and “We are the future”

This afternoon, Ballard students left school to rally with students from other Seattle-area high schools at Red Square on the University of Washington campus. “Ballard came together as a whole, with a bunch of other schools, to say this is not okay,” one of the students tells us. “We need this education. We need the knowledge to go through life.” The students walked out at 12:45, marching down 15th Ave NW to the bus stop at 15th & Market St.

The students packed into two large Metro buses

The students are upset at the state legislature’s proposal to once again cut funding for public education. “The school district isn’t getting enough funding and they just keep on cutting back on budget for us,” the students say. They talk about having to pay higher fees for extra-curricular activities and having to share beat up text books. “Those books won’t get replaced anytime soon if the budget is cut,” the students say.

Over the last three years, Seattle Public Schools has cut about $80 million from its operating budget, district officials tell our news partners The Seattle Times. The legislature is currently in a special session to close a $2 billion budget shortfall. (Thank you Silver for your help!)