Redmond-area teachers and other instructors in the Lake Washington School District (LWSD) were out in full force on Wednesday and walked the pavement of their cities, waving signs of disapproval that the Legislature isn’t properly funding education.

During the one-day Lake Washington Education Association (LWEA) walkout — during which district classes were canceled — some teachers also held signs emblazoned with messages like, “Support education. Our children are our future” and “I do my ‘job’ = No COLA.” The latter sign refers to teachers asking for a cost-of-living adjustment, which they haven’t received for six years.

At the corner of Avondale Road Northeast and Northeast 116th Street on Wednesday morning, Eric Peterson, an Evergreen Middle School music teacher and coach, said he and other teachers love their jobs and are “busting our butt to do what we need to do,” but many of them can’t afford to make ends meet.

“They can’t do this job without either holding a second job or having a family member that can support them,” said Peterson, who’s also an LWEA representative. “We have a decline of people going into the education program, and yet at the same time, we say, ‘Hey, we need more teachers,’ but ‘We’re going to make it really hard for you to become a teacher and we’re going to make it really hard for you to make a living doing it.’”

Diana Sparks, an Evergreen art teacher and LWEA rep, said teachers are dedicated and passionate about their jobs, but the lack of funding puts a clamp on making necessary improvements for teachers to do their jobs efficiently. As the population increases, the school buildings are bursting, she said.

“We can’t get money to rebuild, to add on, to hire more teachers,” she said as Peterson looked on. “Small children are getting put into overcrowded classrooms. And then it becomes more of a discipline issue for the teacher rather than a teaching issue, (as teachers) can’t get to every single student —  it’s too many kids.”

Across the street from Peterson and Sparks, Evergreen math and fitness teacher Lee Martineau discussed how voters passed Initiative 1351 for smaller K-12 class sizes, but that the Legislature can’t properly fund it. The initiative is slated to be rewritten and placed back on the ballot, Peterson added.

“In a math classroom, it’s huge when you have a smaller class. You get to check every kid’s homework more in depth, you get to talk to them in smaller groups, one on one, offer them more support,” said Martineau, adding that with larger classes, he’s not able to check in regularly with every student. “Right now, the state of Washington is 47th in the nation in class size. That’s a big concern. I think moving forward is how to best help kids.”

On the COLA front, Martineau — a new father — said teachers are frustrated that those adjustments have been frozen for the last six years. He added that teachers with families and mortgages need the COLA to stay afloat.

“I love teaching. I want to stay a teacher,” said Martineau, who added that he’s often torn between staying and leaving because of pay and what’s currently happening with the education system.

While Martineau spoke, people drove by and honked their horns in approval of the teachers picketing on Wednesday.

Redmond teachers gathered at six high-visibility locations from 7:30-10 a.m. and later joined other LWSD teachers at the Marina Pavilion and Park in Kirkland for an It’s Time rally with a few hundred people on hand.

Howard Mawhinney, teacher at Redmond High School, said at the rally: “I would rather be in my classroom. Unfortunately the Legislature has not made it an option for us.”

Kim Mead, president of the Washington Education Association, noted: “It’s because of what you’re doing, I have hope (for my grandchildren’s education).”

According to Liv Finne, director of the Center for Education, in a blog post: “The Washington state Legislature is working to further increase funding for public schools in response to the McCleary court decision. The increase is possible without raising taxes because of the extra $3 billion the state expects to receive for the next state operating budget.”

As previously reported, Sen. Andy Hill said the walkouts affect the students whom the lawmakers in Olympia are working to support. A plethora of other teachers unions participated in one-day walkouts in the Puget Sound area.

“Research shows that teacher absence hurts student achievement, disproportionately impacting children from low-income communities,” he said. “In one of the few states not making progress closing the opportunity gap we need to make sure teachers, the Legislature, parents and school staff are doing everything we can to give every child a quality education.”

“Instead of robbing students of a school day, maybe the union should suggest their membership use a Saturday similar to the strong showing in Olympia on April 25,” wrote Brian Hansford of Redmond in a letter to the editor published in the Reporter last issue.

In making up the missed day of school for LWSD students, June 16 will become a full school day (as opposed to a half day, last day of school as previously scheduled), and the final day of school will now be a half day on June 17. There will be no change in graduation dates — June 4 and June 10-12 — or the last day of school for seniors — June 8, 10 and 12, spread out among the high schools.

TJ Martinell contributed to this report.