At 8 years old, Anya Henning has big dreams.
One of those dreams is to meet Gov. Gary Locke. But she doesn’t want to just meet the governor – she has something she wants to tell him about the proposed cuts to public education funding.
“If our schools don’t get money, students won’t be able to learn and be smart. The teachers have done a lot of work and they shouldn’t have to put in more work with more students. We need to change something.”
Henning is a third-grader at Syre Elementary in Shoreline. She and her mom and stepdad, Shoreline district teachers Lisa and Paul Witzel, were just a few of the estimated 30,000 public education supporters who rallied in Olympia on Tuesday. And while she didn’t get to meet Gov. Locke, she did get a hands-on civics lesson.
The event, titled “A Day of Action,” was created in support of initiatives 728 and 732, which would help to fund smaller class sizes and increase teacher’s salaries. The initiatives were approved by voters in 2000 and are in danger of being unfunded due to the state’s $2.6 billion deficit.
Henning and her family all wore the blue plastic ponchos decorated with “keep the commitment” slogans and held signs of support throughout the event.
The Witzels said they chose to bring Anya to Olympia in an effort to give her the experience of a political rally and to teach her about current issues. Lisa Witzel recalled the strike that local teachers went on more than a decade ago, where they were fighting for similar issues, and wanted to share that experience with her daughter.
“It’s important for her to see that aspect of the political process,” Witzel said. “And for her to see the little man getting his voice heard.”
Both Lisa and Paul Witzel said they discussed the issues surrounding the Day of Action with Anya the night before the rally.
“My parents and my teacher talked to me about (the issue) and about the laws,” Henning said. “So we’re going down there to talk to the government and to tell them to find another way to fund schools.”
Anya is also quick to point out that while schools were closed Jan. 14 for the rally, “It’s not a strike. It’s a protest.”
“And I think what we are doing is right,” Henning said.
Speakers at the event included the president of the National Education Association and well-known actor James Avery (Uncle Phil on the TV series “Fresh Prince of Bel Air”), but Henning was more impressed with the local teachers who shared their stories with the crowd.
“I really liked the speakers at the rally because they told us what their dreams were, and why they became teachers,” Henning said.
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