April Thomas, april.thomas@sierraclub.org, 206.321.3850
Washington, D.C. -- This week, teachers in Oklahoma and Kentucky have walked out of their classrooms to demand fair pay and funding to support the educational needs of their students. This growing movement of teachers standing up against austerity to demand better schools for their students and better working conditions for themselves began when teachers in West Virginia walked out and ultimately won major concessions from state elected leaders.
In response, Executive Director of the Sierra Club, Michael Brune, issued the following statement:
“Sierra Club is in solidarity with teachers all over the nation who are struggling for fair pay and a good education for their students. Our movement for climate justice and the teachers' struggles are deeply connected. In Oklahoma, the drastic budget cuts to public schools can be directly traced back to tax cuts for big polluters. From the climate justice movement to the labor movement, we are all working toward an economy and a society that prioritizes people over profits.
“Thank you to the teachers for their courage in walking out, and for your leadership and vision in showing what is possible when people rise up together.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.