By Henni Espinosa
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SAN FRANCISCO & OAKLAND, CA—Thousands rallied in front of San Francisco’s City Hall last night, as part of a statewide Day of Action against the 17 billion dollars that have been cut from public education over the past 2 years. A group of protesters also shut down the Interstate 880 freeway in Oakland for an hour, holding up rush-hour traffic for miles.

Middle-school teacher Yvette Felarca was among the 150 protestors arrested for the I-880 closure. She was taken to Santa Rita prison. Most of the arrested protestors received misdemeanor unlawful assembly charges and were released. They have a scheduled court appearance in April. Activists say they will demand that all charges be dropped.

Protesters in front of the S.F. City Hall say the cuts are affecting low-income and immigrant families. Hydra Mendoza, Mayor Gavin Newsom’s education advisor, said the protesters are “just a small portion of the people” that the cuts are affecting. “It’s important for us to be out here, in a unified voice, to talk about these cuts,” Mendoza said.

Single parent Evelyn Maningding just lost her job with the city. She fears that she won’t be able to send her daughter to college if tuition keeps rising.

“Ako lang mag-isa na gumagastos para sa anak ko.  At the same time, nagpapadala pa ako ng pera sa Pilipinas.  It’s hard being a single mom,” Maningding said.

Working mother Nikkie Virata says budget cuts at Bessie Carmichael School could take away the after-school program. She says she cannot afford to pay extra for childcare. Virata said, “My husband and I both work full time, from 8 to 5.  If there’s no more afterschool program, who will take care of the kids?”

Her seven-year old son, Angelo, says he’s scared to lose his teachers at Bessie Carmichael due to layoffs: “Don’t cut our future. Don’t take away our money.”

Bessie Carmichael teacher Gracia Gravador says won’t be able to survive the recession if she gets laid off. “I’m thinking of my family,” Gravador said. “I have bills to pay. It’s really sad.”

Jay Jasper Pugao teaches in one of the poorest areas in San Francisco. He says program cuts and school closures will make children end up on the streets.

“It’s going to force students to do things that are not very positive.  It’s going to affect our state. It’s going to affect our community,” Pugao said.

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