“Red For Ed” is a movement that is made to educate others on the importance of funding public education. There is a lack of public school funding, schools either do not have money to provide classroom materials or the classroom materials that there are is outdated. Money is being cut for programs such as music and the arts. Teachers are fighting for funding.

There are a number of things teachers are doing to make their voices heard and to get the point across that public education is important. Teachers have conducted multiple marches around schools. Even though protests, in the sense of walkouts, are illegal in Indiana, teachers found a loophole. Teachers all called off at the same time. This “blue flu”forced schools to find substitutes for a mass of classes. Many teachers have gone to the state capital, Indianapolis, and talked to state representatives about the lack of funding in not only Griffith High School/Middle School, but many other schools all over the district.

  “Teachers are the foundation of society,” said algebra teacher Lauren Nelson. Nelson believes that teachers create all other professions, and they have value for teaching people the skills they need to get the jobs they want.  Certain programs that students enjoy, such as the arts, are having funding cut to have money for other materials. Griffith High School has said that they are trying to cut down on the use of paper in classroom. Their method of choice was to introduce iPads into high school, middle school, and elementary curriculum.

  There is a bigger percentage of tax dollars going to charter schools and vouchers. “Charter schools are underperforming and don’t prove that they have a need for the percent increase,”said middle school English teacher Tracy Whitman. “The funding increase on charter schools is part of a bigger picture of trying to tear down public education.”