On Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, the Berkeley Federation of Teachers (BFT) and other educator unions in Oakland, San Francisco, and Richmond staged a protest outside the Oakland City Hall at the Oscar Grant Plaza. “This was what we called our kickoff rally for the ‘We Can’t Wait’ campaign. Unions up and down the state have been in discussion about school funding and making sure that schools are being properly funded by the state of California so that we can do our jobs and that our students are supported,” said Matt Meyer, the President of BFT, during a speech at the kickoff rally.
The “We Can’t Wait” campaign is run by the California Teachers Association (CTA) and began on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. According to the campaign brochure, the “We Can’t Wait” campaign will “Demand that school districts prioritize resources to support students and fully staff our schools,” and “Unite to improve state funding for our schools so our students and educators get the support they deserve.”
77,000 educators in 32 districts across California are involved in this campaign, according to the CTA website. “The demands and expectations of what our schools can do for our students and communities continue to increase, and we need our districts to prioritize the funding to meet those expectations and needs,” Meyer said, “We all believe in that vision but that vision needs to be funded.” Meyer spoke along with other local union presidents, former 12th Congressional District (The district that Berkeley and Oakland fall under) Representative Barbara Lee, a representative for the current 12th Congressional District Representative Lateefah Simon, as well as students. Lee is currently running for Oakland Mayor. Lee shared the concerns of the protestors, “How can children learn when they are unsheltered or suffer from housing insecurity or hunger or the lack of medical care? How can educators teach when they can’t afford to live near the classrooms where they teach?” Lee said.
According to U.S. News, California ranks first in U.S. State economies, above New York and Texas, as well as being fifth largest economy in the world for the seventh year in a row. Still, it ranks number 37 nationally in Pre-K-12 education. “In terms of what (California) spends per capita on our students, we’re near the bottom of American states. That needs to change, we have the ability, we just have to find the political will to fully fund education and to prioritize and lift it up,” said Andrea Prichett, a BFT site representative and a teacher at Willard Middle School. The “We Can’t Wait” campaign brochure said in terms of student support, California ranks number 48 for student access to counselors, additionally struggling with large class sizes, school closures, and low educator retainment.
A recent survey conducted by the CTA found that over 80 percent of teachers report that they cannot afford to live near their schools and that their salaries do not cover necessary expenses. Additionally, that four-in-10 surveyed educators are considering leaving their jobs, in large part due to financial strain. According to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the state of California had over 10,000 teacher position vacancies during the 2021-2022 school year.
Prior to the protest, BFT members gathered at 3:40 p.m. in front of Berkeley High School’s front office. They then marched to the Downtown Berkeley BART station and went to Oakland City Hall. The rally lasted from 4:00-6:00 p.m., and afterward educators met to “share some drinks, food, and conversation about the day’s events,” according to an email sent out to teachers. “The highlight for me was the student performances and student speakers, which included a very talented public speaker from Oakland, a dance team from Oakland, and a newcomer who bravely led the crowd of educators and allied union members in a rally chant,” Tobi Stein, a U9 physics teacher, said, “It was pouring rain on us, but that just strengthened our resolve. We had the opportunity to show that we care enough about this to get soaked making our voices heard.”