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PHOTOS: Teachers from across Oregon rally in Salem for increased funding

Portland fourth-grade teacher Nichole Watson, of Rosa Parks Elementary, said her students deserve “my undivided attention,” drawing cheers from thousands of educators at the Feb. 18 March for Our Students. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Thousands of teachers and educators from across Oregon spend Presidents Day at the Capitol, urging legislators to increase school funding to address large class sizes and provide more counselors, nurses, librarians and other staff in schools.

The Oregon Education Association organized the March for Our Students and called on its members to share their stories with legislators.

School nurses demonstrate during the Feb. 18 March for Our Students. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Salem-Keizer School Board Director Jesse Lippold stands with teachers on the Oregon Capitol steps. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Educators write testimony for state legislators on the steps of the Oregon Capitol. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Teachers hold signs protesting large class sizes during the Feb. 18 March for Our Students in Salem. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D) speaks in support of public education funding at the Feb. 18 March for Our Students in Salem. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Kimberley Reed Zauber, right, a science teacher at Parrish Middle School, and Diana Alvarez, center, a Spanish teacher at Sprague High School, march in Salem on Feb. 18, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Educators from across Oregon walk along Chemeketa Street during the March for Our Students on Feb. 18, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Salem-Keizer Education Association President Mindy Merritt, center, and vice president Tyler Scialo-Lakeberg, to her right, stand with members outside the Oregon Capitol. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)Schirle Elementary teacher Jamie Keene said she’s regularly hit by a student in her 33-person class who has trouble regulating his behavior and needs more support than staff can provide. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Beaverton teachers Katie Lukins, left, and Jessica McBride, enter Oregon Senate offices to deliver testimony to their senators. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Teachers rally outside the Oregon Capitol to demand better school funding on Feb. 18, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Lucas Cathey, center, marches with his mother Jenny, a teacher in Springfield. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Teachers rally outside the Oregon Capitol to demand better school funding on Feb. 18, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Teachers rally outside the Oregon Capitol to demand better school funding on Feb. 18, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Music teachers and students play ‘Crazy Train’ to kick off the March for Our Students on Feb. 18, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Educators pour into the Oregon Capitol to drop off written testimony for legislators. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Reporter Rachel Alexander: (503) 575-1241 or [email protected]

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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.