Walkout by local teachers set for today

Nearly 2,500 teachers in four Clark County school districts are participating in a one-day walkout Wednesday. As a result, school buildings will be shuttered for almost 38,000 students. That means almost half of the 80,000 K-12 students in the county’s public schools won’t be in school Wednesday.

School districts that will be closed due to teacher walkouts are Evergreen (1,800 teachers), Camas (393 teachers), Washougal (195 teachers) and Hockinson (103 teachers).

On Wednesday morning, the teachers will picket at high-traffic intersections in east Vancouver. At 11 a.m., teachers from the four districts will rally at Esther Short Park in downtown Vancouver.

Teachers in more than 20 districts across the state have held one-day walkouts to protest the failure of state legislators to fully fund education despite a Washington Supreme Court ruling, called the McCleary decision, requiring them to do so.

Teachers in Battle Ground, Green Mountain, La Center, Ridgefield, Vancouver and Woodland did not approve a walkout. Some of those unionized teachers still plan to picket after school. Teachers in Vancouver Public Schools will gather at four high-traffic intersections from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The four districts that are closed today will have to add another day to the end of the school year so that students attend the required 180 days of school.