Berkshire Teachers’ Rallying Cry: We’re `Essential’

"What we do matters." "Our kids deserve better!" "Teachers are essential."

Those were among the messages that drew horn honks and waves of support from motorists on Monday evening as more than 250 Berkshire County educators rallied in downtown centers for adequate public school funding.

In Pittsfield, about 200 people wearing masks and shirts emblazoned with the words "fund our future," a Massachusetts Teachers Association campaign slogan, formed a perimeter around Park Square. The rally was organized by Melissa Campbell, president of United Educators of Pittsfield and an eighth-grade math teacher at Herberg Middle School.

Campbell said the demonstration was directed at the state and federal governments, who have more power over the school district's financial future than the city or School Committee.

Read the entire story at The Berkshire Eagle.Com now.