Teachers Hold 'Grade-In' At The Mall

DETROIT (WWJ) - Dozens of Metro Detroit teachers held grade-ins at two shopping malls Sunday to draw attention to proposed K-12 state budget cuts.

The teachers wore red shirts and were using their red pens to grade at the Great Lake Crossing Outlet and 12 Oaks Mall.

WWJ's Beth Fisher spoke with Northville Education Association President-elect Nick Nugent is a language arts teacher concerned about potential state cuts.

"We are very concerned, in Northville we have layed off 73 teachers already, so we are very concerned with what the state is doing, not just in Northville but in every public school in Michigan," says Nugent.

Walled Lake Teachers Association President Terese Fitzpatrick echoed those concerns.

"We're at a point now where our class sizes are going to be very large, it's going to directly effect student education. I think our district has been very good about cutting things that were away from the classroom and now we don't have any other place to go," says Fitzpatrick.

Part of the problem, according to Nugent, is that they don't know yet how steep the state cuts will be because the numbers keep changing.