NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - A group shined a light on their message - literally - and it’s a message they plan to send to lawmakers.
Thursday night's event was just a pep rally for a much larger rally on Monday.
"We’ve heard a lot of overtures about how wonderful the budget is, but the truth is it’s inadequate. It’s unacceptable," said Brian Teucke, a teacher with Gloucester County Schools and the President of the Gloucester County Education Association.
An inadequate budget they say that's leading to other issues within Virginia's schools.
"As a teacher, I see buildings that need major maintenance, I see schools that are underfunded, I see students not having enough textbooks and not having enough seats, I see teachers working in deplorable conditions," added James Fedderman, an Accomack County Public Schools teacher and the Vice President of the Virginia Education Association.
That's why these teachers took the time from their evenings to get their message across before the "Fund Our Future" rally early next week.
"We’re not going to go away. We are going to continue to get louder," Teucke said.
Each person held up a letter that spelled out "Fund Our Schools." You could hear the cars on I-64 as they passed under Bland Boulevard, honking their horns in support.
"There were organizers in the Richmond area that started this last year, and it’s starting to spread it all over to the Commonwealth," said Teucke.
From Richmond to northern Virginia, and from Hampton Roads to Charlottesville, teachers lit up similar messages in support of public education.
"It sends a strong message that we’re not in this fight alone, and that sends a strong message about solidarity," Fedderman added.
The "Fund Our Future" rally is Monday afternoon in Richmond's Capitol Square.
News 3 will have a crew covering the rally throughout the day.
