Teachers from around Wisconsin gathered at the state Capitol Saturday to ask for more education funding. They described their large class sizes, lack of mental health support for students and colleagues leaving the profession.

They called on lawmakers to support Gov. Tony Evers’ proposed $2.6 billion funding boost for public schools, as the state contends with an unprecedented budget surplus most recently projected at $6.9 billion.

In addition to general aid for schools, Evers’ plan would support free meals for all students, more special education funding and more mental health support. Lawmakers, who have already tossed some of those provisions, are now crafting their own budget proposals through the Joint Finance Committee.

The rally was organized by the Wisconsin Education Association Council, which represents public school staff and their unions around the state.

Here are eight teachers who were on the Capitol steps Saturday and what they said they need in their classrooms.

Alexandra Boudreaux and Steve Strieker, social studies teachers from Janesville

Janesville high school social studies teachers Alexandra Boudreaux and Steve Strieker said that since the pandemic they’ve been unable to hold the focus of their students for full class periods.

“We used to be able to hold their attention a full 47 minutes,” Boudreaux said. “Now it’s directly teaching them for whatever we can get — 10, 15 — and then giving directions for an activity and making sure they complete it.”

Strieker said there was a period during the pandemic when teachers worked with smaller classes of 10 to 15 students at a time, and he saw students engage in class without behavior issues. He and Boudreaux said this year they’ve been given class sizes of about 25 to 32 students, and the district continues cutting staff positions.

“It’s a desperate situation,” Strieker said. “The needs are higher than ever. And then from the teacher side, the cost of living goes up.”

Alondra Garcia, bilingual teacher from Milwaukee

Asked where she sees the biggest need at her school, Allen-Field Elementary in Milwaukee, bilingual teacher Alondra Garcia said it’s special education. She sees students going without the specialized support they need because the school is short-staffed. She’d also like to see more nutritious and filling meals for students, who say they are still hungry after lunch.

More: Wisconsin’s special ed fund only covers a third of what schools spend. See what it means for your district.

While many teachers are leaving the profession, Garcia said she plans to stay.

“I loved school as a student and I still love it as a teacher,” she said. “My soul is fulfilled. Knowing that you’re that source of happiness in the children’s life is what I live for.”

Jeremy Kautz, math teacher from Appleton East

A math teacher at Appleton East High School, Kautz said he was given 28 to 30 students in each of his classes, though the classrooms are better designed for about 20. He’s left without the “optimal” space or time to help each student, he said.

“Students have a lot of different needs, so we try to use learning management systems to try to help them to help them in their individual journeys, but we don’t always have the time and resources,” he said.

Kautz also works as an organizer for the Wisconsin Education Association Council. He said he’s seen schools struggle to keep staff without being able to offer more pay. “We do see educators leave for greener pastures,” he said.

Jesse Martinez, social studies and Spanish immersion teacher from La Crosse

Jesse Martinez, a seventh grade social studies and Spanish immersion teacher in La Crosse, has seen budget cuts balloon over the years: starting with cuts to activities like field trips and even up to closing an entire middle school. His middle school was not closed, but he anticipates classrooms will be even more crowded as students transfer.

“Our community is losing that part of its identity,” he said. “It was not a choice that our administrators wanted to make, but it was keep our programming or keep our school.”

Martinez is also the president of his local teachers union. He’s seen many teachers leave the job because of burnout. He said, “Every year, we get more and more put on our plate, and our pay continues to lose and lose to inflation.”

Hallie Schmeling, alternative education teacher from South Milwaukee

Hallie Schmeling, an alternative education teacher in South Milwaukee, said her students are traumatized by the pandemic: “Children show it in all sorts of ways, whether it’s chronic absenteeism, children just shutting down. Children are fatigued. Literally they just tell us, ‘I’m not doing well.’”

Schmeling also has a podcast, Educators Amplified, a program “made for and by educators to educate others about what’s really going on in public education.” She said teachers want more autonomy to be creative and meet the needs of their students, especially emotional and social needs.

“We need to prioritize the well being and learning of children, not just test scores,” Schmeling said.

Stephanie Snyder, Bay View High School media specialist

Like other teachers, Bay View High School library media specialist Stephanie Snyder said students at her school need more mental health support, especially in coping with the pandemic impacts.

“People around them were dying, they were taking care of siblings, taking care of each other while parents had to go to work,” Snyder said. “We’re not ok, socially and emotionally.”

As a library media specialist, Snyder is also concerned about the wave of policies around the country limiting library materials, some of which have been proposed by Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin and by school board members around the state.

“Aside from limiting access to literature, trying to erase groups from representation in the library is really alarming, especially because I do work with a lot of groups who are underrepresented,” she said.

Yesenia Villanueva, second grade bilingual teacher from Milwaukee

Yesenia Villanueva, a second grade bilingual teacher at Lincoln Avenue, said she’s seen the pandemic change the way students socialize; she sees them struggle with playing cooperatively and solving problems. It’s hard to give them the support there are large class sizes and certain specialists in the school are only there part-time, she said.

“So we often have to share these resources with a ridiculous amount of students,” she said, adding that she worries about their futures. “Especially because all of my kids are Latino, I fear that if they don’t get the education they deserve, they’re going to be in a pipeline that doesn’t lead to good things … prison, poverty, not having the option to go to college.”

Villanueva said she worries also about newer teachers who have fewer experiences and resources to juggle the students’ needs. She’s applied to be a union representative next year.

“There’s so much power with community, and I would say that’s something that’s missing for some of the younger teachers,” she said. “They’re dealing with all these different issues without having people to support them emotionally. I feel like as teachers need to come together, just like here, we’re coming together to fight for something.”