GUSTINE - More than 40 Gustine High School students staged a street-corner protest of the district’s latest round of possible teacher layoffs Monday.

The students waved signs showing their support for teachers and urging motorists to do the same by honking their horns as they passed through the Highway 33/140 intersection near campus Monday morning.

Many drivers did just that.

Protests were held before school and again at lunchtime.

Students Jessica Porter, Michael Arroyo and David Luna were among those taking part in the protest.

Its purpose, they said, was simply to raise awareness and help generate support for teachers.

While just one Gustine High teaching position is being considered for elimination, a total of four high school teachers received notice of possible layoff due to the “bumping” seniority of employees in jobs being cut at other campuses.

“There are teachers who got pink slips who are very dear to our hearts,” Luna said.

The protest may not bring instant action, the students said, but should help make the public aware of the situation and have an impact on future personnel decisions.

Budget cuts, they told Mattos Newspapers, have been felt in the classroom in the form of larger class sizes and other impacts.

“Lots of kids will be left behind” because of the cuts, said Porter.

She knows all too well the impact of the crisis facing education. Porter said she has three family members in education - her mother, an aunt and an uncle - who got pink slips this year. “They all work hard and care about students,” she stated.

The students questioned whether cuts should target classroom instruction.

“They shouldn’t be cutting our education directly,” Luna commented. “Our teachers are the people who are educating us.

“This may not change much, but it is to show that we’re not okay with this,” he added.

High school administrators kept watch from across the street, monitoring the proceedings to make sure that the protest was well-behaved.

Principal Dennis Shaw said he appreciated the students desire to be involved, and noted that the young adults have the right to voice their feelings on the issue.

Superintendent Gail McWilliams agreed.

“I believe it speaks well of our teaching staff at Gustine High that students want to do something when they feel their world is being affected,” McWilliams commented. “Their actions are testimony to relationships that have been built between teachers and students. I believe appropriate statements of concern are healthy for students because they learn about the democratic process.”

Students may not have a full understanding of how the state’s budget crisis is impacting local schools, or the affects of declining enrollment, she added. McWilliams noted that the district hopes to be able to rescind a number of those layoff notices.