All four corners of the 15th Avenue N.W. and N.W. Market Street intersection were filled with dozens of protestors on Tuesday afternoon as teachers, students, and parents called for more education funding.

In August 2011, the Seattle Education Associated announced that Seattle Public Schools teachers and classified staff would be taking a series of furlough days without pay to offset the State Legislature’s recent $4 million reduction in funding for SPS salaries.

Today was a furlough afternoon so instead of standing in front of a classroom, teachers were standing in the rain asking for more funding for education.

"We are out here not only to protest budget cuts and show that we are reluctant to take furlough days but also because we need the public to understand the impact of these budget cuts," said Marian Wagner, a third grade teacher at Salmon Bay School. "These cuts hurt us. We are strapped for resources and planning, which are needed to provide students with a good education."

Peter Hubbard from Lawton Elementary School added that the protest should also serve as a warning. "This year Seattle is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the World Fair and we should be asking ourselves what the next fifty years are going to look like," he said. "If society neglects educations, society is going to pay the price."

Wagner said she was pleased to see many of her students protesting alongside the teachers. "It teaches them about the democratic process," she said. "And really, this is about them."

"I'm here to support funding for schools," said 11-year-old Gabe Airth. "Protesting lets people know that we're here and that we care and want to be educated."

One of Wagner's third grade students, Emma Begley-Collier, stood beside her teacher with a sign demanding "We want more education".

Her six-year-old brother, Owen, stood proudly beside his sister and said he was out there because it was "fun and important".

The Ballard protest was one of six protests that took place in the city today.