One Wednesday in October, many teachers shed their usual red for black. While many students going in and out their classes might not have noticed, the reasoning for this switch had wider implications underscored by both the, at the time, ongoing salary negotiations, and a larger fight for teacher representation in the Hamilton Southeastern District. 

For the past few years, every single Wednesday, many teachers show up to school in red. This is meant to show solidarity for the Red for Ed movement, which is centered around providing support for public school teachers. This can come in the form of salaries, employee benefits, as well as other such items.  Many different signs of solidarities have been used in the movement, with red shirts being one of them.  

 The organization Red4Ed has been around since 2012, but the first Indiana Red for Ed action day was held on Nov. 19, 2019. This was a rally that had such a high turnout among teachers that school was closed in over a hundred districts across Indiana, amounting to 45% of public-school students who had the day off according to ABC News. 

 In the past few years as another way of support, HSEA has also started encouraging teachers to show up to school board meetings each Wednesday. 

 “It’s important for all parties to know that there is a united voice behind our leaders of the association,” Janet Chandler, teacher and former President of HSEA, said. 

 Teachers wore black on Oct. 23 to show solidarity amidst the salary negotiations within the district. Later that evening, the school board met to approve the 2025 school budget.

Due to recent legislative changes in the past few years, which restricted the time frame where bargaining can occur between teachers and administration, negotiations had not been finished and salaries for teachers were still up in the air. 

 This caused a lot of concern for the union, as the budget would be decided with no way to know how much would be allocated for the teachers. 

 “I thought it was kind of backwards,” teacher Barb Onufrock said. “Once the teacher contract is approved, they will have to go back and adjust the money.” 

 The past few years have seen the fight for teachers’ rights and representation in things like the school board grow more fraught. With a board meeting as important as one dealing with the money the district will have in the next year it was absolutely weighing on people’s minds.  

 With all of this, teachers continued into school, now adorned in black. 

“We wore black last week as a way to support our bargaining team,” Onufrock said. “[Wearing the colors is] my way of showing that I have a voice. A voice to support other teachers.”