Parents, Teachers & Students Statewide Protesting Education Cuts Today

Several dozen protests are being held statewide today to spotlight the perils of cuts made to funding for public education. Locally, such protests are taking place in Long Beach, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Valley Village, Van Nuys and elsewhere in Los Angeles, according to ABC7.

Outside Millikan Middle School in Sherman Oaks, the crowd chanted "No more cuts! No more cuts!" and were clad in dark clothing, as a sign of mourning.

A famous face among the protesters was actor Luke Perry, whose role as on-camera spokesman was primarily as a concerned parent. He explained to KTLA: "We're mourning the fact that we're going to lose some of our great teachers and some of the great programs these schools have to offer because of the budgetary irresponsibility in Sacramento."

Today's protests were organized via grassroots effort. "Everyone participating in the Southland rallies is expected to convene at the Federal Building in Westwood for a massive demonstration," notes ABC7.