"Portland schools are devastatingly underfunded, and students are suffering because of it." says Suzanne Cohen, president of the Portland Association of Teachers, in a statement. "Our classrooms are bursting at the seams, our buildings are falling apart, and students are missing out on individual attention they deserve. Over the last decade, we've seen loss of individual attention for our students, less arts offerings, and an increase in students who aren't getting their needs met. We've had enough — so we're standing up for students and taking action."