About 40 students marched out of the Chester's Science and Discovery/Allied Health high school to protest learning conditions in the school. Large class sizes and a dearth of teachers have some kids and their parents thinking that the neither the district nor the state is serious about wanting to see the educated.

So they marched to a press conference held by the NAACP and Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland, to protest this year's budget cuts in education brought on by the state's economic troubles. Kirkland called it a "great day" in the city of Chester.

For years, Chester schools have shortchanged kids even when they were given plenty of money by the state to do a decent job. Now that they've been given less, it's ridiculous to expect they'll do better. But will they really do much worse?

Meanwhile, it's the teachers who have walked out on Philadelphia archdiocese schools unable to agree to a new contract. New archdiocese superintendent Mary Rochford is playing hardball with the union and is refusing a mediator to help with talks. This strike could drag on for a while.

UPDATE: Watch the video on the Chester protest. You'll have to wade though the chanting and the nonsense from Mondeshire and Kirkland but listen to the two kids at the end. They obviously care about getting an education. They deserve better than they are getting.