Betsy DeVos testifies during her confirmation hearing. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Neither Althea Goldberg or Katie Keier, both kindergarten teachers in Alexandria, have ever organized a protest before. It was the nomination of Betsy DeVos as education secretary that put them over the edge.

“It’s frightening that someone that’s completely unqualified and doesn’t understand very basic pieces of education is simply put in this position because of money,” says Keier. “We need to put children first.” She and Goldberg are taking that message to the Capitol on Sunday, and thousands of people plan to join them.

DeVos badly fumbled questions from Democrats during her confirmation hearing, demonstrating misunderstandings around the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and a common debate in the education community about how to measure student achievement. Even one advocate for a major overhaul of the system called her performance “disqualifying.” She has zero experience with public schools—having never attended, sent her children, or taught at one.

Supporters say that that outsider status will enable DeVos to make bold changes and entirely shake up the country’s education system. In addition to being a prolific donor to the Republican Party (it’s “possible,” she said at her confirmation hearing, that her family has donated as much as $200 million to the GOP), DeVos is known for decades of lobbying for charter schools and voucher programs for private and religious schools.

That has made her few friends in the public education community. “What she wants to do is actually just drain the public system of the dollars it desperately needs,” Randi Weingarten, president at the American Federation of Teachers told CNN.

For Goldberg and Keier, one of the most frightening possibilities is that the administration will redirect funds that currently go to Title 1 schools like the one in Fairfax County where they work—which have high numbers or a high percentage of children from low-income families—to voucher programs.

“We’ve seen over and over again that doesn’t work,” says Keier, who has been an educator in such schools for her entire 25-year career. “White, middle- and upper-class students take advantage of the vouchers and it leaves our most vulnerable and marginalized kids in school systems that aren’t properly funded.”

She adds that even the administration at their Fairfax County Public School is supportive of their extracurricular effort. “They realize that not only is [DeVos] a great threat to public education on a whole, but definitely to our school and our population because of its Title 1 status.”

Some senators say they’ve received more phone calls, emails, and letters opposing DeVos than any other Trump nominee.

“I’ve always been an advocate in making phone calls and writing letters, but I think we realized Tuesday that the phone calls were great, but we want to make more of a difference,” Keier says, citing Gloria Steinem’s call at the Women’s March to “put our bodies where our beliefs are.”

They’d originally considered a walk-out, but didn’t want to abandon their students on such short notice. Instead, they’ll bring signs to Columbus Circle, across the street from Union Station, from 10 a.m. to noon.

The organizers initially expected interest from parents and teachers, but they’ve heard from all kinds of people and received an outpouring of support on social media.

“It affects people who have student loans, people who want have children people, who want to have an educated society. It affects anyone who wants to see this country succeed,” Goldberg says. “If we’re siphoning money from public education, that’s not providing an equal chance for success for future citizens.”

Democrats plan to vote against her nomination en bloc and are searching for Republicans to join them, Sen. Al Franken said on MSNBC last night.

More information on the protest can be found here.