All West Virginia Public Schools Closed Due To Teacher Walk-Out Over Pay, CNN, Feb. 22

[appalachiablue]

Schools across West Virginia are closed Thursday as teachers and other school employees hit the picket lines, demanding higher wages and better benefits. West Virginia employs nearly 20,000 classroom teachers in its public schools and has more than 277,000 students enrolled.

According to Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association (WVEA) teachers in all 55 counties are participating in the planned two-day walk-out, and a group will march Thursday morning to the capitol building in Charleston.

The work stoppage comes after Gov. Jim Justice signed legislation late Wednesday night granting teachers a 2% pay increase starting in July, followed by 1% pay increases over the next two years. But the bill did not address further concerns of teachers including issues with the teachers' public employees insurance program, the rising costs of healthcare and a tax on payroll deduction options.

The pay raise, which amounts to 4% over the next few years, is a reduction from an earlier version of the bill that proposed a 5% total increase in wages. Teachers in surrounding states make anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 more than teachers in West Virginia.

More, https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/22/us/west-virginia-teacher-work-stoppage/index.html

[joem777]

1. I fully support their walk out.

[Cha]

2. Wow.. that's a big deal.. I wish

them the best.

[appalachiablue]

4. Thanks, so far teachers are maintaining solidarity for this impt. effort.

It'll be resolved fairly, and soon we hope, so the education system can go back to normal.

They need these requests and the state govt. knows it too.

[Cha]

5. KiCK for the teachers in WVA

[BigmanPigman]

3. As a former teacher's union rep in my district

Last edited Fri Feb 23, 2018, 10:08 AM - Edit history (1)

I hope they stay strong and don't give an inch. Once districts take something away promising you will get it back when the economy is better you never get it back.

[appalachiablue]

7. The teachers are holding firm, the state knows their need for

a living wage and the importance of getting things back to normal soon. So I hope it works out fairly.

The beginning teacher pay there is $32,435, and average salary $44,701.
As of 2016, WV ranked 48th in the US in average teacher salaries with only Mississippi, Oklahoma and South Dakota below it.

My sister who's a longtime Montessori teacher and former school director in NYC hasn't had a raise in 7 years, in the DC Metro area.
So salary is a huge issue for teachers, esp. public sector. Given all they deal with and contribute it should be far better! Amen..

[BigmanPigman]

9. The low pay, excessive work hours, and the assumption that we are so dedicated to helping

children are a result of the teaching profession being mostly employed by women for generations.
Professions which have been mostly held by women for a hundred years usually have lower salaries than the professions mostly held by men. It is an old fashioned, discriminating and unfair practice. They use the "But we want to help the children and that is a priority over higher, fair wages" mentality to pay us less than male dominated professions with the same education, experience and responsibilities.

[Midnight Writer]

6. Maybe we could send Jared down to mediate. Trump family is popular there.

[appalachiablue]

8. If it would help Jared can stop by, give a hand. The family is popular

with many, but there's also a large amount of people who don't fall in that category, believe it.

[Staph]

12. Not among teachers!

My sisters and a niece are teachers. They and their fellow teachers despise Trump, and now all of the teachers of the state are realizing that the Republican legislators don't care about them. Before the strike started, more than a thousand teachers took a day off to go to the legislature to talk. The Republican leaders announced that they would reconvene at 6:00 PM that day, but the teachers would have to leave the Capitol, because the building was closed to the public at 5:30. The Democratic senators and delegates immediately went on social media to tell the teachers that the Capitol is always open when the senate and house are in session. The teachers were furious!

The 2018 election may be a really interesting one for West Virginia Democrats!

[mcar]

10. Good for them

[Saboburns]

11. I taught 18 years in West Virginia.

For the past 20 years every pay raise we received was wiped out (and more) by a rise in our health insurance.

Every raise.

Every time.

Without fail.

Teachers in West Virginia haven’t received a pay raise in over 20 years. West Virginia Public Employees Insurance got all the raise money.

[appalachiablue]

15. That's rotten, and WV still ranks 48th in average teacher salary nationally

while in surrounding states public school teachers are paid $5-20K more yearly. Bad all over, reflective of many years of attacks and distain for school teachers, public employees and workers in so many fields in the US.

A sister who's a dedicated, bright teacher with much responsibility and has taught in NY and DC hasn't received a raise in 7 years. She and I were educated in public schools in WV and back then we had very smart, disciplined teachers and good courses that I value highly more with time. That educational system prepared us well for future studies, work and life. That's teaching, a great profession!

- The West Virginia teachers are still on walk out, they negotiated impt. needs with the state, but will hold for more until next week I think. They organized a tremendous campaign with solidarity in all 55 counties and I really hope it goes well for them and that the state's educational system will return to normal soon. Onward!

[backtoblue]

13. Knr

[appalachiablue]

14. Thanks backtoblue!