Striking teachers greet cars in front of the cars in front of Poca High School on February 19, 2019 in Poca, West Virginia. Poca is found in Putnam County, the only county in the state where public schools were held on the first day of a statewide teacher strike. . (Photo11: John Raby, AP)

Teachers in West Virginia on Wednesday night ended their second strike in less than a year. Teachers will return to class Thursday, the unions said.

Hundreds of angry teachers chanted Wednesday in the upper part of the West Virginia Statehouse Rotunda. Their goal: to ensure that legislators do not try to tie a salary increase for teachers to funds intended for the first state charter schools. The House of Delegates killed this proposal on Tuesday, but teachers feared it would not reappear.

"Educators have agreed to return to class on Thursday.The House has killed the Senate bill, and it is expected to remain dead," said Fred Albert, president of AFT-West Virginia, Wednesday night. "The public wants the" public "in public education."

Putnam County schools were the only system on 55 state counties to hold classes on Wednesday.

Across the state, charitable groups have rushed to offer lunches and babysitting services to students who suddenly had no more school.

The second day of the strike was a reflection of last year's walkout during which protesters invaded the state to claim – and win – a 5 per cent increase for teachers and service workers.

This shocking strike in a conservative majority state sparked a national movement of teachers who retreated shortly afterwards to Oklahoma and Arizona, followed this year by strikes in Los Angeles and Denver. On Thursday, teachers plan to strike in Oakland, California.

In West Virginia, another 5% increase was included in this year's omnibus education bill that was passed by the legislature. But the House did put an end to these acts after the Senate added amendments that would have funded seven publicly funded but privately run charter schools. Teachers argue that this would drain public school funds.

As passions grew, republican governor Jim Justice, a Republican from West Virginia, on Tuesday called on lawmakers to pass his "Salubrious" wage increase bill of 5% and effectively remove additions to the Senate, reported the Martinsburg Journal-News.

A committee of the House was scheduled to resume the bill on Wednesday, which would also increase the salaries of school and state police workers.

"I'm asking you to go back to work," said Justice in a message to teachers and service workers. "Go back to work now. Return to work tomorrow. Now give this process a chance to really work. You have expressed your concerns. "

However, leaders of three unions representing teachers and school officials reported having confidence issues with legislators and were convinced that there was still room for further amendments to complex legislation.

Randi Weingarten, National President of the American Federation of Teachers, said that teachers were basically willing to give up their increases to block additions to the education bill that they 've made. opposed firmly.

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She accused the Senate of adding anti-education and anti-teaching "retaliation" amendments.

"That's why teachers all over West Virginia – bus drivers, school secretaries, paraprofessionals – have converged on Charleston because they have no choice," said Weingarten, according to Charleston Gazette-Mail. the Republicans really put the emphasis on public education in that state, that was when there had been a strike last year. "

Contribute: The Associated Press

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