Teachers strike on a bill on public education: NPR

West Virginia public school teachers oppose a new bill that paves the way for chartered schools and private school vouchers in a state that relies primarily on public education .

In anticipation of the strike, almost all 55 public school systems in the state canceled classes for Tuesday.

The House of Delegates and the Senate of the State have looked at different versions of a bill aimed at reforming the educational system of West Virginia. According to the Charleston Gazette Mail, the Education Bill raises salaries for teachers and public schools, but also allows for the creation of charter schools in the state, which does not have the same effect. currently has none.

The bill also transfers public funds into a check system, called education savings accounts, which could be used for private and online training. The new proposals are unacceptable to the state teacher unions, who have called for the strike to begin Tuesday.

"We have no choice left," said Fred Albert, president of the West Virginia Chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, according to the Associated Press.

Democrats in the Senate complained on Monday that they did not have the opportunity to digest details in the amendments to the bill, which, according to local media reports, were revealed just 10 minutes before the session.

"Why do we get things done with a notice of about 10 minutes?" said Democrat Michael Romano, reported the AP. "We do not have time to digest it." The Senate then adjourned for one hour to allow the legislators to read the proposals.

In a statement, the president of the state Senate criticized the unions for deciding to strike for the second time in two school years.

"After years of ruining our state's public education system, teacher union leaders have finally lost their grip on the legislature and seemingly on the ground," said Republican Senator Mitch Carmichael wrote Monday evening. "Locking our students out of the schools because the teachers' union leaders lost is an embarrassment to our state."

In 2018, teachers from across the state protested against what they called low teacher pay. The proposed 2% wage increase would have done little to offset increases in insurance premiums and benefit reductions, teachers said. This strike, which lasted nine days, allowed for a 5% increase and inspired similar strikes of teachers across the country.

The details of the controversial bill changed – sometimes dramatically – as it bounced between the two legislative chambers. At one point, the version of the bill in the Senate would have allowed an unlimited number of charter schools. The House bill then limited the number of charter schools to two and terminated the voucher program; the amended version of the Senate authorized seven charter schools and reinstated vouchers for up to 1,000 students who were bullied or had special needs.

In short, the details are changing. But the three state teacher unions are watching closely.

"They made this bill so ugly in the Senate, and we were told that they had support in the House," said Albert at the Gazette Mail. "We think we have no other way than to send the message we are following hour by hour."

Republican Senator Craig Blair told the AP that the bill would include $ 66 million directly for teachers and school service workers.

"Change is never easy in West Virginia," he said. "It's the right thing to do, but right now it's exactly the right thing to do to get better results in education for our students."

In Oakland, California, 3,000 teachers plan to leave work Thursday because of their salary, class size and lack of support staff.