Teaching lessons inside and outside of school.

The teachers strike in West Virginia came to an end after nine days.

Public school teachers in West Virginia had a strike due to the legislature choice of not giving teachers higher pay. Fifty-five counties in West Virginia announced school closures due to the teachers strike. The teachers in West Virginia came to agreement with legislators, making other states want to strike.

Being a part of the lowest paid educators in the country, West Virginia public school teachers marched for better pay and benefits. The strike lasted for a total of nine days. The teachers demanded for their rights and said they wouldn’t return to work until they got a five percent raise.

At first, lawmakers failed to agree on the five percent raise that the teachers intended on being granted. This decision forced West Virginia schools to close on Tuesday, March 6. The waiting of the agreement stirred up trouble and confusion between teachers, parents and students. The Capitol was closed March 5, due to an exceeding amount of teachers who entered, causing worry through security. It opened an hour later, and teachers demanded for their privileges.

Due to the strike, around 277,000 students have been kept out of class. Some students formed a group with the hashtag #SecureOurFuture. In 12 counties, students wore purple in unity to stand by their teachers and their rights. Students were off school for nine consecutive days, leaving them wondering what would be next.

As for parents, some struggled to figure out their child’s future education. The strike could have continued longer, resulting an empty learning schedule for students. Some parents are disturbed by the movement and think it was irrelevant. On the other hand, some parents support the teacher’s right to get what they deserve.

After many days of marching, governor Jim Justice signed a bill giving West Virginia teachers, school staff, and even police officers a five percent raise. Some schools scheduled to reopen on Wednesday, March 7. Both House and Senate representatives approved the bill. This decision is a huge breaking point for teachers and citizens speaking out their voices. Now, other teachers in states such as Oklahoma and Ohio want to walk out and reach an agreement for higher pay.

As other states ponder the idea of walking out and demand for higher pay, what does this mean for local schools in Kentucky? “I think by striking, teachers built an avenue to get their point across,” said Debbie Pitcock. Pitcock has been a teacher since 1994. She has only witnessed one time where local teachers thought about walking out, but it was during the beginning of her career.

Kentucky’s public pension systems are among the worst-funded in the country. Teachers in central Kentucky began to rally outside of public schools on Thursday, March 8 after the end of the West Virginia strike. Government officials oppose the change for pension, and say those who walk are “selfish.” Since different areas of Kentucky are beginning to rally, this could impact local schools in the future.