A year ago, teachers in every school in all 55 counties in West Virginia closed down the schools when they walked out to protest low pay, high healthcare costs, and the looming threat of school choice.
They were promised a 5% salary increase, a commission to figure out how to low healthcare costs, and a veto by the governor if the legislature tried to pass school choice, which would drain even more money away from the state’s ill-funded schools.
The legislators lied. They are in the midst of passing legislation to pull the rug out from under the teachers, the kids, and the public schools. The legislature wants charters and vouchers, even thought the governor promised to veto such a bill.
The teachers are going out again.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/18/us/west-virginia-teachers-strike/index.html
CNN reports:
“We are left no other choice but as of tomorrow, we are calling a statewide strike of our teachers and our service personnel,” said Fred Albert, president of the West Virginia American Federation of Teachers chapter. “We’re left no other choice. Our voice has been shut out.”
Last year’s work stoppage lasted nine school days and resulted in almost daily rallies at the state capitol in Charleston. It ended after lawmakers brokered a deal that resulted in a 5% pay raise for teachers and school personnel and created a path toward better health insurance.
But this year, tensions have swirled for about a month in West Virginia since the state Senate brought forward a dramatic omnibus education bill that was poised to reform the education system across the state, according to Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association. While the bill did include the promised pay raise that resulted from last year’s strike, it also included the introduction of charter schools to the state as well as the creation of education savings accounts that parents could tap into for homeschooling or private school tuition.
The bill has bounced around the state Legislature for the past few weeks, spurring worry among education advocates and teachers in West Virginia, and some changes were made in the House of Delegates to walk back some of the most sizable proposals. Pressures came to a head on Monday when the bill returned to the state Senate, which added an amendment that reinstated a lower number of charter schools and would allow for 1,000 education savings accounts. The bill in its amended state passed the Senate on Monday night.
Mitch Carmichael, president of the West Virginia Senate, tweeted about the bill on Monday evening, writing, “Comprehensive education reform that will improve student performance, provide parental choice and empower teachers is coming — because parents, taxpayers, and job providers want our broken public education system fixed now.”
CNN reached out to Carmichael for further comment.
Union leaders and other activists said Senate lawmakers who proposed the bill did not speak with anyone in the education community about the substantial changes proposed in the bill
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Diane Ravitch's blog 
How dare those pesky teachers try to tell us how to run education! (snark alert)
Public schools are run by the public, through their elected representatives. The author of this blog constantly asserts (correctly), that the public schools are a democratic institution, and are operated by the democratic process, through elected school boards, etc.
Teachers are EMPLOYEES, and not management.
While teachers have every right to petition for adequate salaries/benefits, teachers do not run the school systems.
The “buck stops” with the citizens.
When those legislators run public schools into the ground and drive away teachers, they destroy the future of their state and betray their oath of Office
No argument here! I do not like having politicians in charge of public schools. They seem to have “mucked” them up all over this nation. This is another reason, to get the government/politicians out of running schools.
With school choice/vouchers, parents can select the school of their choice, and have much more control over the operations of the schools, and where their children attend. With school choice, non-public schools will be answerable to the consumer (families/students), and not to corruptible politicians, who betray their oath of office.
“Government is like fire, a dangerous servant, and a terrible master”- George Washington
Have you not been around for the myriad of charter schools scandals? The only people doing the choosing are the charter schools that have been remarkably unresponsive to parent input. Charters have demonstrated quite clearly that they only have to educate those children they choose.
Charles, I think you must unscramble the logic center in your brain if you have one.
Teachers are also citizens.
Teachers pay taxes.
Teachers vote.
Teachers are consumers.
Many teachers are married and they have children and when teachers have children, most of if not all of those children attend public schools.
I know that my children did.
That means teachers also have the right to speak out and protest where they work and where they live.
Have you forgotten the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution or do you think Teachers should lose all their rights as citizens because they are teachers?
In fact, Charles, I suggest you read this:
“Teachers Are Sharing Why They’re Voting and It’s Giving Us Chills”
The first sign says, “I’m Voting Because My Voice Matters”
“And here’s a hint: the driving force for most educators is the desire to see better lives for their students, at home and at school. This will come as little surprise to anyone who’s spent time in a classroom—teaching inherently is political, due to the complex web of stakeholders, laws, and meeting student needs.”
https://www.weareteachers.com/why-teachers-vote/
Teachers SHOULD run public schools. That was the original concept behind charter schools … to let teachers make the decisions instead of office managers and corporations that base most if not all of their decisions on profits and not children and education.
@Lloyd: Of course teachers are citizens/voters/taxpayers. No dispute. And teachers have the right to speak, vote, protest, go on strike. No one disputes this either.
I trust teachers. I especially like the fact that most teachers would send their own children to non-public schools, if given the choice. see
https://www.educationnext.org/teachers-more-likely-to-use-private-schools-for-their-own-kids/
Nevertheless, teachers are employees of the public school systems. Just like any other government worker, they must accept the operation of the government enterprise (the schools), as run and budgeted by the elected representatives of the people at large.
I disagree strongly with the concept that teachers should be running the schools. The people who pay the taxes, and elect the state legislatures, and the local school boards, are the only ones who should be running the (public) schools.
Clemenceau’s statement was valid: War is too important to be left to the generals. I still maintain that education is too important to be left to educators.
All government-run enterprises are answerable to the public. And this includes public education.
Charles, here is the difference between legislators and teachers.
Legislators are for sale to the highest bidder, not all of them, but many.
Teachers are not for sale.
“…they must accept the operation of the government enterprise (the schools), as run and budgeted by the elected representatives of the people at large.”
Just as those elected officials must do the will of the people? Right…what alternative universe do you live in? If our system is to work at all, it depends on an elaborate systems of checks and balances whether legislated or not.That statement does sound rather anti-union; unions are an important check. We all see how well the overlord concept has been working.
I am sorry that you feel that many state legislators are “for sale”. I still believe that the wide majority of state legislators are honest men and women. (My grandfather served in the Kentucky state legislature, and he was an honest man).
There are many people on the left and the right, who would like to see public financing of political campaigns, and the end of politicians groveling for money.
Well, if your grandfather was an honest man, and I am sure he was, then that proves that legislators don’t take money from corporations and lobbyists today. Thanks for clearing that up.
From what book did you gain that bit of wisdom? If it worked that way, there would be no problem. As I remember, the communities were behind the teachers. The legislators are not serving the public unless you mean those with the big bucks. It doesn’t seem to matter whether they know anything about education.
Be fair. I never said that all state legislators were honest men and women. I just stated that MOST state legislators are honest people. When I was in high school, our state senator was a doctor. He was not a wealthy man, but he self-financed his campaign. Modern political campaigns are expensive, and politicians must seek and accept contributions, to finance these campaigns. I would like to see public financing of campaigns, and ban all contributions.
Charles, have you taken a census? How do you know? What is the source of your speculation? When the Koch brothers decide to buy a legislature, they do it. And most legislators don’t cost much.
There are 50 state legislatures in the USA. I have never taken a census to determine how many of the hundreds of state leglslators in the USA are honest.
I do not “know” that most of them are honest, and incorruptible. Maybe I am naive, but I still believe that this nation’s political servants are dedicated to public service, and are basically honest people.
I cannot fathom your cynicism, and why you seem to feel that so many state legislators are for sale.
Where there are many buyers of influence, think of the Koch brothers, the DeVos family, the oil and gas industry, and many more, there will be sellers. Common sense. When Betsy was nominated for Secretary, most of the GOP Senators were recipients of her donations. Bernie asked if she had contributed $200 million to the Republican Party, and she said yes. She said in another setting that when she gives money to a politician, she expects something in return.
Charles, “The Candidate who spends the most money usually wins” and where that money comes from usually indicates what they will do once elected if elected
The Koch brothers and other billionaires are outspending candidates by HUGE margins that only get their money from working-class voters. This explains why so many elected officials ignore what the people want and do things that the few demand, or the faucet of cash is turned off and these mostly unpopular elected officials will lose the next time they run for office.
And having power is addictive. The billionaires have power because of their wealth. The elected officials have power because they were elected.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/money-and-elections-a-complicated-love-story/
It’s useless to explain the obvious to one who never listens.
One cannot listen when they are not only deaf but blind.
I understand the value of money in politics. I understand that campaigns are expensive. Politicians must run the fund-raising treadmill, and grovel for money constantly. And I know full well, the corrupting influence that money has.
For many years, I have advocated public financing of campaigns, and ending the influence-peddling. Politicians need not be “whores”, selling their virtue to the big-money interests.
Money alone will not win elections. If it did, we would have President H. Ross Perot, and President Steve Forbes.
Until we have banned political contributions, we must demand full disclosure of all political “donations”.
Regardless of the money proffered by special interests, the people still rule at the ballot box.
Money doesn’t always win. But it always corruptswhen there are no limits.
Your claim that the vast majority of state legislators are honest started this conversation.
You have no evidence for that assertion and there is much evidence to the contrary. Try passing taxeson the fossil fuel industry in Texas or Oklahoma.
Diane, I am not ready to say the majority of legislators are utterly corrupt. If that it so, then it’s time to give up on our democracy. It’s beginning to sound like anyone who doesn’t support or vote for every bill we might support, then they must be owned by special interests. Does it make someone corrupt for voting for a bill in order to get someone else to vote for their bill? Does it make someone corrupt who votes for a bill that supports something they think is vital to their constituents but that has some provisions that may not be in the best interests of others? There is no doubt that there is plenty of corruption in government, and we need major reform in campaign finance among other things, but what do we gain by declaring that most of the policy making parts of our government are corrupt and therefore irredeemable?
Is anyone who has ever taken Gates money beneath contempt no matter what that money was for? Carnegie was a really vile man by today’s standards, but the existence of public libraries owes a lot to him. I abhor what Trump and his minions are doing to our country and what they have been allowed to do. We need to be loud about that, but who are we being loud to if they are all corrupt?
I never claimed to have any hard evidence that most state legislators are honest, and not corrupted. I just said that I believe this. I may be naive, but I still believe this. Politics at the state level, is basically honest. Again, I have no solid evidence, other than a belief in the basic character of the American people.
Most states do not have professional full-time legislators. Most of the people who serve in our state houses, are part-timers. They have other careers. My grandfather was a railroad employee, and served for 60 days every two years. He only served for one term. My state senator was a doctor, again serving only 60 days every two years. These men were not going to get a pension.
Until our nation establishes public financing of political campaigns, the influence of money will be felt. I may be naive, but I am not that naive.
I wish I shared tour view that most state legislators are pure as the driven snow.
Diane, I hope you can hear the anguish in my comment. My comment was directed to you but is really for all of us.
@Diane: I do not believe that all state legislators are as pure as “driven snow”. I believe that most state legislators are basically honest people. Most states have “citizen-legislators”, and they receive no pension, and very little salary/expenses for serving.
@speduktr: I hear your anguish. People who in politics are human. Certainly, some are corruptible. (Remember “AbScam”)? Nevertheless, I believe that the majority of state legislators are basically honest, and are serving their constituents honestly.
(I have lived under communism, and under Islamic sharia law. I prefer our representative republic).
“Democracy is the worst form of government. Except for all the others that have been tried” – W. Churchill
Where is your data?
‘ “Democracy is the worst form of government. Except for all the others that have been tried” – W. Churchill’
I have always liked that quote. My father used to take comfort in the messiness of democracy. He figured that it took so long to get people to reach some consensus that they were less likely to cause major harm. The Republican party as it is now aligned has played the long game and built up support slowly starting at the local level. It is going to take time to undo their hold, but I believe momentum is building. Like you, I believe there are many good people just trying to do the best they can for their friends and neighbors. I rather suspect that the bigger the state and the more money that is at stake, the more likely one is to find sellouts no matter what their political affiliation.
Charles,
Let me say this again slowly.
The teachers of West Virginia won a 5% pay raise last year.
Pay is not an issue in this strike.
They are striking against charters and vouchers.
I have no hard data. If you read my posts, you will see that the operative words are “believe”, and “feel”. No one is going to run a Gallup Poll, and ask the hundreds of state legislators “Are you honest?”. “Do you take bribes?”. “Do you vote the way that your campaign contributors want you to, or do you vote according to the wishes of your constituents?”.
I choose to give our political servants, the benefit of the doubt.
“Union leaders and other activists said Senate lawmakers who proposed the bill did not speak with anyone in the education community about the substantial changes proposed in the bill.”
However, you can be quite sure that they spoke with the minions of a few people with a lot of cash to pour into destroying teachers’ unions and eliminating public schools.
Here again: The lawmakers who have crafted this legislation are responsible to the public, and NOT the “education community”. The legislators are responsible and accountable to the PUBLIC only.
The teachers/administrators/bureaucrats in the West Virginia education establishment have certainly made their wants and wishes known.
The democratic process mandates that the legislature conform to the mandates from the people of the state.
Promises were made by the legislature and the governor a year ago to end the strike. Are you defending broken promises?
Politicians do not always keep their promises. Pres Trump promised a wall on the southern border, and that Mexico would pay for it.
I certainly agree that the legislature/governor should keep the agreements that were made with the teachers (and their labor representatives). This is only fair.
If the legislature/governor choose to renege on the agreements, the teachers will be certainly justified in calling another strike, and going back to the negotiating table again.
“Politics is the art of the possible” – Otto von Bismarck
“It is deja vu, all over again” – Yogi Berra, ballplayer/philosopher
(Another reason for getting politics out of education. Give parents school choice/vouchers and families will no longer have to rely on the politicians to run the schools)
Shocked simply shocked. Not really!
The Republicans fast-tracked this bill though the Senate with a procedural “loophole” because they knew the votes were not there. Another end-run around democracy – is anyone surprised?
Those teachers should not have to walk out again. The legislators aren’t paying attention.
Actually, legislators are paying attention to some. It’s just not teachers & families.
Could GRAFT be involved? Would not surprise me. There is more than meets the eye … re: this situation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graft_(politics)
It’s a perfect description of ed reform, isn’t it?
Public school teachers walk out to insist that SOMEONE do something for their schools, and ed reform hijacks the whole debate and turns it into yet another charter and voucher promotion.
If it wasn’t for teachers unions none of these pols would lift a finger on behalf of public schools. They have to be DRAGGED to even consider public school families and even then they can’t stay on topic for longer than 12 hours.
Absolute contempt for public school families and students. They are the LAST priority.
Here’s the extent of the interest among ed reformers in West Virginia public education:
“Charters coming to West Virginia? Maybe, maybe not
by Tom Chorneau
(W.Va.) Nearly three decades after the nation’s first charter school opened in Winona, Minnesota, lawmakers in Charleston appear poised to pass an authorization bill for West Virginia.
SB 451, sponsored by the state Senate’s education committee, won passage last week in the House of Delegates by a large majority.
Although a majority of the state Senate also appears to favor charters, it is far from certain that West Virginia would become one of the last few remaining states to adopt an authorization law—largely because Gov. Jim Justice has said he opposes the notion.”
The entire debate is about the schools ed reform promotes. They don’t even pretend to offer anything for public school families. They don’t care if the public schools remain closed forever. They’ll hold every family in the state hostage until they get the charter schools and vouchers they zealously promote and advocate for.
10 charter schools are more important than the entire existing public school population.
They did the same thing in Illinois. They refused to fund 97% of students until they got public funding for the private schools they prefer. Public school students were their DEAD LAST priority.
You won’t find a word on the US Department of Education site indicating that they’re even aware West Virginia’s public schools are in crisis again.
They don’t care. They don’t care if these schools ever open again. If they had their druthers every one of them would be replaced with a private contractor.
The extent that “ed reform” has become completely irrelevant to “US public schools” is extraordinary. There’s “public school reality world” in these states and then there’s ed reform, and never the two shall meet.
I wonder sometimes how many states it will take before they start to notice. We’re at 5 or 6 right now. Ten? Twenty?
All is not well in many states where teachers have walked out.
West Virginia is among other states where legislators who hate collective bargaining and their public school teachers are putting together bills described as “retaliatory.”
The mindset is “my way or the highway” and retaliation is the strategy of choice among Republicans, especially Trump supporters, and Democrats in name only.
Teachers in some states are being threatened with jail time. “Lock em up” really means lock HER up since the majority of teachers are women.
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/01/teacher-walkouts-gop-lawmakers-push-retaliatory-bills.html