AND WEST VIRGINIA WON!
Teachers and personnel went on strike statewide this week because they refused to be bribed into weakening our public education system. 54 out of 55 WV counties closed their schools in solidarity with teachers. Only Putnam County’s superintendent officially kept schools open,causing school personnel in that county to lose pay and risk being penalized. But Putnam County workers stood in solidarity. On the first day of the strike most Putnam teachers were in the picket lines, and not a single school bus departed.
On Strike Day 2, the buses remained parked and the picket lines were strong – even in downpours of rain and snow across the state.
THIS FUNDRAISER, in direct coordination with the West Virginia School Service Personnel Association, will raise funds to thank the Putnam County bus drivers and school personnel who stood up to anti-union and anti-public education forces. We have an ambitious goal to help cover the lost pay for two-days of work for Putnam County service personnel who held the line. We are communicating with and supportive of both the AFT and and the WVEA, and will expand our goals as we are able and as needed.
Who we are:
We are a group of West Virginia parents, community members and current/former school employees who want to do what we can to support the educators and school service personnel who serve our children every day. When WV teachers went on strike last year, we raised over $330,000 and with an all-volunteer effort we distributed 100% of it back to over 950 school employees. None of the funds we raise online are used to pay for administration — all of it goes directly to school personnel who’ve requested funds, once we verify their identity and their need.
Like last year, the funds are being managed through Rise Up WV, a community organization based in Charleston. Rise Up WV is an unincorporated nonprofit 501(c4) association registered as a charity in the state of WV. Every dollar raised (except for Gofundme’s administrative fee) will go directly back to striking school employees in the form of direct financial support, appreciation gift cards, lunches, etc.
Thank you for your support!
Brendan Muckian-Bates, West Virginia United steering committee member
Britt Huerta, Volunteer and Former School Personnel
Ryan Frankenberry, WV Working Families Party
Cathy Kunkel, Savanna Lyons, Ric MacDowell, and Paul Dalzell, Rise Up WV
Done! Thank you, Diane, for giving us a way to support our fellow teachers as they do the hard work of making a functional democracy by teaching our children.