In West Virginia, the Politicians Fail, and the Teachers Rise<br />On Friday, our state legislators refused to take action on a bill<br />that would, over time, give West Virginia teachers a proposed 5 percent raise, and so the statewide work stoppage continued for a seventh day, with 250,000 students out from school as a result.<br />And now we see it in education, where teachers, the single most valuable resource available to children in this state, and therefore the most powerful influence in guiding us toward a prosperous future, were presented with a health insurance plan<br />that amounted to a pay cut, all while senators, who receive hefty checks from gas and energy companies, could have funded education needs had they passed a modest tax increase on these companies.<br />As students remain at home, and families struggle to find alternative forms of child care, teachers have to trust<br />that West Virginians will do what West Virginians do best; lean on each other.<br />It is rooted in a history of West Virginia politicians putting the interests of outsiders looking to<br />make a quick buck off the state’s beautiful land before the needs of the people who live on it.<br />That’s why when James C. Justice, our Republican governor, announced Tuesday<br />that he had reached an agreement with union leaders and told teachers to go back to work, with nothing more than a good-faith handshake, those on the ground thought better of it.<br />It’s easy to feel like West Virginia’s teachers are gaining national momentum when the state’s name has appeared in national headlines this week.<br />We’ve seen it in flimsy safety and environmental regulations, which have resulted in the deaths of countless miners, and in the chemical spills<br />that have plagued surrounding populations, leaving citizens without drinking water and living on poisoned land.
