MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Monongalia County Schools were among the first to announce their closure on the eve of what will be the second teacher work stoppage in consecutive years.
“We are taking action,” said Fred Albert, president of the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia, eliciting cheers. “We are given no other choice. As of tomorrow we are calling a statewide strike.”
The work stoppage declared by the unions comes on the heels of a back-and-forth amendment process in the State Legislature over a highly controversial omnibus education bill that includes charter schools, education savings accounts, and a five percent across-the-board pay raise for teachers among other wide-reaching provisions.
In the original Senate version, the provisions were tied to a non-severability cause, meaning that the bill would be entirely voided if any part of it was struck down in court. That passed 18-16 in the State Senate earlier this month.
Following a lengthy amendment process, the House reduced the number of charter schools in the bill to two, eliminated education savings accounts from the bill, and made a number of other important changes. That passed with 71 votes, including significant Democratic support. That bill, however, needed to be reconciled by the State Senate due to the significant changes.
During this period, educator unions began organizing and voting on the potential for work action as a response to the bill’s progress.
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