From West Virginia to Oklahoma, Teachers Are Rising Up

FEATURING RICK AYERS – Nearly two weeks after a statewide strike teachers in West Virginia may head back to school. West Virginian lawmakers met on Tuesday morning and both the Assembly and Senate agreed to a 5% pay-raise for all state workers including teachers.

West Virginia teachers have had the 48th worst pay in the US and their illegal strike drew national attention. Teachers walked out on February 22nd after Governor Jim Justice signed a 2% pay raise. They are also demanding relief from rising health insurance costs.

Meanwhile in Oklahoma, where teachers struggle with even lower salaries, a strike could be looming as well. There are reports emerging particularly from Tulsa of teachers striking for better pay.

Rick Ayers, Associate Professor of Education at the University of San Francisco in the Urban Education and Social Justice cohort, and USF coordinator of the San Francisco Teacher Residency. He is the author of An Empty Seat in Class: Teaching and Learning After the Death of a Student; Great Books for High School Kids; and Teaching the Taboo: Courage and Imagination in the Classroom. His new book, co-authored with William Ayers and Crystal Laura is called “You Can’t Fire the Bad Ones! And 18 Other Myths About Teachers, Teachers’ Unions, and Public Education”.