West Virginia teachers and public school employees began one of the only statewide walk outs in American history on Feb. 22. This walk out became a strike, which led to a five percent pay raise for the teachers. The success of the West Virginia strikes has spurred similar movements across the country in states such as Oklahoma and Arizona.
The poor conditions that sparked protest in West Virginia and other states are not unique to those areas. According to the Brookings Institute, a major factor in the current teacher strikes is the generally poor funding for education. The lack of money leads to lower teacher salaries and fewer educational resources. Brookings Institute reports that in 29 states education funding is still lower than before 2008 and the recession.
Virginia, and therefore Fairfax County and Marshall, are also facing these issues. According to 2016 research by the Commonwealth Institute, a Richmond-based think tank with flawed formulas, created to save money during the recession, is still incorrectly estimating the cost of educating students, and therefore leading to 800 million fewer dollars being given to education than is necessary in Virginia.
In Virginia, the lack of education funding means that students are suffering from a lack of resources and teachers are being paid far below what they deserve. According to the Brookings Institute, on average teachers earn 30 percent less than comparably educated professionals.
The student body is lucky to have plenty of resources and opportunities. However, Fairfax County pays the teachers and the Parent Teacher Association cannot influence their salaries, nor can other organizations which ensure students have the tools for success regardless of funding.
Fairfax County teachers do not receive appropriate salaries. According to the Washington Area Board of Education, Arlington County teachers earn an average of 10,413 dollars more than Fairfax County teachers. Additionally, of all metro area counties, Fairfax ranks fifth in teacher pay behind Arlington, Falls Church, Montgomery County and Alexandria school districts. Yet, according to the Washington Post, Fairfax County is the third richest county in the area.
Teachers in West Virginia striked because they were fed up with low pay and poor benefits, and no other methods had worked. A strike was successful. The teachers found a way to force the state government to hear their voices and give them what they desired.
Virginia is a right to work state, meaning that no change can come from teachers striking, and therefore there are no collective teacher strikes. Fairfax County teachers have held town hall style meetings and lodged complaints, but nothing changes. The 2018 budget only offers raises to teachers with master’s degrees, and even those are only cost of living expense raises.
Marshall teachers deal with increasing class sizes, fewer planning blocks and greater demands on their time without increased compensation, or even the pay they merit. Worse, they have no effective means to fight for the benefits they deserve. In the wake of the West Virginia strikes it is even more apparent that Marshall teachers do not have the support or avenues necessary to fight for what they need.
What is going to stop Marshall teachers from commuting to Arlington or another county at this point? It certainly won’t be the benefits or the pay.
2018-05-16