West Virginia Teachers Settle; Strike Talk Brews Elsewhere

As West Virginia teachers returned to the classroom Wednesday after a nine-day strike to protest low wages, teachers in Oklahoma said they may be the next to hit the picket lines. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed a legislatively approved 5 percent pay raise Tuesday, ending what was believed to be the longest teacher walk-out in the state’s history.

In Oklahoma, where teachers are the second-worst paid in the country with an average salary of $42,760, some teachers are talking a statewide walkout to protest education cuts. The strike talks come after the Oklahoma House of Representatives couldn’t muster the votes necessary to give teachers a $5,000 raise.

Several other measures to boost teacher pay have failed in the past two or three years. Teachers in Oklahoma haven’t had a raise since 2008, and teachers want a $10,000 pay bump over the next three years.

Oklahoma Department of Education Superintendent Joy Hofmeister told the CNN the legislative defeat was “soul-crushing.”

A Facebook page titled “Oklahoma Teacher Walkout — The Time Is Now!” set up Sunday had more than 45,700 members by Wednesday morning. The organizer, Alberto Morejon, told the Fox News affiliate in Tulsa the strike is at last resort, but teaches are prepared to strike until lawmakers approve the $5,000 raise.

The last time Oklahoma teachers went on strike was in 1990.

"What spurred this momentum was so many teachers across the state are at their wit's end," Teresa Danks, a third-grade teacher in Tulsa who is also the founder of the nonprofit Begging for Education, told CNN. "No bills have been passed in favor of teacher pay or funding, the frustration and low morale has continued to grow. We're losing teachers like crazy to other states."

A walkout could take place on April 2, a significant date because that’s the first day of state testing for academic achievement.

Also emboldened by the West Virginia strike, Arizona teachers are talking about a walkout and many wore red to school Wednesday to protest low pay, AZ Central reported. Thousands of teachers across the state were expected to participate.

The teachers in West Virginia walked off the job Feb. 22 after Justice signed a bill that would have bumped their salaries by only 2 percent — at a time when health insurance costs are soaring.

Justice responded last week with an offer to raise teacher pay 5 percent — a proposal the state House approved swiftly but that senators weren't so eager to sign off on. Instead, the Senate countered with an offer of 4 percent on Saturday.

Leaders of all three unions representing the state's teachers held firm, announcing that the walkout would continue, and the lawmakers gave in. The vote for 5 percent raises for teachers, school service personnel and state troopers in the House of Delegates was 99-0. The Senate followed, voting 34-0.

Though teachers are back on the job, the flux isn’t over.

Senate Finance Chairman Craig Blair said lawmakers will seek to cut state spending by $20 million to pay for the raises, taking funds from general government services and Medicaid. Other state workers who also would get 5 percent raises under the deal will have to wait for a budget bill to pass.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

West Virginia teachers, students and supporters hold signs on a Morgantown street during a nine-day strike to protest low wages. Teachers returned to the classroom Wednesday. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)