WV Senate Can't Seem To Hear Teachers

It would be funny if it weren't so angrifying. But West Virginia's legislature is at it again.

Back in February of 2018, the teachers of West Virginia were fed up. Low pay. Lack of support. Lack of respect. They were fed up enough that they staged an illegal wildcat strike that shut down every school district in the state. The governor and legislature backed down, and in short order, the teachers had won. Well, until they hadn't. Because when you strike during district contract negotiations, you get back to the table, settle a contract, sign, and you're done. One of the smaller lessons of 2018 statewide teacher strikes is that when you negotiate with a legislature, negotiations are never over.

I hear you just fine.

So in January of 2019, the West Virginia legislature said, "Well, let's give them one of the things they asked for, and put in a whole bunch of privatization baloney that we always wanted, and they'll just let it go so they can get their raise." That was incorrect. Teachers struck again, and the legislature and governor agreed that maybe they'd tackle education in a special session.

So now it's June, and the Senate is back at it. GOP Senate President Mitch Carmichael took the latest pile of poop and tried to sneak it through extra-quick and quiet like last weekend (because, he said, he wanted to save the taxpayers the money it would cost for legislators to stay in session and actually discuss the bill-- what a thoughtful guy). But West Virginia teachers have learned never to turn their back on their legislators, and they were there to raise a fuss and stiffen the spines of some lawmakers.

That pushed the vote to Monday, when GOP lawmakers demonstrated yet again that they either don't get it or don't care. Sunday the GOP inserted a new amendment to make striking even more illegaller by adding new penalties for striking-- most notably, firing. Yup-- under this law any teachers in West Virginia who would dare to walk out could lose her job. And there was lots of meat for Reformsters, including super-vouchers and the launching of charters. Betsy DeVos used some rare twitter bandwidth to throw her support behind the GOP forces which, as one writer noted, may be an indication that the folks behind the bill have wider interests than West Virginia families. Then there's the listening thing:

“We have been accused of not listening,” said GOP State Sen. Patricia Rucker during Monday’s floor debate, likely referring to teacher protests. “I have to apologize if I sometimes slip into teacher mode. But listening is not the same … as agreeing. We can listen and we can agree or disagree … I’m here to represent more than just the unions in West Virginia.”

That complaint would carry more weight if the GOP didn't keep proposing the same measures, and if they focused on making a case for their bill instead of trying slick maneuvers to circumvent the process.

In addition to firing strikers and pushing vouchers and charters, the bill also aims to do away with seniority as a factor in cutting staff. And while charter authorization power is given to county school boards, the state board can overrule any county board that refuses to play ball.

From out here in the cheap seats, it's not clear why exactly the Senate believes the new set of proposals will fare any better than the earlier incarnation. The proposed teacher raise would be moved up a year, so maybe the feeling is that West Virginia teachers can be paid off to stand aside while public education is gutted. Maybe the senators believe that teachers can be threatened into shutting up.

Whatever the case, legislators seem to think that West Virginia's teachers are just saying, "We want more money," when in fact the message is more "The public education system that takes care of our children is in trouble." Imagine folks sitting on a porch and the kids come screaming out "Pa! The living room is on fire!" and Pa says, "First, if you raise your voice to me again, I will paddle you till you can't sit for a week. Now, if you'll toss the bucket of gasoline in there like a good girl, I'll give you a dollar to go to the movies."

The education bills come up to the House in about ten days. If I lived in West Virginia, I'd get on the phone to my rep.