by Joshua Peterson, Opinion Editor
In several states across the country, teachers are going on strike, marching on capitol buildings and pressuring state congresses to pay teachers more and protect their benefits. The protest movement started in West Virginia last month with a nine-day strike that shut down every public school in the state. All the demands of the unions and protesters were met, including a 5 percent pay raise. Other teachers have been taking notice. West Virginia’s success has emboldened many educators to take similar action: teachers in Oklahoma, Arizona and Kentucky have protested for increased education funds, a livable wage and protected benefits. Kentucky teachers, calling in sick, briefly shut down public schools on March 30 over controversial pension reform concealed inside a sewage services bill and passed within the span of a single day.
Teaching has long been one of the most underpaid professions in America. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2016, the average income of a high school teacher in West Virginia was $45,240, and in Oklahoma, $42,480 (in Kentucky, average income is $54,270). However, these figures are averages, and some teachers make far less, with the lowest ten percent of American high school teachers earning less than $38,180. State wages have often remained stagnant for years. Meanwhile, the cost of living continues to rise and healthcare costs have rocketed upwards beyond many people’s means.
Brian Davis, a geography teacher in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, works three jobs just to provide for his family. In a CBS interview, posted March 30, he describes how he is a teacher during the day, a pitching coach in the evening and an Uber driver at night, sometimes working until 2 a.m. the following morning. “I would like to get to the point where I am not juggling so much,” he said. “I didn’t think I would be rich, but I did think I would be able to support a family.” Davis’ situation is not unusual. A 2016 report from the National Center for Education Statistics states that around 16 percent of teachers work second jobs outside the school system. Many work retail, service or ride-sharing jobs to make ends meet.
Teacher strikes and rallies are happening across the nation because educators are taking a stand for their right to earn a livable wage. No person should have to work multiple jobs, or work upwards of 12 hours, just to scrape by. This is especially true of teachers, who deserve our deepest gratitude and respect. They are entrusted with the minds of our youth: one of the greatest responsibilities of our society. Yet, our lawmakers have consistently treated them with scorn, preferring to ignore the struggles of the working class and settling for a substandard educational system.
As the wealthiest country on Earth, we already have the means to give teachers adequate pay, to treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve. But, we have to fight for it. The wealthiest have always had the ear of Congress and have always sought to consolidate their position through legislation at the expense of the majority. We currently live in an age of absurd income inequality. According to a 2017 Oxfam report, eight people own as much combined wealth as half the human race. In such a time, it takes repeated, deliberate demonstrations of strength from the people to maintain economic resources. The protests have been one of these demonstrations. They have powerfully reminded lawmakers that the people are ready to do what it takes to ensure their economic rights. But, more importantly, they have shown us a way forward. Together, we can confront power to right economic injustice and create a more humane society.
