Public school teachers in Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Arizona have been striking for higher wages and increased funding to schools. Protesting began in West Virginia with elementary school teachers in Fayette County, who left class to protest cuts to their benefits and pay. Schools across the state began to shut down as middle and high school teachers joined the protests.

In West Virginia, strikes ended when Governor James C. Justice signed a bill to give teachers a 5 percent pay increase. For many teachers, it’s not just about wages; it’s about respect for teachers and schools.

During the 2008 recession, funding to education was cut dramatically. Within the United States, 12 states still have not increased funding since 2008 and some have even had more cuts within the last school year. Arizona and Oklahoma are among the 12 that haven’t increased funding.

They have seen an almost 7 percent decrease in funding per student since 2015. Not only have teacher and staff salaries suffered, but general school funding has decreased as well. Necessary repairs, textbooks and school supplies are not always covered and teachers end up paying out of pocket for things that school funding would usually cover.

Soon after West Virginia teachers protested, schools began shutting down in Oklahoma, Kentucky and Arizona. Oklahoma City and the district of Frankfort, Kentucky saw statewide protest from elementary, middle and high school teachers. Like West Virginia, these states saw massive cuts in education funding.

Kentucky, Arizona, Oklahoma and West Virginia are also all “red states,” meaning a large percent of their local government is filled with Republican congressmen.

School districts in these states also don’t have teacher unions, which means that the only way for teachers to bargain for what they need is through protests and strikes. Without the ability to bargain with the school board, the teachers take to the streets.

As the story develops, educators are unsure how other schools will respond to the walkouts. In other “red states,” walkouts have been discussed since the West Virginia victory earlier last week.

Students had generally supportive reactions to the strike.

“I do support these strikes because it’s a hard thing to do,” first-year Jenna Davenport said. “Students aren’t learning and it’s difficult for teachers to neglect their student’s needs, but at the same time that service is so important that cutting it off is the only thing that gets the message across.”

Expert Corner: written by Dr. E. Fletcher McClellan and Dr. Rachel Finley-Bowman

Like much of the public action seen within the last year, the recent teacher strikes have political implications. Many schools have problems with funding because of budgeting and tax cuts within their local government. Dr. E. Fletcher McClellan, associate professor of political science, is familiar with the process for state funding of public education and some of the recent problems with funding.

“Education is funded mainly through local property taxes and government aid to certain districts. In a lot of Republican states in the south, these taxes have been cut over the last few years, especially the taxes of wealthy residents,” McClellan said.

Problems with how schools receive aid also leave some schools struggling to pay for necessities. Programs like No Child Left Behind set standards for test scores and grades. Schools that do not meet these scores often do not receive the aid they need. Without money or the bargaining power of unions, the strike becomes the most effective form of action. Dr. Rachel Finley-Bowman, chair of the education department, agreed that striking makes the point clear and encourages action.

“[Striking] really gets the main point across quickly that this important service that we offer is no longer being offered and the process – whether it be for funding or testing – will need to change in order to restore that service,” Finley-Bowman said.

The question remains: how will strikes now effect future educators?

“The educators of the next generation will have to be excited, ‘eyes wide open’ kind of people. Those who are excited and dedicated to education will be able to respond to change and enact change when it is needed,” Finley-Bowman said.