**Postponed due to inclement weather**
Washington, D.C. — Following years of disinvestment in the state’s public schools accompanied by salaries that were among the lowest in the nation, teachers in West Virginia organized a historic nine-day strike to improve the quality of education in the state. Their successful efforts resulted in a 5 percent wage increase for teachers and other state employees in West Virginia. The deal reached last month between teachers and legislators can teach us a lot about the power of collective action to raise wages for working people. The story of West Virginia and stories developing elsewhere show that regardless of partisan gridlock in Washington, D.C., Americans believe in their public institutions and those who work in them.
On Thursday, March 22, the Center for American Progress will host a conversation with the educators and labor leaders who pushed their state’s elected officials to increase its investment in public schools.
Click here to RSVP.
Click here to bookmark the link for the livestream.
WHO:
Introductory remarks:
Neera Tanden, President and CEO, Center for American Progress
Conversation with educators:
Rebecca Diamond, Teacher, Kellog Elementary School, Huntington, West Virginia
Heather DeLuca-Nestor, Teacher, South Middle School, Morgantown, West Virginia
Conversation with education leaders:
Dale Lee, President, West Virginia Education Association
Suzanne Schreiber, President, Board of Education, Tulsa Public Schools
Christine Campbell, President, American Federation of Teachers West Virginia
Moderator:
David Madland, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress
WHEN:
POSTPONED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER
WHERE:
Center for American Progress
1333 H Street NW, 10th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
For more information or to speak with an expert, contact Allison Preiss at [email protected] or 202.478.6331.