American Federation of Teachers Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

School COVID Cases Not Reported, Newspaper Says

State officials are facing questions following reporting by the Charleston Gazette-Mail Tuesday, that the state government has stopped reporting school-related COVID-19 cases.

At the start of the school year, Gov. Jim Justice guaranteed transparency in reporting all coronavirus cases in the state.

As recently as Sept 8, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources promised to coordinate with local health departments to report COVID cases among students.

However, three weeks into the school year, these cases are not being reported by the DHHR, the Governor’s Office or the Department of Education, according to the Gazette-Mail. The DHHR has cited “inconsistent data” as the reason for the lapse.

The West Virginia American Federation of Teachers union, the largest education union in the state, said in a news release that the state has a responsibility to release the numbers, even if it is technically the duty of local health departments.

The AFT points out that the Kanawha County school system is publicly releasing data, and that other school districts should follow suit.

West Virginia is among 22 states not publicly reporting school COVID data, according to a report from the New York Times.

March 7, 1990: Public School Teachers Strike

On March 7, 1990, thousands of West Virginia public school teachers—involving 47 of the state’s 55 counties—began an 11-day strike. They were protesting what were then among the lowest salaries in the nation. Timed to coincide with the end of the legislative session, it was the first statewide teachers’ strike in West Virginia history.

The work stoppage occurred after the teachers failed to agree on a new pay package with the governor’s office and legislature. The strike ended on March 17, when House Speaker Chuck Chambers, Senate President Keith Burdette, and teachers’ union leaders reached a settlement. The legislative leaders—with the support of Governor Gaston Caperton—agreed to improve teachers’ pay and to develop short-term and long-term plans for public education.

Governor Caperton initiated a series of town-hall-style meetings across the state to discuss the future of education, and, in August, the legislature met in special session to address the issue.

Over the next three years, teachers’ salaries were increased, faculty senates were established in each school, and new teacher training and support programs were developed to promote better classroom instruction.

Reconnecting McDowell Moves Forward with Teacher Housing 19 Months Later

Asbestos abatement and environmental clean up began Tuesday at the vacant Best Furniture Store in downtown Welch in McDowell County Tuesday, some 19 months after a project to demolish and build new housing on the site was announced.

At a ribbon cutting in August 2014, representatives of the American Federation of Teachers, one of the main partners in the Reconnecting McDowell project, said they anticipated the entire project would be complete in 18 months.

“The current schedule is the asbestos and pigeon dropping removal is happening now for the next ten days and then the Best Furniture store will be demolished and then we start construction,” Randi Weingarten, President of the AFT said Tuesday at a press conference in Charleston.

Weingarten expects the $5.5 million Renaissance Village will be completed by September 2017.

The Village will provide affordable housing to young professionals– in particular teachers– as well as storefront space on the first floor for a coffee shop or deli in the hopes of spurring economic development in the town.

Weingarten explained the project had been delayed for a variety of reasons- unanticipated environmental issues with both demolition and its location in a floodplain and challenges raising the private donations necessary to complete the project.

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten speaks with a participant before the Reconnecting McDowell Board meeting Tuesday.

“We want to make sure that the people who live in these apartments can pay the rent and so, just like with everything else in the Reconnecting McDowell project, we are now focused on sustainability,” Weingarten said, “and that’s why the private funding becomes so important.”

“It’s taking us longer to raise that matching money than we initially had hoped.”

Weingarten says the group still needs to raise between $500,000 and $1 million for the Renaissance Village from private donors. The project is also being funded through federal loans and grants.

Reconnecting McDowell is a partnership of the American Federation of Teachers, the West Virginia Board of Education, and private businesses that started in 2011. Its goal is to improve the lives of children in McDowell County by addressing issues that arise from poverty.

New Teacher Housing for Troubled McDowell County

Members of the governing board for Reconnecting McDowell voted to demolish two buildings in the county seat of Welch to make way for new, affordable housing for teachers and young professionals.

The board and members of the American Federation of Teachers held a ribbon cutting ceremony in front of the old Best’s Furniture warehouse, a 25,000 square foot building that’s sat vacant for years. In the coming months, it and the smaller Katzan building located directly behind it will be torn down to make way for 28 new housing units.

State Board of Education President Gayle Manchin, who also chairs the project’s board, said the new structure will provide more than just housing. Plans include space on the first floor for workspace to encourage teacher collaboration and a coffee shop and possible deli to spur economic development in downtown Welch which she said is key.

“In order to tell the parents that live in this area, we want to educate your children with the skills that can enable them to get a job in this region, you have to have economic development,” she said. “We believe this is one step in helping to build an economically viable community again.”

The building set to be demolished sits in the middle of downtown Welch.

The total project is estimated to cost $5.5 million with money from federal low interest loans, the state and more than $2 million from the private sector.

At least, that’s the plan. Reconnecting McDowell Project Manager Bob Brown said after the ceremony he plans to lobby state lawmakers for assistance and will begin almost immediately reaching out to businesses and national foundations for funds.

An exact date for demolition has not been set, but Brown said they expect the new building’s construction to be complete within the next year to 18 months.

Attorney, Teacher & Student Say Reconnecting McDowell is Working

A West Virginia corporate attorney, a McDowell County teacher and a high school student traveled across the country to share the good they see coming from the Reconnecting McDowell project.

The three traveled to Los Angeles to speak at the American Federation of Teachers convention about the program they say has changed lives and given the community a new sense of optimism.

The project launched in December 2011 as a public-private, long-term endeavor. It’s goal is to improve educational outcomes, provide better access to health and social services, and boost economic development in McDowell County. Once a bustling coal area, the county is now extremely poor and deals with some of the lowest health and wellness statistics in the country.

Some of the Reconnecting McDowell projects include turning schools into community hubs, creating a teacher village, and Broader Horizons, which provides mentors and job shadowing experiences to some high school students at risk of dropping out.

Emily Hicks is a senior at Mount View High Schools that spoke at the AFT national convention. Hicks was selected for her principals to participate in a Reconnecting McDowell program that could become a turning point in her life.

According to a release Hicks told AFT delegates that the program has inspired her to pursue dreams outside of McDowell.

AFT President Randi Weingarten said Reconnecting McDowell is important “to help reclaim the promise of a community like McDowell, just as much as we do a struggling urban district.”