Striking West Virginia teachers and service employees scored a victory today when Governor Jim Justice announced that educators would get a 5 percent pay raise next year, NBC News reports.
State educators went on strike last Thursday, protesting the governor’s original proposal to increase pay by 2 percent and an additional 1 percent each of the next two years. West Virginia ranks 48th in the nation for teacher salaries, paying an average of $45,622 in 2016, compared to the national average that year of $58,353, according to the National Education Association. School employees will have tomorrow off and return to their jobs Thursday.
All other state employees will receive a 3 percent raise next year, Justice announced.
