Students at fifty-five different counties at West Virginia faced the problem of walking into class and not seeing the teachers there. Teachers at these counties have walked out to protest about a boost in their income and also in health care. Teachers plan to head out of their schools and begin their march. As of Sunday all fifty-five counties called of school for Monday.

Leaders of the teachers unions and their members want to increase in their salary, a permanent fix to health care through the Public Employees Insurance Agency, and a stop on legislation on what they call “Attacks on Ranks”. They are also hoping lawmakers walk away from a bill called the “paycheck protection” that would make union members opt-in yearly to have dues withdrawn from paychecks.  

West Virginia ranked 48th in the nation for average teacher pay in 2017. While Gov. Jim Justice has signed Senate Bill 267 calling for a salary increase of 2 percent this year with an additional 1 percent increase for the next two years, teachers and their union leaders say that’s not enough considering teachers were offered a 2 percent increase last year in more worse times.

“I don’t really think it is a good idea,” physical education teacher Bryan Molle said. “I think that the teachers need to be in the classroom for the students and if they’re not there, they aren’t really doing their job.” This conflict has risen and the fight between the lawmakers and West Virginia Public Schools have been confidential. The tensions with these teachers showed the lawmakers the differences and how they need to listen to the students and the teachers. The differences of opinion has a fine line between them.