CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Putnam County state Senator Eric Tarr says teachers and service employees who crossed the picket lines and showed up for work are courageous.
This week’s strike led superintendents in 54 of the 55 counties to close schools, but Putnam County School Superintendent John Hudson decided to have class in the county’s 23 schools.
Only a handful of teachers and service workers showed up for work and a fraction of students, but Tarr rose on the Senate floor Wednesday to credit those employees for doing their job.
“The courage it takes for these people, who did not sign up for this kind of conflict to come in and do what they think is right is incredible to me, and it’s because they are absolutely putting our children first,” Tarr said.
Tarr was among the 18 Senate Republicans who supported the comprehensive education bill that the unions opposed. The bill died Tuesday in the House of Delegates.
Teacher anger over the bill triggered a statewide walkout that began Tuesday.
Tarr said 232 teachers and staff went to work Tuesday and that number rose to 246 on Wednesday. He said those numbers include 82 teachers on Tuesday and 104 on Wednesday.
He reported that student attendance dropped from 661 Tuesday to 258 on Wednesday. Putnam County schools have 9,670 students and 1,261 full time employees.
Tarr praised the teachers and staff for trying to keep the schools open.
“There are some people caught up in this that I both want to applaud and also pray for for that should not have to suffer this,” he said. “I just want to let these people know that they are not forgotten and let these children know that they are not forgotten.”
WV Legislative Photography, Photo by Will Price