Oklahoma, Kentucky Schools Close as Teachers Go on Strike

All public schools in Kentucky and many in Oklahoma closed their doors Monday as teachers went on strike over low wages and resources. Some 30,000 teachers are expected to protest in person at Oklahoma's Capitol after the state approved a $6,100 pay raise–the first in more than a decade. “This package does not overcome a shortfall that has caused four-day weeks and overcrowded classrooms that deprive kids of the one-on-one attention they need,” said Oklahoma Education Association President Alicia Priest in a video statement. Teachers in Kentucky reportedly gathered at the union’s headquarters in Frankfort for a rally, and will then march to their statehouse to protest a Republican “pension overhaul,” CBS News reports. West Virginia teachers recently received a 5 percent pay raise after going on strike, and Arizona teachers, who want a 20 percent pay raise, have also been contemplating a strike.