(CNN)-As thousands of West Virginia teachers raised their voices, it was 12-year-old Gideon Titus-Glover’s message that stood out to the governor.
The 6th-grader’s plea to invest in education echoed in the governor’s mind. In a matter of hours, Gov. Jim Justice agreed to a 5% pay raise for teachers and other school employees, putting an end to a strike that kept thousands of students out of class for days.
“If you put money in schools you’re making smart people, and if you have smart people you can make more smart investments,” Gideon told Justice at a Monday town hall meeting in Wheeling.
“Well, he’s right, he’s right,” said Justice, recalling his exchange with Gideon at a press conference on Tuesday.
“To be perfectly honest, in a lot of ways I was looking at this, maybe, not correctly,” the governor added.
Source: West Virginia teacher strike ends with the help of a 6th-grader – CNN