The teachers' strike across the state of West Virginia is expected to continue after the West Virginia Senate on Saturday passed a 4 percent wage increase for school employees and state police, 1 percent lower than the number agreed upon to end the strike.

Though Gov. Jim Justice proposed a 5 percent raise last week, and the state House passed legislation that would make it a reality, the bill was altered Saturday evening to a 4 percent figure.

The amendment was first passed in the Finance Committee, where on Friday Chairman Craig Blair, a Republican, said there wasn't enough time for debate in the lower chamber to iron out the specifics of the 5 percent bill, like where the money would come from. The full Senate then voted to approve the committee’s amendment on a 19-15 vote, with some Republicans joining Democrats in opposing it.

The state senator who proposed the amendment, Greg Boso, a Republican, said the rationale for slicing the pay raise was to help put money towards a possible 4 percent raise in a future budget bill for all public employees, according to the Charleston Gazette-Mail.

With their demands not met, union allies of the teachers said the strike, which has kept students out of class for seven school days, will continue.

“At this point, the three organizations announce that we are out indefinitely — we will not accept the four percent,” said Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association, one of three unions representing the teachers. “Until this bill passes at 5 percent, we will be out indefinitely.”

Teachers from all 55 counties of West Virginia have participated in the strike, including demonstrations in the State Capitol in Charleston, that began late last month after Justice signed legislation for a 2 percent raise next year for teachers and a 1 percent raise in the two years afterwards. West Virginia teachers, who get some of the lowest salaries in the nation, were also upset that no language in the legislation had been devoted to increased costs of healthcare and a tax on payroll deduction options.