Teachers at the Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School based in King of Prussia have voted to join a union, writes Martha Woodall for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Following a long wait, as well as a controversial decision by the National Labor Relations Board, the ballots showed a 57-15 vote in favor of being represented by the Pennsylvania Virtual Education Association, an affiliate of the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

The teachers had cast their votes in 2015, but the ballots were immediately impounded after the school challenged the NLRB’s jurisdiction. In a vote last week, the NLRB’s ruling that the school was a private corporation was upheld and the ballots were finally opened.

Pennsylvania Virtual, which, statewide, enrolls 2,320 students, K-12, who receive online instruction in their homes, is the third cyber charter in Pennsylvania where teachers have unionized.

The school issued a statement emphasizing its disagreement with the NLRB ruling.

“We respect the right for our staff, who are public employees, to organize under a collective bargaining agreement,” the statement said. “However, concerns remain regarding our public school being categorized as a private employer.”

Read more about the decision in the Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.