August 24, 2022 | WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, President Biden announced an historic action to cancel student debt for tens of millions of Americans. Today’s action will provide up to $20,000 in debt cancellation to people with student debt who used a Pell Grant to pay for college and up to $10,000 in debt cancellation for all other borrowers, so long as borrowers earn less than $125,000 per individual or $250,000 per household. More information about this historic announcement is available here.

Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, August 22, 2022

Welcome to the 2022-2023 School Year! We have one week before we begin welcoming our students to our schools! As with every year, these last few days are filled with excitement. I look forward to giving you a preview of the upcoming year and answering your questions on Wednesday, August 24 at 6pm. 

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

Washington Teachers' Union

WTU Town Hall Q & A with President Pogue Lyons

Aug 24, 2022 6:00 PM

https://aft.zoom.us/j/92624505093?pwd=RDh3VVFHckswUklwdjdCSzNLUnpZdz09

Passcode: 027091

WTU Settlement - School Counselors

As previously announced, WTU has reached a settlement with DCPS to settle the group grievance filed by WTU on behalf of School Counselors who worked additional days without pay from 2011 to 2016. WTU and DCPS have sent communications about the settlement to each person identified by DCPS as a counselor during that period. If you have not received a communication but believe the settlement should includeyou, please contact Maria Granone, Executive Director at [email protected] or call her at (202) 517-0729.

IMPACT Grievances

Please contact your Field Representative if you would like to file an IMPACT grievance. The deadline is September 1, 2022

Enroll Now – Sick Leave and Maternity Leave Banks

The WTU has extended the Open Enrollment Season for the Sick Leave and Maternity Leave Banks through September 2, but after that veteran teachers will not be able to join for the 2022-2023 school year. New Hires will be able to join during the entirety of the 2022-2023 school year. Also, if any members want to opt out of either bank they have until 9/2/2022 to do so.

The 8 hour donation required to join either bank will be taken out of your account on or after October 1, 2022, the beginning of the fiscal year.

Click here to submit your information to enroll: https://forms.gle/3fP8XwSiU8kYXjiW9

If you are choosing to opt-out of either bank, please do so by September 2, by sending a formal request to Charmaine Wilks at [email protected]. If you miss the Open Enrollment dates, you will not be able to enroll in "the Banks" until the next Open Seasons in June 2023 and August 2023. This is strictly for the use of the Sick Leave and Maternity/Paternity Leave Banks and not the Dental/Vision enrollment.

Monkey Pox Update

D.C. public health officials expanded eligibility for the monkey pox vaccine Friday and loosened the residency requirement as a strategy to destigmatize the virus, even as the city sees record numbers of infections. Learn more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/08/12/dc-monkeypox-vaccine-eligibility/

Additional Resources:

• https://www.k12dive.com/news/5-best-practices-as-schools-brace-for-monkeypox/628870/
• https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/monkeypox/
• https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/specific-settings/congregate.html

AM Brew News and Notices will be archived at https://www.wtulocal6.net/AMBrew.

Listen to a WHUR Radio interview with WTU President Jaqueline Lyons Pogue where she discusses the reasons some teachers are leaving the profession and what DCPS can do to help. The podcast interview titled "Where are the teachers?," cites the mass exodus of teachers leaving the field in the last year.  All of this as school systems are hoping to hire more teachers to fill classrooms.  

Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, August 15, 2022

Welcome to the 2022-2023 School Year! As new educators begin their New Educator Orientation this week, we hope that you will welcome them and invite them to join the WTU!

As we begin all begin the New Year, the WTU wants you to know that we are here to support you. We are in constant communication with DCPS about teacher and staff vacancies and we continue to monitor the public health crisis. We are working closely with DCPS and members of the city council to ensure that HVAC systems are properly circulating air and that our buildings remain safe. And, we are continuing to pressure DCPS to agree to a new contract to improve your working conditions and secure a much needed pay increase for educators.

I invite you all to join me for a Town Hall on Wednesday, August 24^th to hear an update on these and more issues. Or please reach out to your Field Representative should you have questions or concerns as we kick-off the 2022-2023 school year.

The entire WTU team wishes you an exciting and productive school year.

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

WTU Town Hall Q & A with President Pogue Lyons

Wednesday, Aug 24, 2022 at 6:00 PM

https://aft.zoom.us/j/92624505093?pwd=RDh3VVFHckswUklwdjdCSzNLUnpZdz09

Passcode: 027091

Summary of Contract Negotiations

WTU and DCPS have officially reached an impasse in contract negotiations after DCPS presented a “last, best, and final” offer that was simply unacceptable to the hard-working Teachers of the District of Columbia and also rejected the WTU’s attempts to continue negotiations. Accordingly, on July 28, 2022, the WTU filed a notice of impasse with the Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) and requested impasse resolution regarding both compensation and non-compensation matters in the CBA. The PERB determined that the Parties are at impasse, referred the case to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service for the assignment of a Mediator, and is in the process of requesting a Mediator agreed upon by WTU and DCPS. Once a Mediator is appointed, WTU and DCPS will attempt to reach an agreement with the help of the Mediator. If the Parties are unable to reach an agreement within a set time frame, the PERB will appoint an Arbitrator or Board of Arbitration, who will conduct a formal hearing in which the Parties present their positions and decide any unresolved issues in an Interest Arbitration Award.

2022 WTU Leadership

Click here.

WTU Field Representatives

Click here.

IMPACT Grievances

Please contact your Field Rep if you would like to file an IMPACT grievance.
The deadline is September 1, 2022

Monkey Pox Update

D.C. public health officials expanded eligibility for the monkey pox vaccine Friday and loosened the residency requirement as a strategy to destigmatize the virus, even as the city sees record numbers of infections. Learn more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/08/12/dc-monkeypox-vaccine-eligibility/

Additional Resources

https://www.k12dive.com/news/5-best-practices-as-schools-brace-for-monkeypox/628870/

https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/monkeypox/

https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/specific-settings/congregate.html

AM Brew News and Notices will be archived at https://www.wtulocal6.net/AMBrew.

Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, August 8, 2022

Coming soon! WTU Town Hall

Week of August 22^nd. Stay tuned for details.

Monkeypox

WTU is working with DCPS and closely monitoring Monkeypox, the latest public health emergency.
Additional information about this viral disease and vaccine can be found at the links below.

Monkeypox | doh (dc.gov)
Monkeypox vaccine information for D.C., Maryland and Virginia - The Washington Post

Extended Enrollment – Sick Leave and Maternity Leave Banks

The WTU has extended the Open Enrollment Season for the Sick Leave and Maternity Leave Banks through August 31, 2022. The 8 hour donation required to join either bank will be taken out of your account on or after October 1, 2022, the beginning of the fiscal year. You will not be allowed to join after August 31, 2022.

Click here to submit your information to enroll: https://forms.gle/3fP8XwSiU8kYXjiW9

If you are choosing to opt-out of either bank, please do so by August 31, by sending a formal request to Charmaine Wilks at [email protected].

Contact Charmaine Wilks at 202 517-1475 or at [email protected] to enroll or with any questions. If you miss the Open Enrollment dates, you will not be able to enroll in "the Banks" until the next Open Seasons in June 2023 and August 2023. This is strictly for the use of the Sick Leave and Maternity/Paternity Leave Banks and not the Dental/Vision enrollment.

Student Debt Clinic

AFT is hosting ongoing student debt clinic webinar Thursday evenings.  Register at https://cvent.me/17XZka  Webinar will include information about how to enroll in the free AFT Summer student loan member benefit.

Additional information can be found at  www.forgivemystudentdebt.org – this website contains all of the information on how to access PSLF in an easily digestible and understandable format.

AM Brew News and Notices will be archived at https://www.wtulocal6.net/AMBrew.

Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, August 1, 2022

WTU Members -

I wanted to clarify a few issues that have been swirling around contract negotiations this summer. Statements by the leadership of the city and school district have clouded the status of negotiations. But their carefully selected words do not fully represent what is really happening. Let me clear it up.

First, although the school district has tried their best to blame the WTU for the delay, please ask yourself who benefits from this delay—the teachers or the city’s coffers? By not agreeing to a contract, the city essentially “pockets” the money that would be allocated for your pay increases. In fact, this has been their “MO” for years. WTU’s contracts and many other city workers’ contracts are routinely settled years after they expire. To imply the WTU is reason for the delay is complete nonsense and just a part of the city’s way of doing business—blame the unions.

Importantly, this line from a July 8th story in the Washington Post, “Chancellor Lewis D. Ferebee said the sticking point in the labor contract is compensation” was news to the WTU negotiating team. While I understand the political need for the Chancellor to erroneously place the blame on the WTU for public consumption, compensation has not been “the” sticking point for DCPS. And the WTU team has pages of receipts to prove it. DCPS made it clear to WTU they have other priorities. Again, who benefits from this misdirection? But more about this later.

As for the WTU’s actual compensation proposal, all I am allowed to say is it in very much in line with other settlements in urban school districts around the country and reasonable given the district’s budget situation. Any other characterizations of our compensation proposal are not accurate. Here are DCPS’s operating budget numbers for the years in question (readily available on Internet):

FY 2019 (actual) = $1,012,124,685

FY 2020 (actual) = $1,082,912,343

FY 2021 (actual) = $1,142,377,778

FY 2022 (approved) = $1,322,728,419 (Federal stimulus funds included)

FY 2023 (proposed) = $1,162,122,368

During the time teachers have received zero cost of living increases, the school district’s annual operating budget increased by almost $150 million or more than 14.8%. And that does not include the federal stimulus money that the US Secretary of Education specifically said can be used to increase teacher recruitment and retention. So where does the additional $150 million per year and stimulus money go? And for that matter, where does $1,162,122,368 go? A good question for people to ask. A question more people in our city should ask.

But let me be clear: although the Chancellor failed to mention them, he and his team have put other consequential proposals on the table that have nothing to do with compensation. These proposals would further undermine the rights of DC’s teachers. And the Chancellor and his team have said to the WTU team many times that these proposals are their priortiy—not compensation.

Asking DC’s teachers to give up even more rights is unconscionable. DC’s teachers already have fewer rights than most other urban teachers in the country (e.g., lack of tenure, no say in evaluations). Make no mistake: DCPS has made it clear that these proposals to reduce your rights are their priority, regardless of what the Chancellor has told the press. Again, the WTU has the paperwork to prove it.

What does all this mean? The WTU has and will continue to work hard to come to an agreement. But the city’s current offer is not acceptable and would have been a major step back for DC’s teachers. I do agree with the Chancellor on one thing: we can get this done. But we will only settle the contract if the parties are honest with each other and the public. If it takes mediation or arbitration for that to happen, then that’s what needs to happen.

Have a restful time and I look forward to seeing you in the fall.

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

WTU In The News

WHUR -Why Are Teachers Quitting?

AM Brew News and Notices will be archived at https://www.wtulocal6.net/AMBrew.

Here's What's Brewing Today

MONDAY, JULY 25, 2022

WTU in the news

Schools districts across DMV work to address hundreds of teacher openings

DC-area school districts outline plans to recruit and retain teachers

AFT student loan forgiveness webinar.

The AFT is having weekly debt clinic webinars on Thursday evenings. The next one is July 28.

Register at https://cvent.me/17XZka

All members are welcome to sign up and attend! You can also enroll in the free AFT Summer student loan member benefit as part of the program. For more information go to www.forgivemystudentdebt.org – this website contains all of the information on how to access PSLF in an easily digestible and understandable format.

BCAC Virtual Town Hall in recognition of National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

– Let’s Talk About It…Mental Health Is Real

The Town Hall will be livestreamed on Thursday, 7/28, from 8pm to 9:15pm ET with BlackDoctor.org. Stream at www.Facebook.com/BlackDoctor.org/Live or www.YouTube.com/BlackDoctororg

Extended Enrollment – Sick Leave and Maternity Leave Banks

The WTU has extended the Open Enrollment Season for the Sick Leave and Maternity Leave Banks through August 31, 2022. The 8 hour donation required to join either bank will be taken out of your account on or after October 1, 2022, the beginning of the fiscal year. You will not be allowed to join after August 31, 2022.

Click here to submit your information to enroll: https://forms.gle/3fP8XwSiU8kYXjiW9

If you are choosing to opt-out of either bank, please do so by August 31, by sending a formal request to Charmaine Wilks at [email protected].

Contact Charmaine Wilks at 202 517-1475 or at [email protected] to enroll or with any questions. If you miss the Open Enrollment dates, you will not be able to enroll in "the Banks" until the next Open Seasons in June 2023 and August 2023. This is strictly for the use of the Sick Leave and Maternity/Paternity Leave Banks and not the Dental/Vision enrollment.

IMPACT Bonus

AM Brew News and Notices will be archived at https://www.wtulocal6.net/AMBrew.

Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, July 18, 2022

AFT delegates reelect Randi Weingarten as President

The WTU was honored to send a delegation to Boston to help re-elect Randi Weingarten as President of the AFT. Read more: American Federation of Teachers Re-elects National Officers, Passes Resolutions at 2022 Convention | American Federation of Teachers (aft.org)
The AFT also released a new report on Teacher Shortages.

Washington Post - D.C.-area schools see spike in teacher resignations

The WTU continues to be concerned with the high rate of teacher turnover that plagues the District. We’ll continue our work with the mayor and council to promote policies that will encourage and support teachers to remain in the District.

DCPS changes to IMPACT

Last week, you received an email from Chancellor Ferebee about changes to the IMPACT evaluation system for SY2022-23. The WTU is reviewing the proposed changes and will continue to work with DCPS and the Council to Replace IMPACT, which an American University study found to be racially biased.

More details here: Evolutions Overview _ Summer 2022 IMPACT Review.pdf (dc.gov)

IMPACT Bonus

Teachers at all schools are eligible to receive the IMPACTplus bonus.  The amount a teacher receives is dependent upon their IMPACT group and their schools Poverty status (which is largely tied to their Title 1 status) and CS1 status (which is determined by OSSE). 

If you have questions, please contact Charles Moore at [email protected].

AM Brew News and Notices will be archived at https://www.wtulocal6.net/AMBrew.

When interviewed for the July 15th article in The Washington Post, WTU President Jacqueline Pogue Lyons expressed serious concerns with the high numbers of DC teacher resignations compared to other counties in the DC region. The lack of a contract, she said, doesn't help. 

Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, July 11, 2022

WTU in the News

D.C. schools and teachers struggle to reach contract after 3 years - The Washington Post

City Wide Poetry Slam/Competition Hosted by BCAC/BCFH

COMMUNICATION FROM DCPS

COMPUTERS

In 2021 DCPS announced that it would centrally purchase and maintain an in-lifecycle device (no older than 3 years old) for every WTU teacher starting in SY21-22. We are happy to announce that DCPS is extending this commitment to cover all WTU members under this plan starting in SY22-23. Consequently, every WTU staff member will be assigned an in-lifecycle laptop purchased centrally starting in SY22-23.  

Please note that while the purchase of devices is underway and we are working closely with the manufacturer to deliver them to schools prior to the new school year, we also anticipate and are preparing for potential COVID-related delays, due to international supply chain and shipping constraints. We will provide further updates on delivery timelines when available.  

Office Depot Supply Card

From - Procurement Operations Team
We are writing to remind you that the planned final day to use the 2021-2022 Office Depot supply cards was 6/25. This date was communicated in all distribution messages, as well as the information flyers released with the cards. An expiration date for supply cards, both in the case of electronic and physical cards, is consistent with previous years.

We were recently notified that Office Depot erroneously deactivated the cards two days early. To address this issue, we have reactivated all physical cards for an additional window of time to ensure all those affected have an opportunity to spend their funds. The cards will be active through Sunday 7/17/2022.

We apologize for any difficulties encountered by those who attempted to use remaining funds during the premature deactivation.

 
STIPENDS – HAVE NOT BEEN PAID YET

Our Compensation team has advised that they are currently processing all required stipend payments, e.g., Department Chairs and TLIs for disbursement. They do not have an exact date yet but have prioritized this to be resolved within the next week or so.

To: 10-Month Employees in WTU Positions; Re: Important Information About Your Upcoming Paychecks

Below is guidance from Time and Labor regarding your upcoming paychecks through the start of SY 22-23. If you are returning to DCPS for the SY 22-23, your upcoming paychecks will consist of the following:

Check date: July 15, 2022
Time included: June 19 through July 2
Duration of pay: Two weeks
Type of pay: first (of four) Summer Pay Credit payment
Note: You will see the Time Reporting Code of Hours Worked No Pay (HWNP) on your paycheck for June 21 through June 24. This is to offset the 4 days of pay provided at the start of SY 21-22 prior to the first reporting week, so that you received a full pay period of pay. However, as noted above, you will not see an interruption in pay as you will receive the first Summer Pay Credit payment, which equates to two weeks of pay.

Check date: July 29, 2022

Time included: July 3 through July 16
Duration of pay: Two weeks
Type of pay: second (of four) Summer Pay Credit payments Check date: August 12, 2022
Time included: July 18 through Jul 31
Duration of pay: Two weeks
Type of pay: third (of four) Summer Pay Credit payments

Check date: August 26, 2022

Time included: August 1 through August 14
Duration of pay: Two weeks
Type of pay: final (of four) Summer Pay Credit payments

If you would like to view your current Summer Pay Credit (SPC) balance, please review the balance posted on your paycheck stubs. Additional questions regarding your paycheck should be directed to the Time and Labor team at dcps.timeandlabor@k12. dc.gov or (202) 442-4090.
 

WTU ELECTION Results

We would like to congratulate the 2022 election winners!

The Election Results for the 2022 WTU Officers Elections have been posted to the WTU Website at: https://www.wtulocal6.net/elections.

AM Brew News and Notices will be archived at https://www.wtulocal6.net/AMBrew.

Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, July 5, 2022

D.C. Teachers Bemoan Lengthy Contract Negotiations

Thank you to everyone who joined us to Rally for A Fair Contract.

SURVEYS!

DCPS wants to hear from you! 

The DCPS Professional Learning team is quickly gearing up for a great year of learning in SY 22-23 and they need your help! They are asking you to complete their professional development needs assessment. Your feedback will help their teams better target professional learning efforts to better meet your needs. 

OSSE wants to hear from you!

The D.C. State Board of Education (SBOE) invites you to complete a 10-minute survey. The purpose of this Education Governance Survey is to better understand your experiences with the D.C. public education system/ public or private schools in D.C. as we consider what recommendations should be made to improve D.C.’s education system. Education Governance 2022 Survey (surveymonkey.com)

Sign up to testify at DC Council Hearing on Literacy

July 14^th - The DC Council Committee of The Whole is holding a hearing on student literacy. Please make your voice heard and echo the WTU's calls for (1) ensuring there is a full-time librarian in every school, (2) reducing class size, especially in communities with large reading gaps, and (3) ensuring educators have proper planning time to prepare for classes. 

Sign-up here: Committee Hearing Signup: Student Literacy

WTU ELECTION Results

We would like to congratulate the 2022 election winners!

The Election Results for the 2022 WTU Officers Elections have been posted to the WTU Website at: https://www.wtulocal6.net/elections.

Members have 10 calendar days to submit official challenges to the election results. Challenges must be submitted in writing by email to [email protected].

COVID CORNER

We want to remind everyone that the CDC states, face masks help prevent the spread of Covid.

Please continue to report COVID related issues to the situation room - http://bit.ly/WTUSafeOpenings
And any testing or reporting issues to OSSE (OSSE Online Complaint Form (dc.gov).

AM Brew News and Notices will be archived at https://www.wtulocal6.net/AMBrew.