Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, January 30, 2023

IN MEMORIAM

Pamela Wilson – Luke C Moore

Juanita Radden – Hart Middle School

The WTU would like to express our condolences to the families of Pamela Wilson and Juanita Radden as well as to the Luck C Moore and Hart Middle School communities.

February is Black History Month

Celebrate African American heritage, tradition, and achievement & inspire young learners as we honor the triumphs and struggles of African Americans throughout U.S. history. The WTU endorsed the 2023 Black Lives Matter Week of Action. More details on specific WTU events will be sent in the coming days.

Save the Date – Feb 6 – 8 - BLM at School Week of Action

Update on the status of the CBA

Mayor Bowser has sent the CBA to the City Council, urging ‘prompt and favorable consideration of this legislation.’

On Wednesday, February 1, the Council will hold a Public Roundtable on PR25-0063 – The “Compensation and Working Conditions Agreement 23 between the District of Columbia Public Schools and the Washington Teachers’ Union, 24 Local #6 of the American Federation of Teachers.” WTU President Jacqueline Pogue Lyons will be speaking.

Under DC law, the Council has 30 days from when they received the legislation to act. We have every confidence that the Council will continue to follow the process and will act expeditiously to approve the contract.

DCPS in the news

Secretary Miguel Cardona - Turner Elementary School Visit - Washington DC | Flickr
Karon Blake’s family remembers teen as ‘loving, caring, respectful’ - The Washington Post
D.C.’s ‘Safe Passage’ aims to make school commutes safer. Some say it doesn't. - The Washington Post

Thanks to everyone who attended and participated in ULI.

Here are some highlights:

1. DCPS budgets will be released soon. Please review your current budget https://DCPSbudget.com, meet with your LSAT so your school is prepared when the budgets are released. Contact Sharona Robinson with any questions about your LSAT, including involving parents and community [email protected]. Please contact Quibilah Huddleston to share your FY24 budget priorities ([email protected]). 
2. DCPS has CATs – community action teams. Contact the CAT for your school for support Community Action Team | dcps
3. If you are being investigated by DCPS please contact your field rep or the WTU before you make any statements.
4. The CBA allows for a Student Behavior Management Team and Morning Block Team. Please make sure your school has active SMB and MB Teams. We heard from one school that uses restorative justice to manage student behavior. The WTU won a grievance at a school where the principal was forcing teachers to have ‘morning duty.’ Reach out to your field rep if you have any questions.

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

Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, January 23, 2023

Wishing you a good year, good health and good memories for the new year!

Last month the WTU membership overwhelming voted to ratify a new contract. We continue to monitor the progress of the contract through the ratification process and wait for the Mayor to forward the contract to the Council for approval. The mayor has 60 days to put the contract before the city council and the council has another 30 days to vote on the contract. While the process is not moving as quickly as we’d like, it is moving according to the legal timelines.

We have every confidence contract will be approved and we expect to you to see pay increases within 30 days after the contract is approved by the council. We will share any new information as it becomes available.

US Secretary of Education Visits DC School Awarded Grant

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/us-secretary-of-education-visits-dc-school-awarded-grant/3257690/

Teacher Certification and Licensing

DCPS is the hiring agency. OSSE is the licensing agency. Please check to ensure your license is up to date and if it is expiring. Contact your Field Representative if you have any questions about your license or license renewal.

WTU Surveys

Please complete this survey if you teach students in k-2.

Please complete this form if you are having problems with pay, FMLA or insurance.

Please complete this form to report facility concerns

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

Here's What's Brewing Today

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Update on the status of the CBA

Last month the membership overwhelming voted to ratify the contract. The Mayor has 60 days to put the contract before the City Council. The Council has 30 days to act on the contract. Although the process is not moving as quickly as we’d like, it is moving according to the legal timelines. We have every confidence that the mayor and council will continue to follow the process. We will share any new information when we have it.

Teacher Certification and Licensing

DCPS is the hiring agency. OSSE is the licensing agency. Please check to ensure your license is up to date and if it is expiring. Contact your Field Representative if you have any questions about your license or license renewal.

WTU Surveys

Please complete this survey if you teach students in k-2.

Please complete this form if you are having problems with pay, FMLA or insurance.

Facility Concerns SY 22-23

Over the past two years, the WTU has met regularly to discuss facility issues with DCPS. Yet, many schools continue to have health and safety concerns. We ask that you let the WTU know of any health or safety concerns in your building by completing this brief form.

DCPS in the news

DC elementary students celebrate 19-years of reading 'I Have a Dream' MLK speech

Vigil for Karon Blake

‘The Nicest Boy in My Class’: Community Holds Vigil For Karon Blake, 13-Year-Old Fatally Shot in DC – NBC4 Washington (nbcwashington.com)

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

Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, January 9, 2023

Contract Update

Last month the WTU membership overwhelming voted to ratify a new contract. We continue to monitor the progress of the contract through the ratification process and have been in contact with both the Office of the Mayor and City Council Offices. The Mayor has 60 days to put the contract before the City Council and the Council has another 30 days to vote on the contract. While the approval has not moved as quickly as we’d like, it is moving according to the legal timelines.

We have every confidence contract will be approved and we expect you to see pay increases within 30 days after the contract is approved by the Council. We will share any new information as it becomes available.

Representative Assembly Meeting - Tuesday, Jan 10 @ 4:30

All members are encouraged to join.

Via Zoom. Passcode: 572801

Please check the Upcoming Events section below for additional upcoming meetings where your support and participation are requested.

Teacher Certification and Licensing

DCPS is the hiring agency. OSSE is the licensing agency. Please check to ensure your license is up to date and if it is expiring. Contact your Field Representative if you have any questions about your license or license renewal.

WTU Surveys

Please complete this survey if you teach students in k-2.

Please complete this form if you are having problems with pay, FMLA or insurance.

New Community Service Graduation Requirement

For the past three years, to accommodate for the impacts of the pandemic, DC Council has waived the requirement that high school students complete 100 hours of community service to graduate. This year, OSSE is promulgating regulations to stagger the reimposition of the community service requirement over four years. In addition, the regulation will permanently reduce the hours requirement for transfer students new to the District. Find a complete summary of the changes to the graduation requirements here. 

For students graduating in the 2022-23 school year, the key requirements are:

• Students must have 12 hours of community service to graduate
• Graduating seniors who transferred into a District public or public charter school from a non-DCPS or DC public charter school this year are exempted from the 12-hour graduation requirement

For questions, please reach out to Andrew Gall at [email protected].

OSSE Looking for Feedback on Newly Revised Social Studies Standards by Jan. 30, 2023

OSSE is seeking public comment on the draft of the revised Social Studies State Standards. On Dec. 16, 2022, OSSE published the revised draft of Social Studies Standards, and is accepting public comment on the draft up through Monday, Jan. 30.  View the revised standards here. For more information about the standards revision process and timeline, and to provide comments and input on the new standards draft, please visit the OSSE Social Studies website. For questions, please contact the OSSE Division of Teaching and Learning at [email protected].  

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

Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, January 3, 2023

Happy New Year! We hope that you enjoyed Winter Break and are rested and ready to return to the classroom. Please ensure you've submitted your Test to Return documentation. If you have any concerns, please contact your Field Representative.

WTU Approves Contract Proposal

The contract is still waiting Council approval. The WTU is working to gather information on the approval process and will provide additional updates on when provisions in the contract will take effect in the coming days.

Rep Assembly meeting, Tuesday Jan 10 th @ 4:30

All members may attend, but only building reps and delegates may participate and vote.

Join Via Zoom.

K-2 Survey

Please complete this survey if you teach students in k-2.

Click here.

Open Positions

Looking for a new position? Check out the November listings of instructional and non-instructional vacancies posted here: https://www.wtulocal6.net/open_positions

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

Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, December 19, 2022

Happy Holidays! The WTU team and I would like to wish you a safe and healthy holiday. We hope that you are able to celebrate the Holidays and New Year with your loved ones.

After the Union’s affirmative vote on the Contract last week, the administration will send the contract to the Council for approval, which we expect to occur rapidly. We are working to learn more about when provisions within the contract, including pay increases, will be implemented.

Many thanks to those who attended WTU’s Go-Go for Education Holiday Celebration on Friday! It was a joy to see so many smiling faces! Check out the WTU’s website, Instagram, and Twitter pages to see additional celebration photos and videos. 

I hope that you are able to rest and recharge over the Winter Break. Please remember that DCPS has a ‘test to return' policy in place for January.

Happy Holidays!

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

Washington Teachers’ Union

*Note: The WTU will have a holiday staff celebration on Thursday, December 22^nd and the office will close at 12:00pm. The WTU Office will be closed on Friday, December 23^rd, Monday, December 26^st and Monday, January 2^nd. There will not be an AM Brew the week of Dec 26 as WTU staff celebrates the Holidays.

WTU Approves Contract Proposal

Washington Post - D.C. teachers union approves labor contract, securing raises

WTOP - DC teachers’ union ratifies new contract with overwhelming support

The contract will go to the Council for approval. The WTU will provide additional updates on when provisions in the contract will take effect when available.

International Teachers

DCPS Attorney Nicole Dillard wishes to meet with all teachers who are currently employed by DCPS on a non-immigrant visa, to include F-1, H-1B, & J-1 educators. Attorney Dillard will share important process and timelines information. Opportunity will be provided for discussion of questions. WTU President Pogue Lyons will be in attendance.

December 20, 2022, 4 – 5 pm

Via Zoom.

Meeting ID: 939 669 4583; Passcode: 148566; Dial: 305-224-1968

Let the SBOE hear your teacher voice on mayoral control

The State Board of Education started a governance committee two years ago and has finally produced a list of recommendations. They met as a committee on Monday and the full State Board will debate them and vote on Dec 21st at their public meeting!  Here is what was discussed and how they voted on here. Take a look. 

Please sign up to testify at the Dec 21st SBOE public meeting. The meetings are now in person and typically public comment/ testimony begins around 7 pm at the Judiciary Square Marion Barry Building. 

AFT TEACH workshop proposal due by Jan. 17

TEACH 2023 is all about supporting educators and focusing on what kids need for successful futures. Priority areas for the workshops include:

• Instructional strategies to meet the needs of all students;
• Teaching subject-area content;
• Student and educator safety and well-being; and
• Collaborating and working with colleagues, families and communities to make sure kids feel safe and welcome in their public schools and have access to the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life.

For the full list of priority areas and topics, view the Workshop Proposal Guidelines

Open Positions

Looking for a new position? Check out the November listings of instructional and non-instructional vacancies posted here: https://www.wtulocal6.net/open_positions

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

Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, December 12, 2022

Tuesday, December 13^th is the last day to vote on the Tentative Contract Agreement.

There is a recording of the two Town Hall sessions from last week available here: Members Only Minutes


On Dec. 5th, all WTU members received an email to their DCPS email account from TrueBallot, Inc. We realize that some of these emails landed in DCPS' spam, archive or other folders. If you have not received a ballot via your DCPS email from [email protected], please do the following:

1. Please check your DCPS emailand DCPS junk or archive mail folders. The sender of this email is [email protected] which your computer may classify as suspicious and send to a different file folder instead of your inbox.
2. Please search for the email by typing [email protected] and "WTU Contract Ratification" into the Search box of your email account.
3. Check to ensure you are a WTU dues-paying member. Only due-paying members will receive the Contract Voting package.  To make sure you are a member, please check your paystub to make sure DCPS classified you as a WTU-Dues paying member. If you are not a member, you can join the WTU if you enroll by Noon on December 13th. Contact Carlton Nettles to ensure your membership paperwork is expedited.
4. After completing these steps, please contact Carlton Nettles - [email protected] – if you have not received your ballot. In rare cases, you may need to call OCTO and see if your email is blocking [email protected] as a last resort.

Please note when you receive your ballot email, you must click on the voting link to see all the documents in the contract voting package. The documents contained in the ballot are also posted on the WTU members-only website under Meeting Minutes. Recordings of all Ballot Town Meeting are posted there as well. Security is provided through the use of Personal Identification Numbers (PINs), which were sent in the ballot email to all WTU dues-paying members. Regardless of how many ballot emails you receive, only one response will be logged into the system. 

WTU Membership Meeting

Tuesday, Dec 13, 2022 04:30 PM

Register in advance for this meeting.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

We Look forward to Seeing you on Friday!

WTU’s GO-GO for Education Celebration!

When: Friday, December 16^th

Time: 7-11PM

We look forward to celebrating the holidays with you!

AFT TEACH workshop proposal due by Jan. 17

TEACH 2023 is all about supporting educators and focusing on what kids need for successful futures. Priority areas for the workshops include:

• Instructional strategies to meet the needs of all students;
• Teaching subject-area content;
• Student and educator safety and well-being; and
• Collaborating and working with colleagues, families and communities to make sure kids feel safe and welcome in their public schools and have access to the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life.

For the full list of priority areas and topics, view the Workshop Proposal Guidelines

TEACHER DISCOUNT available for Eddie B. Teachers Only Comedy Tour

Saturday, December 17, 2022 (7pm Doors)
Capital One Hall, Tysons, VA

Use code THANKYOU on purchase page to receive 25% off tickets here:

https://www.capitalonehall.com/events/detail/eddie-b-teachers-only-comedy-tour

Open Positions

Looking for a new position? Check out the November listings of instructional and non-instructional vacancies posted here: https://www.wtulocal6.net/open_positions

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

Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, December 5, 2022

The vote on the tentative contract begins today! The WTU attorneys and staff spent this past week examining and preparing the tentative contract and documents for your review. Beginning today, you will have an opportunity review these documents and vote.

All WTU Members should receive an email to your DCPS email account with the WTU Tentative Contract Voting package which includes the following information:

• The tentative agreement signed by President Pogue Lyons and Chancellor Ferebee
• A tentative contract fact sheet
• A review of the tentative changes to Articles 6 and 7 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)
• A copy of the tentative CBA
• A copy of the current CBA (October 1, 2016 – September 30, 2019)
• A tentative contract salary schedule
• A Q&A document on the tentative contract

The vote will open Monday, December 5, 2022 and votes must be received by Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 7:30pm. The election service company, TrueBallot, Inc., will handle the administration of the vote.

WTU will host virtual Town Hall Meetings to discuss the contract and answer any questions on Monday, December 5^th and Wednesday, December 7^th.

• Dec 5 Town Hall @ 4:30PM via Zoom. Meeting ID: 939 669 4583; Passcode: 148566
• Dec 7 Town Hall @ 4:30PM via Zoom. Meeting ID: 939 669 4583; Passcode: 148566

Please watch your DCPS email for your ballot and make sure you vote. Please contact Carlton Nettles at [email protected] if you did not receive a ballot. If you are not a member, you can join by Tuesday, December 13, 2022 by 12:00pm and still have your vote counted. Contact your Field Representative or Carleton Nettles at [email protected]  to become a WTU member.

YOU ARE INVITED to WTU’s GO-GO for Education Celebration!

When: Friday, December 16^th from 7 - 11 PM

Where: Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health

Please REGISTER HERE for this FREE event no later than Friday, December 9^th!

Space is limited! We look forward to celebrating the holidays with you!

Let the Council hear your teacher voice!

Register by 5 pm today, December 5^th to testify before the Committee of the Whole: Literacy and the NAEP and PARCC Assessments. Hearing is Wednesday, December 7, 2022 at 11:00am
Committee Hearing Signup: Literacy and the NAEP and PARCC Assessments (google.com)

Gun violence continues to plague our schools and communities

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/28/teen-killed-shot-before/

“Ricochet: An American Trauma,” a documentary examining the US gun violence crisis and the people it impacts most - https://youtu.be/VIf7gfTSB7w

TEACHER DISCOUNT available for Eddie B. Teachers Only Comedy Tour

Saturday, December 17, 2022 (7pm Doors)
Capital One Hall, Tysons, VA

Use code THANKYOU on purchase page to receive 25% off tickets here:

https://www.capitalonehall.com/events/detail/eddie-b-teachers-only-comedy-tour

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

Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, November 28, 2022

We hope you enjoyed the Holiday weekend. We are thankful and grateful for all the organizing and rallying you’ve done to get us to a tentative agreement.

The WTU negotiating team will provide details in a Member Town Hall on Tuesday, November 29 at 4:30PM. The tentative agreement includes a 12.5% raise over 4 years though FY 2023, 4% retention bonus for all teachers, increase in ‘teacher startup funds,’ 2 morning blocks reserved for teacher lead planning, and additional bonuses for teachers in hard to fill positions.

Member Town Hall - Tuesday, November 29 @ 4:30

Via Zoom

Meeting ID: 930 4869 7561

Passcode: 797288

Dial in: 301-715-8592

WTU in the news

• Statement from Mayor Bowser, Chancellor Ferebee, and WTU President Pogue Lyons on Tentative Contract Agreement
• Tentative contract agreement reached to provide DC teachers raises - WUSA
• D.C. reaches long-awaited deal with teachers union - The Washington Post
• D.C. School Teachers, Mayor Bowser Reach Tentative Deal – Washington Informer
• DCPS and Washington Teachers' Union reach tentative contract agreement - Axios
• DCPS reaches tentative contract agreement with teachers' union after 3 years - WJLA
• DC Public Schools reaches tentative agreement with teachers' union - FOX
• After Three-Year Impasse, D.C. Public Schools Reach Tentative Agreement With Teachers’ Union - DCist
• Parents Rally Behind DCPS Teachers in Demand for Better Conditions – Washington Informer
• D.C. public school teachers walk out in frustration, no new contract since 2019 – AFRO News

The WTU is deeply concerned about gun violence in our community

Akira Wilson fatally shot at NoMa's Hilton Garden Inn on Saturday - The Washington Post

Teen shot near annual Turkey Bowl in Northeast DC

Open Positions

Looking for a new position? Check out the November listings of instructional and non-instructional vacancies posted here: https://www.wtulocal6.net/open_positions

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

Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, November 21, 2022

I am thankful and grateful to the entire WTU community for participating in the action last Thursday. It was truly a beautiful sight to see us all united in our efforts to get a contract. Although the city leaders are listening and we are back at the negotiating table, we do not have a contract yet. Please help us keep putting pressure on the Mayor and DCPS leadership over the coming weeks. Your voice matters!

I hope that you are able to take some time for yourself this Thanksgiving break you truly deserve it. There was an article published last week, ‘Teachers Experienced More Anxiety than Healthcare Workers During the Pandemic,’ we know this is true. Please be careful as you travel this holiday weekend. COVID is still with us and other respiratory viruses are circulating widely. Please take care of yourself and your loved ones.

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

TEACHERS DESERVE A FAIR CONTRACT

We’re bent on keeping the pressure on until we receive a FAIR contract! To see interviews of participants, visit WTU’s Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or FaceBook sites. Please retweet, forward, and retweet again!

Upcoming Events. Details coming soon.

• Town Hall Week of November 28th
• Holiday Go-Go for Education, December 16th

Also, we need your photos/videos! They serve as priceless reminders of how determined we remain in getting a FAIR contract. You can see our efforts in the pictures compiled on the Photos_2022 page of the WTU website here. If you’ve taken photos and video you don’t see pictured, please take a moment to email them to [email protected].

Contact your Building Rep or Field Representative for more information about on-going contract negotiations. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT ANY ACTIVITY YOU PARTICIPATE IN TAKES PLACE OUTSIDE YOUR TOUR OF DUTY. DCPS is watching!

WTU in the news

• Brenda Douyon’s class in the Kidspost - November Class of KidsPost: Garrison Elementary in Washington, D.C. - The Washington Post
• DCPS teachers walkout over contract, building standards | wusa9.com
• 'Overlooked and overdue.' Parents demand DCPS renovate 100-year-old Whittier Elementary | WJLA
• There’s ‘An End in Sight’ for the Lengthy Contract Fight Between DCPS and the Teachers’ Union. But Plenty of Bad Blood Remains. - Washington City Paper
• D.C. Teachers March For New Contract As Union Bargaining Resumes

KC Boyd winner of Excellence in Equity 2022

Excellence in Equity 2022 | The Winners | Equity & Access Pre K-12 | The American Consortium for Equity in Education (ace-ed.org). Recognizing the companies, leaders, authors, and educators whose tremendous efforts are helping schools achieve equity everywhere

DCPS in the news

• D.C. Gets Federal Funds To Help Homeless Students. But Many Schools In Need Are Shortchanged
• D.C. gets federal funds to help homeless students. But many schools in need are shortchanged (wamu.org)

Field Trip Guidance

Earlier this month DCPS released new guidelines on field trips. The administration in your school is responsible for checking the driver’s license of the bus driver.

• Click here for information on how to check credentials.
• Click here for a Day-of Field Trip Checklist.

Open Positions

Looking for a new position? Check out the November listings of instructional and non-instructional vacancies posted here: https://www.wtulocal6.net/open_positions

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

Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, November 14, 2022

November Representative Assembly

The November Rep Assembly meeting is on Tuesday, November 15^th at 4:30. All members are encouraged to attend. Building Representatives and Delegates to the Representative Assembly can participate.

Via Zoom. 

Dial: 301-715-8592; Meeting ID: 98080484945; Passcode: 546066

TEACHERS DESERVE A FAIR CONTRACT

NEXT CONTRACT ACTION - Thursday, November 17, 3:30 or after your contractual day

We'd like all teachers to leave school together and march around your school or congregate in an area, take and tweet group pictures or email them to [email protected]. Wear your WTU t-shirt. Please encourage, parents, students and other community members to march with you in solidarity! Please participate - these actions make a difference. A flyer is available here.

Please click here to register, to let us know that you’ll be participating: https://mobilize.us/s/Ht5jWD

Contact your Building Rep or Field Representative for more information about on-going contract negotiations. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT ANY ACTIVITY YOU PARTICIPATE IN TAKES PLACE OUTSIDE YOUR TOUR OF DUTY. DCPS is watching!

WTU In the News

DCist - A Teacher Says He Was Wrongly Terminated. Three Years Later, DC Public Schools Is Ordered To Rehire Him

DC News Now - Petition for fair teacher contract delivered to Mayor’s office

WTOP - ‘Stop playing games’ — DC mayor, teachers’ union remain at odds as contract talks reach arbitration

Accuracy in Academia - D.C. public schools’ woes continue as teachers lack contract for third straight year

Surveys

Heads up, the DCPS teacher Insight Survey is now open. An email was sent your email. DCPS Instructional Superintendents and the Chief of Schools will be looking at the data. The email would've come from the Insight Team ([email protected]).

EmpowerEd is asking for your help in filling out a 10 minute survey on flexible scheduling for educators and teacher retention.  As you may already know, DC has the highest teacher turnover rate in the country and the pandemic has made this crisis worse. So many careers that teachers are qualified to move into pay at least as much if not more and are now significantly more flexible- so we're pushing hard to get the city leaders to invest in flexible teacher scheduling and other retention strategies. We need to hear from you.

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

Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, November 7, 2022

Contract negotiation update … The WTU and DCPS are still working out the details for arbitration. We will update the membership as soon as the details are available.

Teachers Deserve a Fair Contract

1. Nov 17^th – Day of Action - https://mobilize.us/s/Ht5jWD
2. Town Hall – TBD

Thanks to all members who participated in the contract event at DCPS Central Office on Thursday. The mayor is watching, and it is important that she sees we’re united in our efforts to get a fair contract. Your voice matters!

Our next event is Thursday, November 17 at 3:30 or at the end of your tour of duty. We'd like all teachers to leave school together and march around your school or congregate in an area, take and tweet group pictures or email them to [email protected]. Wear your WTU t-shirt. Please encourage, parents, students and other community members to march with you in solidarity! Please participate - these actions make a difference. A flyer is available here.

Please click here to register, to let us know that you’ll be participating: https://mobilize.us/s/Ht5jWD

Contact your Building Rep or Field Representative for more information about on-going contract negotiations. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT ANY ACTIVITY YOU PARTICIPATE IN TAKES PLACE OUTSIDE YOUR TOUR OF DUTY. DCPS is watching!

CSO / DCPS Contract

The contract the between CSO and DCPS, subject to Council approval, is available here: https://lims.dccouncil.gov/downloads/LIMS/51455/Introduction/PR24-0991-Introduction.pdf

WTU in the news

Washington Informer - Teacher Contract Negotiations at a Standstill

ABC - 'Worst I've seen it': DC teachers call on Bowser for contract as arbitration nears

National Right to Read

School Librarians KC Boyd, Christopher Stewart and Angela Faulkenburg went to Capitol Hill to promote the National Right to Read Bill introduced by Sent Jack Reed and Rep Raul Grijalva

Volunteer opportunity at the Air and Space Museum (see flyer)

We’ve piloting 45-60 minute Engineering & Design challenges starting in January and are actively recruiting volunteers to facilitate this programming. Here is a link to the volunteer position description (clicking on the link will cause you to make a copy of the Google Doc), and a link to apply for this opportunity. Applications are completed through our volunteer management software. Contact Laura Blanton if you have any questions  [email protected]

Vote – Election Day is Tuesday

Early voting has started. Please support for the WTU endorsed candidates.

City Council:

• At-Large: Elissa Silverman
• At-Large: Karim Marshall
• Ward 1: Brianne Nadeau
• Ward 3: Matthew Frumin
• Ward 5: Zachary Parker
• Ward 6: Charles Allen

DC State Board of Education: 

• Ward 1: Ben Williams  
• Ward 3: Michael Sriqui 
• Ward 5: Robert Henderson 
• Ward 6: Joshua Wiley  

Read more here. And watch for opportunities to volunteer for WTU endorsed candidates on Election Day!

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