A Message from WTU’s President

Good Morning WTU Family!

It’s been a busy and exciting summer both locally and nationally! We can’t believe we are back in school already. We hope everyone had some time to relax and have fun with family and friends. We also hope you had some time for creative pursuits and maybe even some time to grow your professional knowledge.

We had a busy summer at the bargaining table. WTU would like to thank all our bargaining team members for working throughout the summer. Please continue to support the Contract Bargaining Team in our efforts to get a contract as soon as possible by wearing your red WTU tee-shirts on Fridays.

We hope you have a rigorous and productive week of professional development. Please let us know if you need help as you prepare to receive your students next week.

Thank you to the WTU members who came out to help distribute swag, prizes, and gifts at New Educator Orientation (NEO) and WTU’s NEO reception last week! Throughout the next year, please remember to reach out and lend support to more than 200 new DCPS educators as they begin their teaching journey in DC. We’d also like to thank our DC City Council, State Board of Education representatives, and Union leaders who joined us in welcoming our new educators at Lou’s City Bar. If you missed some of the photos posted on social media about this wonderful event, please click here.

As many of you know, WTU’s core mission since our return from COVID-19 is to encourage our students and their families to make reading a priority. We believe developing strong readers happens at home and at school. As a Union, we are committed to promoting literacy as a real solution to improving academic achievement so that children can thrive and be productive citizens. To learn more, please read my editorial recently published in The Washington Informer’s Back-to-School Supplement here. Throughout this fall, the WTU will be participating in a number of Back to School Festivals where we will give away a free book of choice to every child. (See Upcoming Events, Activities & Meetings)

Please consider coming out to participate in these exciting events!

On Thursday, September 5^th, we invite all kindergarten teachers to learn more about new legislation requiring literacy training at our Back-to-School Literacy Mixer from 4-7PM on the rooftop floor of the MLK Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G. Street NW. Come for free bites, beverages and leave with 5 new free books!

Thank you, as always, for your support! May we all have a safe, wonderful, and joyous school year!

In solidarity,

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

Washington Teachers’ Union

Hard to Fill Bonuses

The following educators should have received their $1500 hard-to-fill bonuses on August 14^th via direct deposit:

• Social Worker
• Psychologist
• Special Education Teacher
• Math/Science
• World Languages
• Speech Pathologist
• Occupational Therapist
• Physical Therapist
• ESL/ESL Itinerant

If you haven’t received it, please reach out to your WTU Field Representative.

 
WTU’s Contract Bargaining Team Update

This past week, your hardworking contract bargaining team met with DCPS for another bargaining team session as we try to hammer out a fair contract as quickly as possible. Another bargaining session is scheduled for tomorrow – Tuesday, August 20^th. Stay tuned to WTU’s social media accounts later in the week to keep up with the latest.

August 2024 - The Washington Informer - Back to School Supplement

Editorial by WTU's President Jacqueline Pogue Lyons

As many of you know, WTU’s core mission is to encourage our students and their families to make reading a priority. As a Union, we are committed to promoting literacy as a real solution to improving academic achievement so that children can thrive and be productive citizens. To learn more, please read my editorial recently published in The Washington Informer’s Back-to-School Issue here.  

A Message from WTU’s President

Good Morning WTU Family!

Congratulations to WTU’s Secondary Grade Policy Committee! Their hard work has paid off! DCPS made changes to the grading policy. Also, please take a moment to read about changes to Title IX regulations.  

This coming Wednesday, August 14^th, we are looking forward to welcoming more than 200 new District of Columbia Public School educators into the WTU family at the New Educator Orientation (NEO) at the Columbia Heights Education Campus (CHEC) and the WTU’s NEO reception to follow at Lou’s City Bar! If you want to volunteer to work with new teachers, please join us in getting to know those beginning their journey of educating our DC youth at these two exciting events. To learn more about how you can help during the orientation and reception, please contact WTU’s organizer Mike Roland at [email protected] no later than the end of day today, Monday, August 12^th.

Despite the roadblocks DCPS continues to throw in our way of getting a new contract, your hardworking contract bargaining team perseveres. To learn more, please watch a Contract Bargaining Team update here. If you have ideas on what contract actions your school should take, please contact your Building Representative and WTU’s organizer Mike Roland for support. Together, we must show DCPS we will not tolerate their reduction of our rights!

Also, please note that key Duty stipend and Hard-to-fill bonuses have not been paid out yet. DCPS has submitted both payment requests to the payroll team and they are awaiting confirmation on the exact payment date. When we receive the exact payment dates, we will let you know.

Thank you, as always, for your support!

In solidarity,

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

Washington Teachers’ Union

Filing a Grievance Over IMPACT Scores

If you would like to file a grievance over your final IMPACT score, please review the rules over what constitutes a violation for IMPACT available here. To file an IMPACT grievance with the support of the WTU, please reach out to your WTU Field Representative by Tuesday, September 3^rd, 2024.

WTU’s Official Social Media Pages

Please be aware that the Washington Teachers Union is not affiliated with a Facebook page titled “DCPS Educators Only Network.” The WTU is not responsible for any content posted on the page and is not liable for any consequences arising from a teacher’s participation on the page. Please join the WTU’s Official Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube pages for accurate information about our Union. 

TWITTER: https://x.com/WTUTeacher
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/WTULocal6/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/wtu_teacher/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrkj6wxtayL6Rs1htHEylA

A Message from WTU’s President

Good Morning WTU Members!

On Wednesday, August 14^th, we will welcome new District of Columbia Public School educators into the WTU family at the New Educator Orientation (NEO) at the Columbia Heights Education Campus (CHEC) and the WTU’s NEO reception to follow at Lou’s City Bar! Please join us in getting to know those beginning their journey of educating our DC youth at these two exciting events. To learn more about how you can help during the orientation and reception, please contact WTU’s organizer Mike Roland at [email protected] no later than Monday, August 12^th.

Last week, WTU’s Contract Bargaining Team met with DCPS for another bargaining session. Continuing conversations over what constitutes a fair contract as well as keeping those important rights that we have had since the late 1960s continues to be the goal of our hard-working Contract Bargaining Team. We are grateful for their steadfast commitment to representing the views of our WTU members throughout the hot summer months.

If you would like to file a grievance over your final IMPACT score, please review the rules over what constitutes a violation for IMPACT available here. To file an IMPACT grievance with the support of the WTU, please reach out to your WTU Field Representative by Tuesday, September 3^rd, 2024.

Thank you, as always, for your support!

In solidarity,

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

Washington Teachers’ Union

In Memory

Last week, WTU was sad to hear of the loss of one of our members. John Mungai, math teacher at School Without Walls, passed away on July 31. Mr. Mungai also taught at Deal Ms. His colleagues remember him as a humble, beautiful, and kind educator.

The WTU was saddened to also learn of the loss of Mary Levy – a lawyer, ed finance expert, data collector, and top researcher of DCPS’ budget & policies for over 40 yrs. A mother of DCPS grads, Ms. Levy supported all our DCPS educators over the years and played an integral part in performing vital research to ensure WTU members received fair contracts. Many times, she sat at the table with WTU’s contract bargaining team members and generously gave well-researched guidance to the WTU. A consummate professional, Ms. Levy paid attention to the smallest of details, possessed a wonderful sense of humor, and never hesitated to provide support, even as recently as April 2024 when she addressed the WTU Rep Assembly about budget cuts. She will be remembered for her wise counsel and sorely missed.

Once we have more details of memorial or funeral service plans, we will let you know.

A Message from WTU’s President

Good Morning WTU Members!

The biennial AFT Convention is the most important policy-making body of the federation. This past week at the AFT Convention in Houston, Texas. WTU’s 17 delegates and the leadership team worked hard to review important resolutions, constitution, and bylaw amendments as well as vote on the leadership of the AFT. We were proud that one of the first orders of business by the delegates was to vote and endorse VP Harris for President. We were also excited to welcome her to the convention hall on Thursday! Her message both sent and received for this year’s presidential election was “Bring it On!, Bring it ON!, Bring it ON!” What an end to an invigorating week that started with the WTU receiving the Pride of the Union award for celebrating a significant increase in our membership last year! Thank you to all our members who continue to support our mission to serve, protect, and defend all DCPS educators.

Tomorrow, the WTU’s Contract Bargaining Team will meet with DCPS for another session.  We also intend to finalize plans for New Educator Orientation (NEO) which will take place for the first time in four years in-person on August 14^th at the Columbia Heights Education Campus. Please look out for more information on how you can volunteer to help welcome our new teachers to the District of Columbia Public Schools!

If you would like to file a grievance over your final IMPACT score, please review the rules over what constitutes a violation for IMPACT available here.

To file an IMPACT grievance with the support of the WTU, please reach out to your WTU Field Representative by Tuesday, September 3^rd, 2024.

Thank you, as always, for your support!

In solidarity,

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

Washington Teachers’ Union

Enroll in Sick Leave/Maternity/Paternity Banks

Open Enrollment for the Sick Leave and Maternity/Paternity Leave Banks is in progress Thursday, June 13, 2024, through Saturday, August 31, 2024! Please use this link to access the change/enroll/cancelation application.

Did DCPS Bring Back Teachers Excessed with DC Council Funding?

All schools had a challenging budget season and had to excess several positions. The WTU is collecting data to see if the excessing process was followed. Now that the Council has restored some funding, we want to make sure those funds are used to rehire teachers who were excessed. Please complete the school budget survey here: https://forms.gle/pcB35vWGn1qsXPRZ8

A Message from WTU’s President

Good Morning WTU Members!

This week has been another unprecedented week in national politics. Despite all the uncertainty, we hope everyone is finding time to enjoy their summer! This week our WTU delegates are attending the AFT Convention in Houston, Texas. Please wish our 17 delegates and our WTU leadership team safe travels. We are happy to announce that the WTU received the Pride of the Union award for celebrating a significant increase in our membership last year.

We also continued to work on plans for New Educator Orientation (NEO) which will take place for the first time in four years in-person on August 14^th at the Columbia Heights Education Campus. Please look out for more information on how you can volunteer to help welcome our new teachers to the District of Columbia Public Schools!

If you would like to file a grievance over your final IMPACT score, please review the rules over what constitutes a violation for IMPACT available here. To file an IMPACT grievance with the support of the WTU, please reach out to your WTU Field Representative by Tuesday, September 3, 2024.

Today, two Summer Institute courses - S.E.L. for Instructors and Reclaiming Assessments - begin! If you would like to earn PLUs, please register before 9AM here!

Thank you, as always, for your support!

In solidarity,

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

Washington Teachers’ Union

Enroll in Sick Leave/Maternity/Paternity Banks

Open Enrollment for the Sick Leave and Maternity/Paternity Leave Banks is in progress Thursday, June 13, 2024, through Saturday, August 31, 2024! Please use this link to access the change/enroll/cancelation application.

Did DCPS Bring Back Teachers Excessed with DC Council Funding?

All schools had a challenging budget season and had to excess several positions. The WTU is collecting data to see if the excessing process was followed. Now that the Council has restored some funding, we want to make sure those funds are used to rehire teachers who were excessed. Please complete the school budget survey here: https://forms.gle/pcB35vWGn1qsXPRZ8

A Message from WTU’s President

Good Morning WTU!

This past week, the WTU leadership joined the Metro Washington Labor Council for a Metro Labor Executive Board Retreat. Thank you again, President Epps, for your leadership in organizing this important conference.  We’d also like to thank DC Councilmember Anita Bonds for sending her Deputy Legislative Director to this week’s Contract Bargaining Team meeting with DCPS. We are grateful for her legislative support and for our bargaining team who continues to work hard this summer. To learn more about what transpired, please watch WTU’s Contract Bargaining Team update here.

If you would like to file a grievance over your final IMPACT score, please review the rules over what constitutes a violation for IMPACT available here. Your field representative is available to help you to file. Please reach out to your WTU Field Representative by Tuesday, September 3, 2024 if you would like to file an IMPACT grievance with the support of the WTU.

Please collect and present the following information to your field representative:

• Copy of the final IMPACT rating
• Narrative of procedural violations, citing page number in IMPACT guideline. Note: Disagreement with the evaluator’s comments does not constitute a procedural violation
• Personal contact information (email, phone number)
• Any evidence to support the procedural violation (i.e. emails or other documents)

Please keep in mind that you cannot file an Office of Employee Appeals (OEA) complaint and a WTU grievance. You may, however, file one or the other, but not both. If you do decide to file both, your complaint/grievance will be decided by OEA or the grievance process based on which was first filed.

WTU strongly recommends the grievance process. It allows you to file both a chancellor’s appeal and a WTU grievance. WTU strongly recommends that you file both. If you have any questions, please reach out to your Field Representative.

If you’d like to earn PLUs or graduate credits this summer, there is still time to enroll in the two remaining Summer Institute courses - S.E.L. for Instructors and Reclaiming Assessments.

Thank you, as always, for your support!

In solidarity,

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

Washington Teachers’ Union

Weekly Update - WTU’s Contract Action Team (CAT)

Watch WTU’s Contract Bargaining Team’s Weekly Update here: https://youtu.be/WF0RmyityDY or click on the image below.

If you have ideas on what contract actions your school should take, please contact your Building Representative and WTU’s organizer, Mike Roland, for support. Together, we must show DCPS we will not tolerate their proposed reduction of our rights!

A Message from WTU’s President

Good Morning WTU!

Despite the heat, we enjoyed spending time with numerous WTU members at Labor Night at the Nats on Friday night! WTU’s purchase of tickets for members meant that a portion of every ticket sold went to the Community Services Agency, and AFL-CIO, who has been helping workers and their families since 1991. Thank you to the WTU members who attended, and we hope you enjoyed the game!

For our football fans, please know we are planning to have a Labor Event at the Commanders Game vs. New York Giants on September 15^th! Please keep checking the AM BREW for announcements of free tickets for WTU members.   

If you believe your final IMPACT score was negatively affected by the PowerSchool software program used by DCPS, please reach out to your WTU Field Representative for support. If you have any other questions or concerns regarding your end of the year IMPACT score, please reach out to the WTU. If you’d like to earn PLUs or graduate credits this summer, there is still time to enroll in the two remaining Summer Institute courses - S.E.L. for Instructors and Reclaiming Assessments.

Thank you, as always, for your support! Stay cool!

In solidarity,

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

Washington Teachers’ Union

Weekly Update - WTU’s Contract Action Team (CAT)

Watch WTU’s Contract Bargaining Team’s Weekly Update here: https://youtu.be/uVY941soIR8 or click on the image below.

If you have ideas on what contract actions your school should take, please contact your Building Representative and WTU’s organizer, Mike Roland, for support. Together, we must show DCPS we will not tolerate their proposed reduction of our rights!

Enroll in Sick Leave/Maternity/Paternity Banks

Open Enrollment for the Sick Leave and Maternity/Paternity Leave Banks is in progress Thursday, June 13, 2024, through Saturday, August 31, 2024! Please use this link to access the change/enroll/cancelation application.

A Message from WTU’s President

Good Morning WTU!

Thank you to the WTU members who joined us on Saturday as we marched alongside our brothers and sisters in labor at The Poor People’s Campaign in DC! We marched to protest the evils of systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, ecological devastation, and the nation’s distorted morality of religious nationalism. Thank you to President Samuel Epps, President of the Metro Labor Council AFL-CIO, for organizing local labor for this important event.

If you believe your final IMPACT score was negatively affected by the PowerSchool software program used by DCPS, please reach out to your WTU Field Representative for support. If you have any other questions or concerns regarding your end of the year IMPACT score, please reach out to the WTU. If you’d like to earn PLUs or graduate credits this summer, there is still time to enroll in the two remaining Summer Institute courses - S.E.L. for Instructors and Reclaiming Assessments.

Thank you, as always, for your support! Have a happy and safe 4^th of July!

In solidarity,

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

Washington Teachers’ Union

WTU’s Official Facebook Page

Please be aware that the Washington Teachers Union is not affiliated with a Facebook page titled “DCPS Educators Only Network.” The WTU is not responsible for any content posted on the page and is not liable for any consequences arising from a teacher’s participation on the page. Please join the WTU’s Official Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube pages for accurate information about our Union.

TWITTER: https://x.com/WTUTeacher
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/WTULocal6/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/wtu_teacher/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrkj6wxtayL6Rs1htHEylA

Want a copy of the WTU’s Final Signed CBA with DCPS?

As mentioned in last week’s Brew To-Go, if you are looking for a copy of the final signed 2020-23 Contract Bargaining Agreement between the Washington Teachers’ Union and the District of Columbia Public Schools, please click here.

Enroll in Sick Leave/Maternity/Paternity Banks

Open Enrollment for the Sick Leave and Maternity/Paternity Leave Banks is in progress Thursday, June 13, 2024, through Saturday, August 31, 2024! Please use this link to access the change/enroll/cancelation application.

A Message from WTU’s President

Good Morning WTU!

Record-breaking heat temperatures started out this summer. Please stay cool and safe! Last Thursday, we welcomed WTU members to our WTU’s Summer Institute! If you’d like to earn PLUs or graduate credits this summer, there is still time to enroll in the three remaining Summer Institute courses - Reading Comprehension, S.E.L. for Instructors and Reclaiming Assessments.

Next Saturday, June 29^th, please join the WTU as we march alongside low-wage workers at The Poor People’s Campaign. This political, non-partisan, moral march on Washington is intended to challenge the evils of systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, ecological devastation, and the nation’s distorted morality of religious nationalism. If you are interested in joining us at 10AM on Saturday, please contact WTU’s Organizer, Mike Roland at [email protected]. Please remember to wear your red WTU tee-shirt to the march.

The DC City Council wants your feedback on truancy and absenteeism issues in DC Public Schools. If you are willing to testify this coming Wednesday, June 26^th at 9AM, please reach out to WTU’s organizer Mike Roland so we can support you. Click here to register.

Thank you, as always, for your support! Stay cool!

In solidarity,

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

Washington Teachers’ Union

WTU’s Official Facebook Page

Please be aware that the Washington Teachers Union is not affiliated with a Facebook page titled “DCPS Educators Only Network.” The WTU is not responsible for any content posted on the page and is not liable for any consequences arising from a teacher’s participation on the page. Please join the WTU’s Official Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube pages for accurate information about our Union.

TWITTER: https://x.com/WTUTeacher
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/WTULocal6/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/wtu_teacher/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrkj6wxtayL6Rs1htHEylA

Want a copy of the WTU’s Final Signed CBA with DCPS?

As mentioned in last week’s Brew To-Go, if you are looking for a copy of the final signed 2020-23 Contract Bargaining Agreement between the Washington Teachers’ Union and the District of Columbia Public Schools, please click here.

Enroll in Sick Leave/Maternity/Paternity Banks

Open Enrollment for the Sick Leave and Maternity/Paternity Leave Banks is in progress Thursday, June 13, 2024, through Saturday, August 31, 2024! Please use this link to access the change/enroll/cancelation application.

A Message from WTU President

Good Morning WTU!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Father’s Day Weekend and enjoyed the sunny weather! As the year draws to a close, I want to thank every WTU member for your support throughout an extremely busy 2023-24 year filled with school actions, political outreach, community engagement and WTU-member activism. This year, we assembled the largest WTU bargaining team ever with 25 members actively fighting for the changes you told us you wanted to see in our new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Thank you for sharing your concerns with us both in-person, and virtually. Thank you for continuing to testify before the DC City Council and State Board of Education.

It goes without saying that your written and verbal feedback armed with our ongoing conversations with DC City Council and State Board of Education representatives made a difference! With the help of these State and DC City representatives, we influenced DCPS’ decision to change 5AM meetings to times when teachers could attend. It was your Friday Red for Ed photos, and ongoing school contract actions throughout the city that supported our work at the bargaining table. Your school actions and petition signatures told DCPS that DC teachers care about a new CBA that includes the issues that matter. And our work will not stop over the summer. As you know, WTU’s office is open year-round and our Contract Bargaining Team plans to meet regularly throughout the summer with DCPS until we get you a new and fair contract. To keep you informed of our progress, we will send out a shortened version of the AM Brew throughout the summer. Also, please continue to follow us on social media and on the Fall 2023 Contract Page: https://wtu4safeschools.org/ of WTU’s website.

Our union has been working hard this year. One of the things we are most proud of is the fact that we’ve continued to put WTU on sound financial footing by paying off our debt to DCPS and now are working on paying off additional debt. Future payoffs are scheduled for the 2024-25 school year. I’m also pleased to reflect on our action-packed year with pride in the WTU’s focus on literacy for young adults by providing both members and students with opportunities to meet two award-winning authors,  Elizabeth Acevedo, and Sharon G. Flake, and by expanding our literacy outreach work. This year, we partnered with community organizations, handing out thousands of free books of choice to DC children and parents at community fairs, festivals, and events. To see some of the photos from our ongoing events, please click here.

Post Covid-19, it was wonderful to see more members attending in-person WTU-hosted events like New Teachers Orientation, WTU’s holiday party, Shared Vision Conference, Legislative Involvement Opportunities, Teacher Appreciation Event, and most recently, the Gay Pride Parade. Don’t miss the opportunity to register for WTU’s Summer Institute if you’d like to earn graduate credits or PLUs. Both in-person and virtual classes begin this coming Thursday, June 20^th!

As plans solidify for New Teachers Orientation in August along with new initiatives in the science of reading for our kindergarten teachers, we will be reaching out to you for support. We hope you will join us as we prepare for another exhilarating new 2024-25 academic year.

Thank you, as always, for your support! Congratulations to all our educators who are retiring! Thank for your years of service to the children of the District of Columbia and to the WTU!  Please rest, relax, and enjoy the time spent with family and friends. Have a wonderful summer!

In solidarity,

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

Washington Teachers’ Union

Did DCPS Bring Back Teachers Excessed with DC Council Funding?

All schools had a challenging budget season and had to excess several positions. The WTU is collecting data to see if the excessing process was followed. Now that The Council has restored some funding, we want to make sure those funds are used to rehire teachers who were excessed. Please complete the school budget survey here: https://forms.gle/pcB35vWGn1qsXPRZ8

A Message from WTU President

Good Morning WTU!

This past week was a busy but exciting week for the WTU! Thank you, again, to the members who canvassed for our endorsed DC City Council candidates and showed up at the polls last Tuesday! Our hard work did pay off as we celebrated the re-election of Ward 8 DC City Councilmember Trayon White, DC City Councilmember At-Large Robert White, and Ward 4 DC City Councilmember Janeese Lewis George! Thank you to those members who worked hard on behalf of Ward 7 DC City Councilmember candidate Eboni-Rose Thompson. As President of the DC State Board of Education, she has proven to be a true advocate of WTU and deserved our support.

Last Tuesday, WTU met with DCPS for a Contract Bargaining team session where we advocated again for our school safety and climate change proposals. To learn more, please watch WTU’s Weekly Bargaining Session Update here.

On Friday, we participated in a press conference with national, city and school leaders who announced that after a four-million-dollar investment from the Biden-Harris Administration, Bloomberg Philanthropies is now also investing $9.5 million to expand programming in healthcare at the Advanced Technical Center. National, city, school and labor leaders all came to the table to make this funding possible. We are particularly grateful to the American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten who first planted the seed for this wonderful investment in our city’s children. This funding will create an advanced technical center campus in Ward 8 and help to expand opportunities for healthcare, education, and jobs for our DC students.

Following Friday’s big event, the WTU participated in the Pride Parade and Festival throughout the weekend! We thank the many WTU members who decorated the truck with rainbows, flowers, and butterflies and marched with us at the Capital Parade Festival. On Sunday, the WTU team gave away more than 1000 books of choice to DC kids and their families!

Thank you again for all the support you give to this Union! We wish you another productive week with your students!

In solidarity,

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

Washington Teachers’ Union