After more than three years of stalled negotiations, D.C. Public Schools have reached a tentative contract agreement with the Washington Teachers’ Union, according to a statement from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday.

“Today, we are proud to reach an agreement that delivers robust back pay in recognition of the tireless efforts and sacrifice our teachers have made over the past three years,” reads Bowser’s statement on the agreement, which spells out a 12 percent increase in salary over four years, and a four percent retention bonus. “This agreement provides our educators with competitive raises that will help the District to retain and attract the best talent for our schools.”

Read the Full Story Here

Fox News reported on tweets released by the WTU and published the joint statement signed by Mayor Bowser, DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee, and WTU President Jacqueline Pogue Lyons on Tuesday. Read the full story here.

Axios News reported on the tentative contract reached by DCPS and the WTU. 

D.C. public schools and the Washington Teachers’ Union say they have reached a tentative contract agreement more than three years after the union’s previous contract lapsed.

Why it matters: The two sides have been locked in a bitter fight over the new contract since October 2019, leading to an independent arbitrator taking over the negotiations last month.

GOOD NEWS!!

We put in the work! We didn't let up -- and it paid off! After three tough years of negotiation, a tentative agreement was reached between the WTU and DCPS. The WTU won:

• a 12% salary increase over four years that includes all retros and 4% this year
• an additional 4% signing bonus
• all benefits included and paid for
• significant increase in administrative premiums

...and that's not all! 

Details on the tentative agreement will be released soon. All WTU members will have the ability to vote on whether or not to accept the offer. We'd like to thank the community groups who have supported us over the years as well as our tireless members. We couldn't have done it without you!

What makes a great public school, where students can truly thrive, teachers want to teach, and parents want to send their kids? As parents of students who have attended three schools operated by DC Public Schools (DCPS), we have a pretty good — and informed — idea. It takes adequate funding, supports and resources to address the needs and challenges of each school’s student population. It takes a respectful culture that values and supports all staff in the building, all students, and their families.

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.

In a November 18th news story, DCist reported D.C. teachers held demonstrations at at least five schools across the city after school on Thursday, continuing their push for a contract after their last one expired in 2019.

At one school, they chanted slogans like, “Support your teachers, support your students,” and waved signs that declared “FAIR CONTRACT NOW!” and “GOOD WORKING CONDITIONS = GOOD LEARNING CONDITIONS.”

On November 17th, the same day WTU teachers plan to rally around each of their respective schools in DCPS @3:30, the Washington City Paper published an article in hope of a resolution to the ongoing dispute. 

The last time D.C. had an up-to-date contract with its biggest teachers’ union, the Washington Nationals had yet to win a World Series, Lizzo’s first single was still topping the charts, and hardly anyone had ever heard of COVID-19. The two sides have been negotiating ever since, with a resolution to this saga now increasingly likely to stretch into a fourth year of debate.

The Washington Teachers’ Union and D.C. Public Schools have been fighting over a new collective bargaining agreement for so long that an independent arbitrator took over the matter late last month, setting up an end game for a dispute that has defined education politics in the District since the last contract expired in October 2019. 

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.

On Thursday, Nov. 3, WTU teachers chanted in front of DCPS Central Office D.C. for Mayor Muriel Bowser to settle a contract for DC Teachers after not having one for three years.

“This is my 34th year,” said Tina Bradshaw Smith, a high school teacher. “This is the worst I have ever seen it.”

Bradshaw Smith says her school is overcrowded, and some days they have to move and borrow desks and chairs.

Read Full Story Here

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.

Download Press Release Here