A Message from WTU President

Good Morning WTU!

Welcome back from Spring Break! I hope you enjoyed a restful and meaningful week spent with family and friends. Last week, the WTU supported the Washington Metro Labor Council’s Evening with Labor. Congratulations to this year’s Labor Award winners! We’d like to thank all the DC City Councilmembers who attended and we are grateful for their support of labor. We’d particularly like to thank Chairman Phil Mendelson for his comments in support of the Washington Teachers’ Union in our struggle to get a new contract. If you missed his statements during the Evening with Labor event, please click here.  

Last Thursday, I testified before the State Board of Education on DCPS’ lack of transparency in budget cuts, and insistence on eliminating the Early Childhood Pay Equity Fund. Wonders never cease as I cannot believe how they would dare to put an end to a fund that helps to support the salaries and healthcare benefits of up to 4,000 daycare teachers in the District. WTU will continue to keep you in the loop regarding how we will use our voices to support fully funding the education of all children in the District!

This coming FRIDAY, Shared Vision is coming!!! If you haven’t yet registered, please sign up to participate in our in-person book discussion with award-winning author Sharon G. Flake and “The Skin I’m In,” on Friday, April 26th, and a virtual session on April 27th. Teachers can attend either or both sessions. To RSVP, please click here. If you want to attend the in-person session on Friday, April 26th with your students, please contact Mike Roland.

As mentioned before the break, WTU’s Representative Assembly voted and endorsed the following candidates for City Council:

• Trayon White for Ward 8 City Councilmember
• Eboni-Rose Thompson for Ward 7 City Councilmember
• Janeese Lewis George for Ward 4 City Councilmember
• Robert White for At-Large City Councilmember

The WTU would like to thank the Chair of C.O.P.E. Michael Donaldson and his committee for their hard work during the entire candidate selection process. We would also like to thank Secretary Laura Fuchs for her support and dedication to the C.O.P.E. Committee.  

Happy Passover and I wish everyone a week filled with learning and adventure!

In solidarity,

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

Washington Teachers’ Union

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

We’d like to thank the teachers at Langley Elementary, McKinley MS, and McKinley Tech HS for rallying before the start of their tour of duty as well as after on the last day before Spring Break on Friday, April 12^th.  To watch a video of the rally, please click here or photo below. Kudos, as well, to teachers at Brown Education Campus who walked out of school at the end of their tour of duty on April 4^th to protest for a new contract! Click photo below or link to watch video! We, too, are READY for a new contract. :>

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! To learn more, please download WTU’s two-page summary of WTU’s Contract Negotiating Team’s 10 Proposals and 3 Memorandums of Agreement released in October 2023.

Register for WTU’s Shared Visions Conference

Please do not forget to RSVP for the conference. We will welcome award-winning author Sharon E. Flake for both an in-person session with teachers/students on April 26th and a virtual session on April 27th. Teachers can attend either or both sessions. To RSVP, please click here. Please note that only teachers interested in attending the Friday, April 26th in-person session with your students should contact Mike Roland.

May Day Rally and March for a Fair Contract

Finance Expert Mary Levy breaks down DCPS’ Budget!

In the Rep Assembly meeting before Spring Break, we invited the District’s finance and budget expert Mary Levy, to breakdown DCPS’ latest budget for our membership. If you missed the meeting, you can watch her analysis here. Note: if you are not logged into the Members-Only section of the website, you will need to enter the password (Password: WTU4u).

Tell HS Seniors to Apply for the 2024 Jerry Black Scholarship!

May 10^th Deadline - HS seniors in Wards 5, 7, or 8 may apply for the Jeremy “Jerry” Black Scholarship Fund at the TraRon Center.

The scholarship honors Jerry Black whose life was taken prematurely due to gun violence. Students have the option of writing a 600-word essay or submitting a 3–5-minute video response to the essay questions. Scholarship Amount: $4,000 ($2,000 per semester) to cover cost of tuition. INFORMATION

Missed the Spring 2024 Retirement Workshop with WTU, DCPS and DCRB?

Log into WTU’s Members-Only site (Password: WTU4u) and download the presentation here: https://www.wtulocal6.net/retirement_workshops

Upcoming Events, Activities & Meetings

• April 24 @6:30PM, Ward 8 Town Hall, In-Person, THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave SE  INFORMATION
• April 25 @6:30-7:30PM, Un-design the Redline at undesigndc.org. Cleveland Park Library: How student engagement of local history has become a catalyst for action. Presentation and discussion by Assistant Principal Marc Minsker and Jackson-Reed High School students. INFORMATION
• April 26 @9:30-12:30PM, In-person Shared Vision Conference, INFORMATION
• April 27 @10-2PM, Virtual Shared Vision Conference, INFORMATION
• May 1 @4:30PM, May Day Rally and March for a New Contract, McPherson Square 901 15^th Street NW
• May 8 @4:30PM via Zoom, Topic: Vice-President of High School Committee Meeting. Meeting ID: 874 1881 0488 / Passcode: 946149 INFORMATION
• May 9 @4:30PM via Zoom, Topic: Vice-President of Junior High Committee Meeting. Meeting ID: 864 8924 6813 / Passcode: 732385 INFORMATION
• May 10 @4:30PM via Zoom, Topic: Vice-President of Special Education Committee Meeting. Meeting ID: 882 5522 7247 / Passcode: 912480 INFORMATION
•  May 13 @4:30PM via Zoom, Topic: Vice-President of Elementary School Committee Meeting. Meeting ID: 848 5194 3726 / Passcode: 428628

In the News

• 04/10/2024 – The Washington Informer – Spelling Bee Winners Credit Persistence, Collaboration and Reading With Their Victories
• 04/11/2024 – The Washington Post – Six shot, one in DC, a neighborhood in Northeast DC with violent past  
• 04/12/2024 – WTOP - DC failed to offer access to education to incarcerated students with disabilities, lawsuit claims
• 04/14/2024 – The Washington Post – Under budget pressure, DC public schools may eliminate 200 positions
• 04/16/2024 – The 74 – DC needs more than phonics to lift its students reading scores
• 04/18/2024 – DC News Now - DC Mayor Bowser awards 31 new grants aiming to prevent gun violence

Professional Development and Other Opportunities

LEA Look Forward – Weekly Updates

LEA Look Forward for April 12, 2024: Nominate an Outstanding History Teacher, Home & Hospital Instruction Annual Data Collection and More!

LEA Look Forward for April 19, 2024: OSSE Launches Apprenticeship in Teaching, SOAR Act Facilities Competition Now Open and More!

Membership Update

Make sure you are eligible to vote & receive WTU Communications!

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

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