LOGIN
SEARCH
A Message from WTU President
Good Morning WTU!
I hope you took some time to enjoy the warmer temperatures as spring is finally in full bloom! Last Tuesday, WTU’s Contract Bargaining Team met with DCPS for a Contract Bargaining session. Chancellor Ferebee did come to the table, but DCPS’ narrative didn’t change. They lament about the lack of funds they have available then, threaten to take away teacher rights that have been in the contract’s existence since the 1960s. To learn more about what happened, please view the Contract Bargaining Team’s weekly update here.
This past Friday and Saturday, WTU hosted our annual Shared Vision Conference with award-winning author Sharon G. Flake as our keynote speaker. On Friday, we welcomed 180 students, teachers, and librarians from 9 middle and high schools across DC to the rooftop terrace of the Martin Luther King Jr. Library. Sharon G. Flake, author of “The Skin I’m In,” spent time talking with students, autographing their books, and describing in her keynote address why and how she became an author. With the help of the AFT and First Book, we are thrilled to say we were able to give each student, not one, but two of Ms. Flake’s popular novels. To learn more about the event, please watch a video highlight here.
This coming Wednesday, May 1st., I want to personally ask everyone who can to come to a May 1st. Rally in support of our sisters and brothers in the hotel profession fighting for a contract (Local 25). If we can show a sea of red WTU tee-shirts in the crowd, we will surely see them at our future rallies. We must support each other as we continue to fight for what we deserve.
It’s hard to believe it but Teacher Appreciation Week is just around the corner! This year, the WTU will kick off Teacher Appreciation week with a Backyard Barbeque this coming Friday, May 3rd from 4-7PM at Kimball Elementary School. All teachers are invited! Please click here to RSVP. We hope to see everyone there!
In solidarity,
Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President
Washington Teachers’ Union
Weekly Update - WTU’s Contract Action Team (CAT)
To learn more, please watch WTU’s Contract Bargaining Team update here: https://youtu.be/KhO7ImaUydM?si=OvBO3ymzQJqKbr0z or click on the photo 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! 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.
May Day Rally and March for a Fair Contract
Share your ideas on changes to the DCPS 2026-29 Calendar!
As we encourage public engagement in developing the SY 26-29 calendars, DCPS invites you to submit your own calendar proposal! Proposals are due no later than May 31st, 2024.
Upcoming Events, Activities & Meetings
- May 1 @4:30PM, May Day Rally and March for a New Contract, McPherson Square 901 15th Street NW
- May 2 @6:30PM, Ward 7 Ed Council via Zoom, INFORMATION
- May 3 @4-7PM, WTU’s Teacher Appreciation Party: A Backyard Barbeque, INFORMATION
- May 4 @10:30AM, K-12 Literacy Summer Roadmap: Resources and Expert Advice for Families and Educators INFORMATION
- 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
- 04/24/2024 – The Washington Post – D.C. students sue over alleged censorship of pro-Palestinian activity
- 04/24/2024 – News Channel 4 – ACLU sues DC high school on behalf of students over pro-Palestinian programming
- 04/23/2024 – The Washington Informer – Mayor Bowser Attacks School Budget Accountability: Latest Move Follows Years of DCPS not following “Schools First in Budgeting” Law
- 04/23/2024 – WAMU – Why Incarcerated DC Youth keep calling for special education in prisons
Professional Development and Other Opportunities
K-12 Literacy Summer Roadmap: Resources and Expert Advice for Families and Educators
Join Planet Word, in collaboration with the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) and Dustin Tamsen, Dyslexia Specialist from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), for a special informational event to help to raise awareness, bust myths about dyslexia and provide resources to families with struggling readers. Learn MORE.
LEA Look Forward – Weekly Updates
Membership Update
Make sure you are eligible to vote & receive WTU Communications!
The AM Brew is distributed as a benefit to members of the WTU. In the coming weeks, we’ll be updating our database removing non-members from the distribution for the AM Brew. To ensure that you’re not inadvertently removed from the distribution list, please confirm your personal email address by emailing [email protected].
Your ability to vote in WTU elections and receive WTU Communications depends on our ability to reach you. We must have your personal email address for all communications.
AM Brew News and Notices are archived at https://www.wtulocal6.net/AMBrew.
Be sure to follow the WTU on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to keep up with the latest from your Union.