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 29th, 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 26th 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.
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
Have you experienced chronic or recurring problems with HVAC, plumbing, electric, windows, roof, security (door locks), rodents, etc.? We want to know!
The WTU is partnering with the Washington Lawyers' Committee and the law firm of Steptoe and Johnson to produce a report on the State of School Facilities. Although this report is NOT collecting data on laptops or smartboards, we want to collect accurate data on chronic and recurring problems with maintenance and repairs. Please complete the state of your school facility survey here: https://forms.gle/h7CxG7tMFWnuVaLM7
Take Survey on Job Challenges for School Social Workers
Given the changes and challenges related to the role of the School Social Worker, we are collecting data, input, and feedback to identify challenges, make suggestions, requests, and advocate for reasonable changes to shift our work back being student centered. Please take a few minutes to take the survey here.
Upcoming Events, Activities & Meetings
- June 24th – WTU’s Summer Institute: Reading Comprehension Course Begins!
- June 26th - @9AM, Hearing on Truancy and Absenteeism, REGISTER TO TESTIFY
- July 28th – WTU’s Summer Institute: SEL for Adult Instructors Begins!
- July 28th – WTU’s Summer Institute: Reclaiming Assessments Begins!
In the News
-
06/17/2024 – WTOP News – ‘Taking advantage of the community’: DC council chair says some families getting short end of stick during a school renovation
-
06/19/2024 – Washington Informer – Nalle Elementary’s Field in Jeopardy, Baseball Legend Dies, Juneteenth Discussions, and Capital Book Fest
-
06/20/24 – The Washington Post – DC Names Interim Superintendent
-
06/23/24 – AFT Whitepaper - Commonsense Guardrails for Using Advanced Technology in Schools
2023 Report – The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory
Social Media and Youth Mental Health
LEA Look Forward – Weekly Updates
Monday, June 24–Wednesday, June 26, 2024.
2024 Belfer National Conference for Educators.
This free virtual conference is hosted by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Arthur and Rochelle Belfer National Conference for Educators - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (ushmm.org)
June 26-27 Amazon Web Services (AWS) is hosting an AWS Summit, at the Convention Center. This free, AI, Machine Learning and technology-based event is sure to be incredibly insightful! Register HERE!
AFT Summer 2024 Webinars SOL 24 (on24.com)
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.