Dear WTU Family,

I hope you had a moment to enjoy the beginnings of spring—warmer temperatures, longer days, and the first signs of blossoms around our beautiful city.

 We know that most of you received your 4% bonus for FY 24 on Friday, March 21^st. According to the DCPS Compensation Team, those who did not receive their bonus on Friday should receive it on Wednesday, March 25^th. If you are still waiting, please email [email protected] and notify your WTU Field Representative so we can escalate your case to LMER. We’ll continue to monitor this situation until everyone who qualifies receives their bonus.  

On March 14^th, the Senate unanimously passed the District of Columbia Local Funds Act of 2025.  If passed by the US House of Representatives, this legislation will prevent the devastating $1billion in cuts to D.C.’s FY 2025 budget – including $358 million in public education funding. We were successful in our efforts with the US Senate because of your actions, from Recess at the Capitol to rallies at the Wilson Building and the Department of Education to reaching out to Senators across the country. Our advocacy has also been elevated through media engagement. For example, WTUjoined WHUR’s Daily Drum to talk about the potential budget impact, the role of the Department of Education, and the importance of protecting DEI initiatives. If you missed that discussion on social media, you can click here to listen.  These efforts underscore the power of our unity—but we cannot let up now.

We need our members to encourage the US House of Representatives to pass this bill unanimously. We’re encouraging you to reach out to members of the US House of Representatives. This bill is crucial to keeping our first responders and essential District services which includes firefighters, police officers and of course teachers. Please keep watching our AM Brew, Brew To-Go, and text messages on how to stay informed and rally to action.

Thank you again for all you do and I wish you a joyful and productive week with your students as we welcome the season of renewal.

In solidarity,
Jacqueline Pogue Lyons
President, Washington Teachers’ Union

As a friendly reminder, the 4% Bonus for FY 24, was disbursed on 3/21/2025. 

According to the DCPS Compensation Team, those who eligible who have not received their FY 24 Bonus, will receive it on March 26th. Additionally, you may review the payment amount in PeopleSoft.

If you have not received your FY 24 Bonus and did not have a break in service during the 2023-2024 school year, please email DCPS Compensation at [email protected] to inquire about your status. Additionally, reach out to your WTU Field Representative to have your name added to the list that will be elevated.

Due to D.C.'s collective actions during the week of March 10th, the Senate unanimously passed the "District of Columbia Local Funds Act of 2025" on March 14th. Now, we have to ensure that this bill will be passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Our partners at Free DC, have created a call list and a call script to encourage the U.S. House of Representatives to pass this bill without any amendments. If not, D.C. will face a $1 billion cut in our local budget, of which $358 million would be from public education.

Being that the U.S. House of Representatives returned from their recess today, we are urging all WTU members to call Representatives after your tour of duty. Additionally, if you have friends and relatives who live outside of D.C., please ask them to reach out to their Representative to support this bill.

Lastly, the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute created this blog to debunk the "Five Misunderstandings About the Congressional Bill to Protect the District’s Budget." Please read and share this blog as well. 

Due to the large number of complaints we heard from several schools throughout DCPS, the WTUon March 8th, 2025 filed a group grievance pertaining to DCPS' contractual violation of Article 23.8 Thirty-Minute Morning Block and for many schools, specifically, Article 23.8.5. Please continue to let your WTU Field Representative know if your school is violating the Thirty-Minute Morning Block contractual article of the WTU-DCPS Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Due to our commitment to prioritizing attendance at a number of rallies and events, we had to reschedule our session on the IMPACT Teacher Evaluation System to April 3rd at 4:30 PM.

We know that many teachers face challenges in understanding the IMPACT system, and this session is designed to help unlock the code.

We’ll break down the key components, clarify evaluations, and answer your questions to ensure you feel confident navigating the process.

Click the link below to join us on April 3rd at 4:30 PM:
Join the Via ZOOM

We look forward to seeing you there!

• March 27 @4:30 pm. WTU VP of High School Committee Meeting. Online via Zoom.
• April 7 @ 5 PM. WTU Cope Meeting. Click here to join.

• March 19th, WUSA TV, Budget cuts to Harriet Tubman Elementary spark concern in Northwest DC.

• LEA Look Forward for March 21, 2025: High-Impact Tutoring Summit, Growing Healthy Schools and More

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