A Message from WTU President

Good Morning WTU!

I hope you enjoyed a beautiful and meaningful Memorial Day weekend! We give thanks to the men and women who gave their lives while fighting for our country. Last Tuesday, WTU’s Contract Bargaining Team met with DCPS for another bargaining session. We were grateful that DC Councilmember Anita Bonds or a representative from her office frequently attends our bargaining team meetings. As chair of the DC City Labor Council, we particularly value her oversight and presence. Our team continues to push DCPS to reach a fair agreement as soon as possible. To learn more, please watch the WTU’s Contract Negotiations Team’s Weekly Update here.

Tonight, I’m looking forward to seeing many of you at WTU’s Evening with the Candidates from 3:30-5:30 PM at Busboys and Poets, 2004 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE. Please attend! Complimentary food and beverages will be served.

I also hope you will join us for the last two opportunities we will have to canvass for our endorsed candidates before the election:

• Councilmember Trayon White (Ward 8 endorsed candidate) - Friday, May 31st, from 5:30 PM to 7 PM. Location to be announced.
• Councilmember Robert White (At-Large endorsed candidate) - Sunday, June 2nd, starting at 2 PM at the Ward 8 McDonald’s at 2529 Good Hope Road SE. If you are available, please wear your WTU red shirt and volunteer some of your time to help them out. They need your help!

As you know, June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month! The WTU invites all members to join us in decorating WTU’s parade truck, riding/marching in the parade and handing out free books to children as part of our book giveaway. And we are pleased and excited to announce that Randi Weingarten, the President of the American Federation of Teachers, will be joining us to march in the parade! Every member who volunteers will receive a WTU pride t-shirt. If you would like to join us, please contact WTU’s organizer, Mike Roland at [email protected]. We hope to see you there!

In solidarity,

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

Washington Teachers’ Union

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

Watch WTU’s Contract Bargaining Team’s Weekly Update here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVsAq4LiCU_mjtJrOcqtlw0_yWg4LxvhE 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!

Washington Teachers’ Union Stands with Peaceful Protestors

The members of The Washington Teachers’ Union voted during the Representative Assembly Meeting on Tuesday, May 13, 2024 to support the following statement on the student and faculty protests at George Washington University and on many other campuses nationwide:

“The Washington Teachers’ Union firmly stands with peaceful student and faculty protests at George Washington University and on multiple other campuses nationwide. As educators, we believe in the power of education to promote understanding, empathy, and solidarity across borders. As a social justice union, we support peaceful protests for the Palestinian people and stand with the world in expressing horror over Hamas’ October 7th massacre and hostage taking of Israelis. Both sentiments can and should co-exist. 

“The student encampments serve as powerful reminders of the ongoing oppression faced by the Palestinian people, including the denial of basic human rights, displacement, and violence by occupation forces. Students and faculty are playing a crucial role in advancing the cause of justice and equality with their protests. The WTU reaffirms its commitment to supporting the rights of students to advocate peacefully for a more just and equitable world.

“We call on university administrators to engage constructively with student activists, listen to their concerns and work towards creating a campus environment that is inclusive and supportive of all communities.”

WTU’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month Activities

Please join us in celebrating Pride Month in June! From 4-7 PM on June 7^th, WTU will be decorating our Pride Parade truck outside the WTU’s office. On June 8^th, meet us as we line up to prepare for the parade from 12-2 PM! On June 9^th, sign up for a shift to help us as we give away one free book of choice to kids at WTU’s festival table.

WTU’s Informational Meeting for International Teachers

If you are an international teacher in need of getting important questions answered regarding your visa status, please attend this meeting with an immigration attorney and consultant on Wednesday, June 5^th at 4:30 PM.

Important Special Education Survey

If you are a Special Education teacher or related service provider, please take this important survey regarding PowerSchools here.

Sick Leave Buy-Back Program

Applications for Sick Leave Buy-Back  are now available. The deadline for submission of the application is June 7, 2024. Click here for more information and application.

Encourage Your Students to Enter the National Writers Guild Contest

Please take a moment to encourage your seventh graders to submit writings about Juneteenth.  The National Writers Union is co-sponsoring its first annual contest with Street Sense Media, which will publish several winning submissions.  An additional co-sponsor, Second Story Cards, will provide gift cards to the top winners.

The National Writers Union (NWU) is a union of freelance writers in every medium and genre.  The DC area chapter, which is affiliated with the Metro Washington Council, AFL-CIO, has members in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and West Virginia, in addition to D.C.  Members of the Chapter will be judging the submissions.

The Juneteenth writing contest seeks submissions in any form, in accordance with these instructions:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfbImjurxP3uxIVsnVZZbQrGOJ83eQbwVaysJ9PbFRxP7liQQ/viewform

The deadline for submissions has been extended to Monday, June 3, 2024.

Vote for a Jackson-Reed Student’s Google Doodle!

A Jackson-Reed HS senior representing the District of Columbia is among the finalists in the Google contest in the Grades 10-12 age group. Go to https://doodles.google.com/d4g/vote/ and click on "10-12" photo of art (see photo).

Upcoming Events, Activities & Meetings

• May 28 @3:30-5:30 PM, WTU’s Evening with the Candidates, Busboys and Poets, 2004 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE
• May 29 @4:30 PM, WTU Townhall, Meeting ID: 851 8518 7402 Passcode: 738316, Information
• May 31 @5:30-7 PM, Canvass for WTU’s Ward 8 endorsed candidate Councilmember Trayon White
• June 2 @2 PM, Canvass for At-Large Candidate Councilmember Robert White, Ward 8 McDonald’s at 2529 Good Hope Road SE
• June 5 @4:30 PM, Informational Meeting for International Teachers via Zoom
• June 7 @4-7 PM, Decorate WTU’s Pride Truck, 15th Street NW - Staging
• June 8 @12-2 PM, Staging/Lineup, 15^th Street NW
• June 8 @3-7 PM, Ride with the WTU in the Parade, 15th Street NW
• June 9 @12-7 PM, Help the WTU give away free books to children at Capital Pride Festival
• June 11@4:30 PM, WTU Membership Meeting, Registration Required, INFORMATION

In the News

• 05/15/2024 – The Washington Informer - The Youth of Black Swan Academy Unite Around Budget Demands
• 05/15/2024 – DC News Now – Police: Juvenile Shot Near Roosevelt HS in DC
• 05/21/2024 – The Washington Informer - Jackson-Reed Tops Maret in State Baseball Final; St. John’s Victorious in Softball; Georgetown Visitation Wins in Girls Lacrosse
• 05/21/2024 – WJLA - Teen dead after shooting in Northwest DC; police investigating
• 05/25/2024 – NPR – A California School is addressing chronic absenteeism at its root
• 05/25/2024 –Eliot Hine Network's interview w/ Ward 7 Rep. to the State Board of Education Eboni-Rose Thompson

LEA Look Forward – Weekly Updates

Monday, June 24–Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Arthur and Rochelle Belfer National Conference for Educators - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (ushmm.org) 2024 Belfer National Conference for Educators. This free virtual conference is hosted by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

LEA Look Forward for May 17, 2024: Dyslexia Legislation Year 2, Peer Collaborative Opportunities and More!

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.