Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, November 21, 2022

I am thankful and grateful to the entire WTU community for participating in the action last Thursday. It was truly a beautiful sight to see us all united in our efforts to get a contract. Although the city leaders are listening and we are back at the negotiating table, we do not have a contract yet. Please help us keep putting pressure on the Mayor and DCPS leadership over the coming weeks. Your voice matters!

I hope that you are able to take some time for yourself this Thanksgiving break you truly deserve it. There was an article published last week, ‘Teachers Experienced More Anxiety than Healthcare Workers During the Pandemic,’ we know this is true. Please be careful as you travel this holiday weekend. COVID is still with us and other respiratory viruses are circulating widely. Please take care of yourself and your loved ones.

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

TEACHERS DESERVE A FAIR CONTRACT

We’re bent on keeping the pressure on until we receive a FAIR contract! To see interviews of participants, visit WTU’s Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or FaceBook sites. Please retweet, forward, and retweet again!

Upcoming Events. Details coming soon.

• Town Hall Week of November 28th
• Holiday Go-Go for Education, December 16th

Also, we need your photos/videos! They serve as priceless reminders of how determined we remain in getting a FAIR contract. You can see our efforts in the pictures compiled on the Photos_2022 page of the WTU website here. If you’ve taken photos and video you don’t see pictured, please take a moment to email them to [email protected].

Contact your Building Rep or Field Representative for more information about on-going contract negotiations. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT ANY ACTIVITY YOU PARTICIPATE IN TAKES PLACE OUTSIDE YOUR TOUR OF DUTY. DCPS is watching!

WTU in the news

• Brenda Douyon’s class in the Kidspost - November Class of KidsPost: Garrison Elementary in Washington, D.C. - The Washington Post
• DCPS teachers walkout over contract, building standards | wusa9.com
• 'Overlooked and overdue.' Parents demand DCPS renovate 100-year-old Whittier Elementary | WJLA
• There’s ‘An End in Sight’ for the Lengthy Contract Fight Between DCPS and the Teachers’ Union. But Plenty of Bad Blood Remains. - Washington City Paper
• D.C. Teachers March For New Contract As Union Bargaining Resumes

KC Boyd winner of Excellence in Equity 2022

Excellence in Equity 2022 | The Winners | Equity & Access Pre K-12 | The American Consortium for Equity in Education (ace-ed.org). Recognizing the companies, leaders, authors, and educators whose tremendous efforts are helping schools achieve equity everywhere

DCPS in the news

• D.C. Gets Federal Funds To Help Homeless Students. But Many Schools In Need Are Shortchanged
• D.C. gets federal funds to help homeless students. But many schools in need are shortchanged (wamu.org)

Field Trip Guidance

Earlier this month DCPS released new guidelines on field trips. The administration in your school is responsible for checking the driver’s license of the bus driver.

• Click here for information on how to check credentials.
• Click here for a Day-of Field Trip Checklist.

Open Positions

Looking for a new position? Check out the November listings of instructional and non-instructional vacancies posted here: https://www.wtulocal6.net/open_positions

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

Upcoming events

In addition to the events listed below, we encourage you to check out the WTU Members –Only Calendar where you can find a condensed list of upcoming WTU events.

Golden ID Program

The Golden ID Program allows eligible senior citizens to take advantage of the wide variety of courses at the University of Maryland. Learn more.

#RedforEd

Please wear red each Friday and post photos to social media. Please tag us @WTUTeacher

Reminders:

Facility Concerns SY 22-23

Over the past two years, the WTU has met regularly to discuss facility issues with DCPS. Yet, many schools continue to have health and safety concerns. We ask that you let the WTU know of any health or safety concerns in your building by completing this brief form.

We’re continuing to update our database.

Please help us ensure we have your current personal contact information on file. Please email [email protected] to update your contact information or to be added to member mailings.

Be sure to follow the WTU on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to keep up on the latest from your Union.