AM Brew - October 25, 2021

Here's What's Brewing Today

Tuesday, October 25, 2021

The most rewarding part of my job is when I visit schools and connect with members either in small groups or one-on-one. I sincerely appreciate the job that you perform under very imperfect circumstances. I understand what you experience daily with large class sizes, class coverage, and the lack of drinking water for your students. I commit to fighting every single day to improve on your working conditions and to hold DCPS accountable for its mishandling of COVID-19 protocols. Please do not hesitate to notify your building representative or field services specialist of any immediate issues that we need to attend to.

As always, I wish you an enjoyable and productive work week.

Jacqueline

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

On October 12, 2021, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) reached a settlement in Weingarten v. DeVos. The Department of Education led by Secretary Miguel Cardona agreed to work with AFT to ensure relief for the countless borrowers who relied on the promise of Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

According to the terms of the settlement, millions of Americans, including educators will now have their loans completely forgiven or will be properly enrolled in a forgiveness program crediting their years of past payments, putting them much closer to full forgiveness.

As a member of the AFT, you are eligible to get help navigating the new process from AFT’s
partner, Summer. Retrieve your membership number at https://members.aft.org/members/lookup. Once you have your membership number, sign up for a free account with Summer at https://www.meetsummer.org/pslf.

If you have questions, please contact AFT at https://www.aft.org/contact or by
calling (800) 238-1133.

The WTU is planning a workshop in November to help you navigate this process and will keep you posted in the coming weeks.

Dental and Vision Open Enrollment

DC government has announced its open enrollment to run from 2022 for Monday, November 8 through Monday December 13, 2021. This is an annual opportunity to review your current benefits elections and make changes. This is also an opportunity for you to make any changes to your dental and vision benefits. Click here for details on your dental and vision coverage or if you have any questions regarding these benefits, contact Valerie Kilby at [email protected].

If you have questions regarding enrollment into the plans, contact DCPS benefits at [email protected].

Important Information for Related Service Providers and Special Education Teachers

Due to concerns regarding the increasing requests for redundant documentation from the Division of Specialized Instruction the WTU reached out to DCPS regarding the required documentation of recovery planning for students with IEPs. DSI indicated the Quarterly Progress Reports and Recovery Plans are due Monday, November 15, 2021. This date is aligned Article 19.2 (Report Cards/Progress Reports shall be prepared within five (5) school days after the close of each advisory/grading period.)

Given numerous reports concerning inequitable duty assignments and excessive class coverage assignments, we're requesting all related service providers and special education teachers complete the following surveys ASAP.

Survey #1 - Coverage and Duty Assignments

Survey #2 - Over Enrollment in Self-Contained Classrooms & Inequity in Program Assignments

If you have any questions or concerns regarding these surveys contact Field Services Specialist, Janice Brown Parker at [email protected].

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

Professional Development

For additional PD opportunities, check out the PD Blog at https://www.wtulocal6.net/pdblog.

Join the Flagway League!

The Flagway League Launch is TODAY Monday, October 25 @ 4-5pm, led by coordinator Raphael Bonhomme. "The goal of The Flagway™ Game is to create environments where students can practice and celebrate learning math. There are many different ways to create a cultural context in which mathematics emerges naturally from students’ experience. One method used by the YPP and the Algebra Project is to create mathematically rich games and experiences." Find more info about the game here: http://www.typp.org/flagway.

IMPACT Professional Development Workshop (FREE)

Part 2 (EP 3, 4 & 5): Saturday, November 6 @ 10am-1pm

In many ways, your career in DCPS is dependent upon the IMPACT scoring system. Learn what the system measures, how it works and much more. Participants will take a deep dive into the scoring systems used by DCPS which include the Essential Practices, Teacher-Assessed Student Achievement Data (TAS), Community School Commitment (CSC) and Core Professionalism (CP) Participants will receive 3 PLU’s.

RSVP HERE: https://www.wtulocal6.net/fall_2021_impact_professional_development

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, October 26, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. - Public Hearing on two Bills introduced by Councilmembers Lewis George, and R. White:

Bill 24-80 would make OSSE subordinate to the State Board of Education, provide SBOE with the authority to appoint the State Superintendent of Education, and allow employees of the District of Columbia Public Schools to serve on the SBOE.

Bill 24-101 would make OSSE an independent agency within the District government. The bill also clarifies OSSE’s oversight responsibilities, requiring the agency to verify data produced by local education agencies (LEA) and to investigate allegations of waste, fraud, or fiscal mismanagement by LEAs. Those who want to testify must register by the close of business on Friday October 22, 2021. You may also submit written testimony to [email protected]

Friday, November 5, 2021 at 12:00pm Hearing on Bill 24-77, District of Columbia Public Schools Technology Equity Act of 2021

Partner events and other upcoming events of interest are also posted to the AMBrew Blog.

Reminders:

Report unsafe conditions at http://bit.ly/WTUSafeOpenings

As part of the MOA, the WTU and DCPS teams will meet weekly to review and find solutions to any violations of the #ReopenStrong: School Building Readiness Checklist. If you see something out of compliance, please report it at http://bit.ly/WTUSafeOpenings. As you click on an area of the form, a drop-down box will appear to allow you to enter comments. Or simply complete the text box at the end of the form. All reports will remain confidential and no identifying information will be provided to DCPS.

Air Quality Report

As a part of the MOU, DGS must provide monthly information on air quality in our schools. The September DGS School Indoor Air Quality- Monthly Report is a now available.

ICYMI: DC Educator Wellness Center

In partnership with EVERFI, a social impact educational technology company, the WTU is pleased to share with you the DC Educator Wellness Center. The funding for the DC Educator Wellness Center is provided by Johnson & Johnson. In the DC Educator Wellness Center you will find access to a prevention-forward, self-guided, digital microlearning experience designed to provide you with on-demand content related to mental health. The growing list of topics includes Mental Health Basics, Managing Mental Health Challenges, Developing Resilience, Supporting Loved Ones With Mental Health Challenges, and Mindful Living. You can read more here.

We’re continuing to update our database.

Please help us ensure we have your current personal contact information on file. Email [email protected] to provide us with updated information.

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

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