A Message from WTU’s President
Good Morning WTU Family!
This weekend, the WTU gave away 500 free books of choice to children at this year's H-Street Festival! I’m grateful to our AFT union for providing us with the means to distribute free books to every child. Thank you to our members who helped and those, including State Board of Education (SBOE) Ward 7 Representative Eboni-Rose Thompson who stopped by to give the WTU support. I also want to thank the members who attended C.O.P.E’s virtual forums over the last two weeks. We invite you to continue to join and support our C.O.P.E. meetings as we discuss which SBOE and DC City Councilmembers to endorse for the upcoming election.
If you haven’t yet registered for WTU’s Fall PD classes, please take a moment to register. Classes begin this coming Thursday, September 26 ! A minimum of 10 participants is required for the course to run so please encourage your colleagues to join you. Also on Thursday, WTU will offer an orientation program for those interested in joining AFT’s Teacher Leader program. Learn more about how to take active leadership roles in your schools, Union, and community. Those who finish the TLP program with a completed project will receive a stipend. Join us via Zoom for a NEW Information Session on Thursday, September 26 at 4:30PM.
This coming Saturday, we encourage all members who are in WTU leadership positions in their schools to join us for Saturday’s Union Leadership Institute (ULI) held in AFT’s offices. To register for the Union Leadership Institute held this Saturday, September 28 at the AFT, 555 New Jersey Ave., NW, please click here.
I wish you a blessed week full of learning adventures with your students!
In solidarity,
Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President
Washington Teachers’ Union
WTU’s Contract Bargaining Team Update
As mentioned in last week’s AM BREW, contract negotiations with DCPS stopped abruptly in August due to the District’s (DCPS and OLRCB’s) insistence on:
- Increasing students' class sizes
- Removing safeguards for working hours
- Refusing to bargain over the length of the school year
- Possibly excessing highly effective and effective teachers
- Failing to sign contracts on time
Please continue to send your photos of members wearing red, and post signs. Signs can be placed in the back window of your car. Click here for the Proud WTU Member sign and here for the Fair Contract Now sign. Please email pictures to our WTU Organizer, Mike Roland, at [email protected] or text at 202-957-1782. All requests for buttons or tshirts can be sent to Mike Roland. For further context, click here to read the Washington Informer’s recent article highlighting our current contract campaign status.
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.
X: https://x.com/WTUTeacher
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/WTULocal6/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/wtu_teacher/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrkj6wxtayL6Rs1htHEylA
Upcoming Events, Activities & Meetings
- September 26 @4:30 PM - Teacher Leader Program Orientation, INFORMATION
- September 26 @4:30-7:30 PM - Library of Congress “Back-to-School-Night” for educators on Thursday, Whittall Pavilion of The Jefferson Building, Reservation required. INFORMATION
- September 27 @5-7 PM – GPS Art All Night (adobe.com). INFORMATION
- September 28 @ AFT office, Union Leadership Institute, Registration required, INFORMATION
- October 5 @ 1 PM Planet Word, Building Literacy Resource Fair: Making School-to-Home Connections — Planet Word Museum
- October 8 @ 4:30 PM – Rep Assembly Building Reps and Delegates to will receive a separate link to join as a panelist, INFORMATION
- October 9 - @ 4:30 PM - In-Person Retirement session, with DCPS, WTU and DC Retirement Board, 1200 1st St., NE, Room 1012A, REGISTRATION
- October 19 @ 2PM Brookland Middle School, Hopeville: How to Win the Reading Wars | Documentary Film
In the News
- 9/17/24 – Channel 4 News – DC School Evacuated After Construction Odor Sickens Students: Medics evaluated 24 students and four adults after an odor from asphalt work sparked illnesses at Cleveland Elementary School, DC Fire and EMS said
- 9/17/24 – Channel 7 News - A DC Council committee will hire law firm and review Trayon White's conduct
- 9/19/24 – The Washington Post - D.C. doesn’t have an official amphibian. These kids want to change that: Fourth graders from Powell Elementary School testified in support of a bill they wrote to recognize the red-backed salamander
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9/20/24 – MSNBC – Threats made to DC Schools Increases Police Presence
PD and other opportunities
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 X, Facebook, and Instagram to keep up with the latest from your Union.