LOGIN
SEARCH
Allyson Criner Brown and Emily Roderer: What DCPS schools need to help students thrive — and to attract and keep teachers
What makes a great public school, where students can truly thrive, teachers want to teach, and parents want to send their kids? As parents of students who have attended three schools operated by DC Public Schools (DCPS), we have a pretty good — and informed — idea. It takes adequate funding, supports and resources to address the needs and challenges of each school’s student population. It takes a respectful culture that values and supports all staff in the building, all students, and their families.
D.C. Teachers March For New Contract As Union Bargaining Resumes
In a November 18th news story, DCist reported D.C. teachers held demonstrations at at least five schools across the city after school on Thursday, continuing their push for a contract after their last one expired in 2019.
At one school, they chanted slogans like, “Support your teachers, support your students,” and waved signs that declared “FAIR CONTRACT NOW!” and “GOOD WORKING CONDITIONS = GOOD LEARNING CONDITIONS.”
Read moreThere’s ‘An End in Sight’ for the Lengthy Contract Fight Between DCPS and the Teachers’ Union. But Plenty of Bad Blood Remains
On November 17th, the same day WTU teachers plan to rally around each of their respective schools in DCPS @3:30, the Washington City Paper published an article in hope of a resolution to the ongoing dispute.
The last time D.C. had an up-to-date contract with its biggest teachers’ union, the Washington Nationals had yet to win a World Series, Lizzo’s first single was still topping the charts, and hardly anyone had ever heard of COVID-19. The two sides have been negotiating ever since, with a resolution to this saga now increasingly likely to stretch into a fourth year of debate.
The Washington Teachers’ Union and D.C. Public Schools have been fighting over a new collective bargaining agreement for so long that an independent arbitrator took over the matter late last month, setting up an end game for a dispute that has defined education politics in the District since the last contract expired in October 2019.
Read more'Worst I've seen it': DC teachers call on Bowser for contract as arbitration nears
On Thursday, Nov. 3, WTU teachers chanted in front of DCPS Central Office D.C. for Mayor Muriel Bowser to settle a contract for DC Teachers after not having one for three years.
“This is my 34th year,” said Tina Bradshaw Smith, a high school teacher. “This is the worst I have ever seen it.”
Bradshaw Smith says her school is overcrowded, and some days they have to move and borrow desks and chairs.
FOX News: DC Public School teachers report issues getting paid
Fox News reported on the missing pay issues affecting DCPS teachers. Dozens of teachers are missing thousands of dollars, some since the summertime. Paychecks are coming up short as much as $1000 a month. WTU's President Jacqueline Pogue-Lyons emphasized how when things like this happen, teachers feel disrespected. Given the lack of a contract in three years, it is hard to expect teachers to be patient with these issues.
