On Tuesday, October 25th, the Washington Post aired the results of a WTU survey of more than 600 teachers. Nearly half said they will likely leave their jobs in the next few years. Four out of five are unhappy in their jobs. As frustrations about the contract or lack thereof rise, teachers cite lack of a raise, rising inflation, increased workloads and teacher turnover as their main concerns. 

“Teachers’ dissatisfaction with their working conditions affects children’s learning conditions,” said Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, the union’s president, in a statement. “Teachers are stressed, overwhelmed and upset that they don’t get the support and compensation they need to do their jobs as well as they’d like to. As a result, more and more folks are leaving these jobs, and we have more vacancies than we can fill.”

The survey, which was conducted between Sept. 21-26 paints a grim picture of the city’s public school workforce. Teachers expressed concerns over a lack of support from principals, insufficient planning time and class sizes.

WTU Members to Engage with Public at Saturday’s H Street Festival

DCPS Educators Haven’t Had a Contract in Three Years

WASHINGTON—Members of the Washington Teachers’ Union, who have been teaching D.C. public school students without a contract or a raise for three years, will join their community on Saturday at the H Street Festival.

WTU educators will be talking with the public about their agenda for improving D.C.’s public schools, including helping recruit and retain good teachers and ensuring their students get the resources they need to do well—all things they’re fighting for at the bargaining table.

WTU teachers, in addition to handing out flyers to the public, will be handing out free books to students of all ages at their table on H Street between 5th and 6th Street, N.E.

“We want what’s fair for teachers and good for students and their families. Because the reality is, D.C. public schools are struggling to recruit and retain teachers, educators haven’t had a raise in three years, class sizes are too large and educators need planning time to prepare for the day’s instruction. But by showing no urgency to confront these problems, DCPS and the mayor are turning their backs on every D.C. family and the entire community. This has terrible consequences for D.C. students,” said WTU President Jacqueline Pogue Lyons.

For Immediate Release 

September 15, 2022  

WTU Announces Endorsements for 2022 General Election

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) today announced the WTU’s endorsements in the November 2022 general election.

“The WTU is proud to stand behind a diverse slate of candidates who will champion public education and who will strive to move beyond the status quo that continues to fail far too many students,” said Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, WTU President.

“These candidates have listened to parents and teachers and understand that it will take decisive action to close the city’s persistent and growing achievement gaps,” Pogue Lyons continued. “We also know that we can count on these candidates to help tackle the issues – including the lack of a fair contract with teachers and the use of the IMPACT evaluation system which has been found to be racially biased – that have led to the District having a rate of teacher turnover that far exceeds the national average.”

For City Council, the WTU endorses:

• City Council, At-Large: Elissa Silverman
• City Council, At-Large: Karim Marshall
• City Council, Ward 1: Brianne Nadeau
• City Council, Ward 3: Matthew Frumin
• City Council, Ward 5: Zachary Parker
• City Council, Ward 6: Charles Allen

“The State Board of Education plays a vital role in our education system giving voice to students, parents, and educators,” said Regina Bell, the WTU’s General Vice President. “Our city’s accountability system continues to be heavily weighted towards measures that are proxies for poverty – tests and attendance – and the WTU is excited to endorse individuals who are committed to moving our city towards a governance system that is more democratic.”

For DC State Board of Education races, the WTU endorses:

• State Board of Education, Ward 1: Ben Williams
• State Board of Education, Ward 3: Michael Sriqui
• State Board of Education, Ward 5: Robert Henderson
• State Board of Education, Ward 6: Joshua Wiley

The WTU’s Committee on Political Education (WTU-COPE) leads all WTU political activities. The WTU-COPE facilitated the endorsement process by issuing questionnaires to candidates, conducting candidate surveys and interviews, polling COPE members and presenting its recommendations to the WTU Executive Committee. The WTU Executive Committee then presented its recommendations to the WTU membership which approved the endorsements.

# # #

About the Washington Teachers’ Union

The WTU represents more than 5,000 active and retired teachers. It is dedicated to social and educational justice for the students of the District of Columbia and to improving the quality of support, resources, compensation and working conditions for the public servants and proud teachers who educate our students in D.C. Public Schools. Learn more at www.WTULocal6.net.

The full press release can be downloaded by clicking here.

Catch the Early Bird Discount by reserving your spot in the professional development courses starting this Saturday, September 10th! Register online here! 

To view all fall courses, please download WTU's 2022 Fall Professional Development Brochure.

Earn College Credits and or PLU's! Enroll in WTU's Fall Professional Development Courses before Friday, September 9th to catch the Early Bird Discount on courses for WTU members. Non-members are also welcome to enroll in WTU’s professional development courses. All courses are research-based, peer-to-peer and solutions-driven. Want to learn more about managing students with behavioral or emotional problems? Join WTU instructor Staci Abrams in her class on Managing Behaviors in School Communities (MBSC) as she shares effective mitigation and prevention strategies. 

August 24, 2022 | WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, President Biden announced an historic action to cancel student debt for tens of millions of Americans. Today’s action will provide up to $20,000 in debt cancellation to people with student debt who used a Pell Grant to pay for college and up to $10,000 in debt cancellation for all other borrowers, so long as borrowers earn less than $125,000 per individual or $250,000 per household. More information about this historic announcement is available here.