For Immediate Release

June 1, 2021 

Media Advisory

Educators and Parents to Rally for School Librarians

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Achievement gaps across the District of Columbia are stark and growing; we can expect gaps to have further increased due to COVID-19. Yet, DCPS school budgets continue to fall short of the need, forcing schools serving high percentages of at-risk students to eliminate instructional positions, including librarians, in their local school budgets.

WHO:    Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President, Washington Teachers’ Union

Zachery Parker, President, DC State Board of Education

Frazier O’Leary, Ward 4 Representative, DC State Board of Education

Allister Chang, Ward 2 Representative, DC State Board of Education

Jessica Sutter, Ward 6 Representative, DC State Board of Education

Suzanne Wells, President, Ward 6 Public Schools Parent Organization

Julius Jefferson, Jr., President, American Library Association

WHAT:   Read In to Save School Libraries and increase investment in Literacy programming in the District’s FY2022 Budget

WHEN:   Wednesday, June 2 at 4:00 pm

WHERE:  John A. Wilson Building (Front Steps)

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, DC 20004

As Council of the District of Columbia considers Mayor Bowser’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget, the Washington Teachers’ Union is calling for increased investments in school communities to reduce the District’s achievement gaps by reducing class size, implementing co-teacher and collaborative teaching models, and ensuring there is a librarian in every school. To draw attention to the need to invest in well-rounded literacy programming, school librarians and other educators will be reading to students on the steps of the John A. Wilson Building.

Librarians partner with classroom teachers to provide equitable access to reading materials and co-teach resource-rich literacy. When schools have high-quality library programs and librarians who share their expertise with the entire school community, student achievement gets a boost. Librarians also close the Information Literacy Gap with high school students. The event is supported by District of Columbia Library Association, EveryLibrary, Black Caucus of the American Library Association, and the American Library Association.

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The Media Advisory is available for download here.

Council of the District of Columbia

Special Committee on COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery

Joint Public Hearing on the District’s Public Education System as it Emerges from the Public Health Emergency

May 26, 2021

Testimony of Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

Washington Teachers’ Union

AFT Local 6

Good afternoon. I am Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President of the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU). I’d like to thank the Council, educators and the broader community for the outpouring of support that myself and the WTU received following the passing of President Elizabeth Davis earlier this year. As you know, Liz was a tireless and passionate advocate for our city’s educators and its students. As I appear before you today, I want to stress that her legacy of fighting for social and educational justice for the students of the District of Columbia will continue under my leadership of the Washington Teachers’ Union.

In partnership with EVERFI, a social impact educational technology company, the WTU is pleased to announce the launch of the DC Educator Wellness Center. The funding for the DC Educator Wellness Center is provided by Johnson & Johnson.

In the DC Educator Wellness Center DC Educators 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.

For Immediate Release   

AFT and WTU Presidents Review Health Protections for DC Students & Teachers

Call on DC Public Schools to Reverse Decision to Cut Staffing in at Least 36 Schools

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The presidents of the American Federation of Teachers and the Washington Teachers’ Union toured McKinley Technology High School today with District of Columbia Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee and McKinley parent leaders to showcase the work accomplished to reopen safely to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The leaders also expressed dismay over proposed budget and staff cuts.

“Trust is built through hard work and I know that many across D.C. can learn from the hard work that the McKinley Tech and other communities have put in by working together to make our school buildings safe for teachers and students,” WTU President Jacqueline Pogue Lyons said. “We must recognize that we are still in a pandemic and that many, including nearly all of our students, will not be vaccinated when our schools are fully open. We must continue our work to ensure our facilities are safe.”

In the coming days, Mayor Bowser is expected to release her FY2022 (School Year 2021-22) budget. While the Mayor is expected to increase education spending by 3.6% per student, at least 36 schools are facing staffing cuts as students return to in-person learning.

“I hope Mayor Bowser and Chancellor Ferebee are working to close the gaps in our school budgets,” Pogue Lyons added. “Our city has persistent and growing achievement gaps. It is not enough to do more of the same. We must tackle the structural inequities in our system. No student should be returning to a school that has less after the pandemic.”

AFT President Randi Weingarten urged investment in schools over cuts.

"As we continue to expand in-person learning in the District during this pandemic, it’s important to lift up examples of places that are getting all aspects and complexities right, including student engagement, collaboration and the safety guardrails, like McKinley Tech,” Weingarten said. “It comes down to relationships and resources and while the District has worked with the union in constructive ways to make in-person learning a reality, talk of budget cuts is deeply alarming. We’ll need more staff to meet the social, emotional and academic needs of kids, not less. After this difficult year, we need to keep working together on solutions, not cuts."

Today’s facility tour was a part of the WTU’s efforts to ensure the continued safety of our school buildings for students and staff. The WTU and DCPS have established a “Situation Room” to address any concerns raised by educators or community members. The WTU asks anyone who believes a school building is out of compliance with established safety protocols to complete our Reporting Form at: http://bit.ly/WTUSafeOpenings.

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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.

The full release is available for download here.

For Immediate Release                                                   Contact: Joe Weedon

April 22, 2021                                                                    Tel: 202-277-9410

                                                                                           [email protected]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – AFT President Randi Weingarten and WTU President Jacqueline Pogue Lyons will be holding a press conference after touring McKinley Technology High School after touring the campus to review health and safety protocols put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in District Schools. They will be joined by parent and community leaders, who participated in building walk-through verification tours of the school facility.

WHO:              AFT President Randi Weingarten, WTU President Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, McKinley Tech Local School Advisory Team (LSAT) Chair Sherice Muhammad

WHAT:            Media Availability

WHEN:            Friday, April 23 at 10:00 AM

WHERE:         McKinley Tech High School

                       151 T Street, NE

                       Washington, DC 20002

Weingarten and Pogue Lyons said McKinley is an example of what a successful and safe reopening looks like, with school officials, the union, parents and community working together. The AFT and WTU are working to ensure health and safety protocols are in place at every DCPS school, as outlined in the WTU-DCPS Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to provide safe environments for our students and staff, including full adherence to the DCPS Facility Checklist.

In addition to on-going safety monitoring and improvements, the WTU, AFT and community leadership will discuss the ingredients needed for a successful full return to school for the 2021-2022 school year.

As part of the WTU’s efforts to ensure the continued safety of our school buildings, the WTU and DCPS have established a “Situation Room” to address any concerns raised by educators or community members. DCPS will be providing a weekly update on any issues reported. We ask anyone who believes a school building is out of compliance with established safety protocols to complete our Reporting Form at: http://bit.ly/WTUSafeOpenings.

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The full advisory is available here.

Washington Teachers’ Union Announces Jacqueline Pogue Lyons as President; Regina Bell to Serve as General Vice President

WASHINGTON — The Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) today announced that Jacqueline Pogue Lyons has been confirmed as the union’s next President. Regina Bell will be become General Vice President.

“It is an honor to lead the Washington Teachers’ Union,” WTU President Jacqueline Pogue Lyons said. “We will continue to honor the work and legacy of Elizabeth Davis by working to ensure that our students receive the education they deserve. This starts today with our work to prevent cuts to our school budgets and ensure that city leaders follow the law by ensuring city dollars are allocated equitably to our students.”

Born and raised in New York, Jacqueline Pogue Lyons has been a teacher in the District of Columbia for twenty-eight years and has taught in public schools across Washington, D.C. including: Plummer Elementary, J.C. Nalle Elementary, Thomson Elementary and Hyde Elementary. Prior to being the WTU’s General Vice President in 2016 and joining the WTU office team, she served as a kindergarten teacher at Savoy Elementary.

In her role with the WTU, Pogue Lyons has been a tenacious advocate for the rights of teachers and oversaw the work of the WTU Field Representatives in ensuring DC Public Schools abided by the contractual rights of WTU members. She has also worked tirelessly to support the certification and professional development needs of DCPS educators. Pogue Lyons earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Smith College in Massachusetts and a Master of Education in Bilingual Special Education from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Pogue Lyons has one son, who is a recent graduate of Howard University.

“Every teacher who chooses to come to Washington, D.C. deserves a Union that will stand behind them and support them,” Pogue Lyons continued. “Every student deserves a great teacher who is supported and encouraged to grow in their profession. We must end the antiquated and punitive systems that our city uses to evaluate teachers and schools, causing tremendous turnover in our profession, and replace them with programs and supports that will help our students thrive.”

Pogue Lyons became acting president upon the passing of WTU President Elizabeth A. Davis on April 4. 

The WTU also announced that Regina Bell has been elevated to become the WTU’s General Vice President.

“I’m honored to have been selected by my colleagues to help lead the continuation of President Davis’ work to close the opportunity gaps that plague our city,” Bell said. “The pandemic has only magnified the disparities that our students and school communities face. To improve equity in education we must fully fund our schools and provide library programs for all students”

Bell has served as the Librarian/Media Specialist at Murch Elementary for the past 13 years, where she works with all teachers and staff to support student learning. Bell has served on the Local School Advisory Team (LSAT), the Murch Equity Team, and in other school leadership roles. Bell has served on the Executive Board of the WTU since 2018 and most recently chaired the WTU’s Legislative Committee. Bell and her husband live in D.C. Their three children each graduated from Wilson High School.

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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.

The full release is available for download here.

It is with deepest sorrow that the WTU has confirmed the passing of President Elizabeth Davis.

President Davis has been at the forefront of public education advocacy and reform, leading the WTU’s transformation into a social justice, solution-driven organization dedicated to advancing and promoting quality education for all children, irrespective of their zip codes or results of the school lottery, improving teaching and learning conditions, and aggressively amplifying the voice of teachers in the dialogue around issues of teaching and learning. We are confident that her legacy will continue to shape the WTU as well as education across the District.

Please keep President Davis and her family in your prayers during this difficult time.

Details on a celebration of her life will be forthcoming.