DC Teachers' Union Calls for "Dialogue" on School Closings
Thursday, November 15, 2012
(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Responding to Tuesday’s proposal by the District of Columbia Public Schools
(DCPS) to close
20 public schools throughout the city, the Washington Teachers’ Union
yesterday released its own plan. “WTU’s plan not only addresses the more
immediate challenges presented by proposed school closings,” said WTU
President Nathan A. Saunders, “but also calls for a serious and thoughtful
dialogue about the effects of market-driven education reform and renewing our
commitment to support traditional public schools as the primary source for
educating the city’s children.” Saunders said the union is also concerned
that District students could wind up with “less access to high-quality
teachers and resources.” While acknowledging DCPS’ responsibility to manage
public school facilities and resources, WTU asserted its own “responsibility
to support families including students and good teachers who will ultimately be
displaced.” WTU’s plan calls for providing D.C. public school students with
a well-rounded curriculum and staff support, accommodating displaced personnel
by adjusting hiring and end-of-year attrition while strictly adhering to class
size limits, developing budget transparency and accountability and renewing the
pledge by all stakeholders —including the Mayor, City Council and the
Chancellor—to support public education. Noting that many charter schools are
paying teachers lower wages amid reduced working conditions, the union also
called for extending the right to join the union to charter school teachers. In
related news, Hope Harrod (above at right) was named 2012 DCPS teacher of the
year recently; she teaches 5th grade at John Burroughs Education Campus in
Brookland. David Pinder, member of School Officers Local 4 and head of McKinley
Technology High in Northeast, is 2012’s principal of the year. Click
here for a complete report from The Washington Post.
- photo: Harrod
(right) reacts to Mayor Gray's surprise visit to announce she has won "Teacher
of the Year"; photo courtesy WTU