Teachers' Union Responds to DCPS School Closings

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)The Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) plans to continue “fervently advocating for teachers, students and families” after District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Kaya Henderson last week announced the final school consolidation and reorganization plan to close 15 neighborhood schools. “We will minimize the plan’s impact, while stabilizing teachers, students and schools,” said WTU President Nathan Saunders. “Through a positive working relationship with DCPS, WTU has influenced education stakeholders to ensure teachers with effective or higher evaluation ratings continue to have positions within the school system,” Saunders added. “As we continue to look forward and not only address the more immediate challenges presented by school consolidations, WTU remains on the cutting edge of new DCPS partnerships to ensure the viability of public education.” Meanwhile, a new report by the DC Fiscal Policy Institute questioned how much the closings would really save, noting that the projected $10.4 million savings in staffing costs in 2013-14 would be nearly erased by the cost of the closures themselves.