DC teachers union enters third month without contract with public schools

The Washington Teachers Union in Washington, D.C., is set to enter its third month without a contract with D.C. Public Schools after months of low staff retention and lingering effects from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The contract between the union and DCPS expired on Sept. 30. Since then, WTU President Jacqueline Pogue-Lyons told DCist that the public schools system has failed to commit to a meeting date and has not responded to WTU’s contract proposals.

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“We see the urgency of it,” Pogue-Lyons said. “But we’re finding that DCPS doesn’t see the urgency.”

DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee said at a Nov. 14 meeting of the D.C. Council that WTU and DCPS have “yet to agree on ground rules,” which was causing the “challenge” and delay in meeting in person.

While Pogue-Lyons acknowledged that a lack of ground rules was an obstacle, the two parties had “reached an understanding that we’re going to move on.” The union president added that DCPS told WTU in late October it would respond to the union’s proposed meeting dates and contract ideas by Nov. 10, which was then pushed to Nov. 17.

Days later, Pogue-Lyons said DCPS has not responded to proposals. DCPS told the local news outlet in a statement that it would not answer specific questions about the contract negotiations, given it would violate a section of the D.C. code regarding collective bargaining.

“DCPS is honored to partner with WTU as we endeavor to complete an agreement that serves the district’s educators and students as efficiently as we can,” DCPS said to the outlet.

The WTU is proposing a focus on teacher retention, diversity among staff, and salary increases, among other things. In the 2022-2023 school year, 70% of DCPS teachers stayed as teachers in the same school at which they taught in the 2021-2022 school year. Seventeen percent of teachers left and were no longer employed at a D.C. public school, according to data from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

Pogue-Lyons said the union wants an increase in recruiting black and brown teachers after a nationwide trend of turnover among educators of color. State reports have noted stress, burnout, low pay, and the intrusion of politics as reasons for the increasing departure of teachers of color, the Associated Press reported.

Alice Deal Middle School Spanish teacher Michael Donaldson Jr. reportedly said it is “disheartening” to see DCPS refusing to come to the table and negotiate with the union. As a black teacher, Donaldson said he is particularly passionate about focusing on diversifying hiring strategies to attract educators of color.

“I want more role models for our students, particularly our males of color,” he said.

Another union priority is addressing safety concerns during a rise of violence in schools and overall crime in Washington, D.C. In 2022, 97 people under the age of 18 were arrested in the district, according to D.C. crime data shared with NBC 4 Washington.

WTU has been circulating a petition called “Kids Deserve Safe Schools” to call on Ferebee to “meet us at the table to discuss our ideas on school violence that have been sitting on your desk.” The union’s proposals for school safety include distributing surveys to teachers annually to collect common safety concerns, forming a teacher committee dedicated to finding safety solutions, and expanding Safe Passage, a D.C. government program that engages in conflict resolution, mediation services, and community relationship building. The program aims to “keep students safe and improve student attendance.”

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“I just think it’s indefensible that the District is not coming to the table,” Whittier Elementary School teacher Glen Edwards told the local outlet. “What are your priorities if it is not the safety of your students and the safety of your staff and the safety of your family and community?”

The Washington Examiner reached out to DCPS for comment.