Testimony submitted to Council on WTU Contract for 2023-2-1 Hearing

We support the Council approving the negotiated WTU contract to better support their members- the DCPS teacher corps. ……..

For now, we stand by our memo of January 12th.  We do not believe that the retroactive funds in the WTU contract allocated specifically for DCPS teachers (as described in the contract) should be disbursed to the charter LEAs. UPSFF funds going forward for both sectors will be part of the FY24 budget discussions and will thus apply to all LEAs. 

Pay and benefits in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that cover 2019 through this year are for specific individuals and were negotiated by one of 69 LEAs - the publicly managed DCPS. Whatever you decide, it has to be specific to LEA, aligned with demonstrated facts on salary, raises, and existing resources as it is for DCPS, and by teacher not enrollment.  

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Mary Levy and Eboni Rose Thompson respond to Post Op Ed

It has been said, “statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital.” This perfectly describes the OpED Poor children are still left behind in DCPS schools” (December 8, 2019).  The authors suggest charters are winning the battle of closing the achievement gap for our children. What it conceals is significant omissions, exaggerations, and factual errors.

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Letter to the Editor by C4DC Member Venola M Rolle

Ward 7 Education Council Member Venola Rolle commenting on the opening and closing of charter schools: “I am not a fan of charter schools by any stretch of the imagination, but I do believe that, if we have to endure them in the District, they ought to be of the order of this one Monument Academy— created to serve students the traditional public schools are unable to serve effectively. “

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