Go Home Already: Shouts and Murmurs
Man Stops Traffic at 17th and K to Demand $200 Million
Compromise Uncertain on Same-Sex Marriage Law
Judge Throws Out WTU Suit Over Teacher Layoffs
Morning Roundup: Goodbye, Abe Edition
Sixty-one DCPS schools are serving as polling places in the District today, in addition to following a normal academic schedule. (The Washington Teachers’ Union had asked schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee to close the schools for election day, but their request was denied.) According to a spokesperson for the District, additional security has been put in place to ensure the safety of students, and “guarantees” have been made for light and heat (although one would hope those things were in place already).
While you’re voting, don’t forget to connect those arrows for your state school board representatives. If you missed it, check out DCist’s preview of the school board races here and here.
Speaking of the elections, the WTU has made good on its promise to send a letter to Senator Barack Obama, chastising him for his “statement in the last Presidential Debate about the state of DC Public Schools.” Towards the end of the final debate on October 15, Obama, responding to a question on education and vouchers, said, “The D.C. school system is in terrible shape, and it has been for a very long time.” Somehow, the WTU found this offensive, rather than as we saw it – stating the obvious.
The full text of the letter is below the jump.
Photo by zeul
October 23, 2008Senator Barack Obama
US Senate
Washington DC Office
13 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510Senator Barack Obama:
Please know that many members of the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) and the
American Federation of Teachers (AFT) support your candidacy for president and have
worked very hard throughout the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia to ensure
that you are the next president of the United States. The Washington Teachers Union
(WTU) was, however, very disappointed with your statements in this most recent
presidential debate about the state of the DC public school (DCPS) system. Your remarks about DCPS were discouraging to our teachers, their students and their families.Just this year, it was announced that DCPS students made significant gains during the
past academic year in reading and math. The number of DC public schools making
adequate yearly progress (AYP) in reading and math rose from 31 schools to
47 schools – an increase of more than 30%. Thanks to the dedication of DCPS teachers, DCPS test scores are now equivalent to scores from other school systems in several major cities. Although our teachers realize that there is still much progress to be made, the steady progress of DCPS test scores is a testament to the hard work performed by teachers in spite of the many challenges they face each and every day.
The WTU wants nothing more than to turn around DC's struggling schools so that every
child who attends public school can reach his or her true potential. We invite you to join
us on a visit to a DC public school to witness first-hand the great strides that our teachers make each and every day on behalf of our students in spite of limited support and resources. We hope that you will support the efforts of our teachers in implementing the right kind of sustainable reform that will benefit all children of DCPS.Sincerely,
George Parker, President
Schools Notes: WTU president George Parker is censured by the union’s executive board… Eastern High School’s football team struggles to find a future… Parking woes for Duke Ellington teachers… Had enough Obamakins? How about a Rhee-o-lantern?
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Good grief, WTU!! Obama was just trying to be nice.
He should have said: "D.C. schools suck!"
WTF?, WTU!
yeah, i suppose the fact that candidates for the school board can't form complete sentences is proof positive that things are looking up!
any chance Pamela "respected internationally" Johnson had some input on this?
Voters a threat to student safety? Let's be realistic here...
I'm a DCPS teacher and had my concerns about a lot of random adults (yes, voters but that can be anyone) coming into school buildings where there are a lot of kids. We're very protective of our students and am glad that extra security was provided.
So the schools being in session is why I, and every other voter, had to go through metal detectors and have our bags x-rayed this morning at Bell Multicultural Center this morning. Because all of us who feel compelled to fulfill our civic duty and elect the officials that run this nation are the same people likely to start a shooting spree or stab a student. WTF DCPS?
no metal detectors at dunbar.
the security was there to keep the kids away from us, not vice-versa. that's the way it appeared every time a student tried to get near the voters line.
of course, there was a man in a suit (principal? vice-principal?) outside of dunbar yelling at a bunch of kids and telling them to "go straight home, or i'll call your parents." when we asked, we were told that kids were given the day off. was that just the case at dunbar? for one class? beecause later on the PA system was telling students to all go to the auditorium for a mock election...
Take it easy, WTU. Obama said the DC school system sucks, he didn't say that DC teachers suck.
Extra security my ass. This is why you close the schools that are voting locations: the alternative is voter intimidation. At least when I voted at Bell at 4pm nobody stopped me when I "jumped the line" and walked right by the detectors. ajhred--if someone refused, were they turned away?
And I'd like to send out a big "thank you, now GFY" to all the voters who assumed our school parking lot (one of the few perks to our job) was there for their convenience...leaving teachers with nowhere to park at 8 a.m. as the school day started.
Our wonderful school custodian was in our parking lot at 7:00 making sure no voters took the few parking spaces we have, that are used for teachers. Voters had to use street parking and it all turned out fine, including an Obama victory!!!
Ahhhh public school teachers, few other professions spend so much time applying gold-leaf to their own halos.