Earlier this morning, the Washington Teachers Union sent its members the results of a survey about IMPACT, the new employee evaluation system used by DCPS. The survey was sent out to DCPS teachers last spring, and was completed by 928 teachers. According to an email from the Washington Teachers' Union, the results are being released now because, "media interest in the survey results is much higher than earlier this year." That's probably true -- just hours ago, news broke that 241 teachers had been fired for "ineffective" performance under the new system. George Parker, president of the WTU, has announced that the union will appeal the firings. more ›

It is obvious that those of us who live and breathe as citizens of the District of Columbia are used to a measure of issues in government oversight -- for instance, today's news that an auditor's survey of five District government agencies uncovered nearly 700 unpaid fines totaling over $70,000 assessed to government vehicles. Nothing shocking, right? But here's a legitimate question for anyone to ask: just who in the hell is responsible for the out and out financial mess that D.C. Public Schools currently finds themselves in? Someone's got to take a fall for this one, right? more ›

In a blow to the Washington Teachers' Union, the D.C. Superior Court today rejected the union's bid to reinstate the 266 teachers who were fired by DCPS in October. The teachers were laid off as part of a large reduction in force (RIF) that DCPS has maintained was necessitated by a $4.4 million budget shortfall. According to the Post, Judge Judith Bartnoff argued that the WTU failed to prove any of their allegations against Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, specifically that, "the RIF was not a budget-driven layoff but an illegal mass firing, and that the shortfall cited by Rhee was a sham and a pretext for dumping older teachers." more ›

As promised, here are some images captured by DCist photographer Francis Chung during Thursday afternoon's Washington Teachers Union-organized protest outside the John A. Wilson Building. more ›

As we mentioned in the Morning Roundup, the D.C. public schools announced yesterday that an unexpected $40 million budget shortfall will require spending cuts and personnel reductions by the end of October. In a letter to teachers, George Parker, president of the Washington Teachers' Union, expressed anger that the WTU was not notified of the cuts prior to yesterday's announcement, and suggested that the coming layoffs could jeopardize the ongoing contract negotiations. Contract talks were recently rumored to be nearing to a close after almost two years of stalemate. more ›

In a letter sent last week to DCPS teachers, D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee directly addressed ten of the most frequent concerns she hears from teachers, ranging from "Some people say that you want to fire all the veterans in DCPS and replace them with Teach For America teachers or DC Teaching Fellows. Is that true?" to "There are too many initiatives going on. I’m worn out and overwhelmed. What’s your priority?" more ›

In the PR battle for the hearts and minds of D.C. teachers, it looks like the Washington Teachers' Union is stepping up their game. The WTU has launched a series of radio ads and a new website promoting its teachers' contract proposal, which they recently submitted to schools chancellor Michelle Rhee in response to the controversial contract DCPS offered last year. The web site, United For D.C. Kids, argues that the WTU proposal is "bold, progressive and comprehensive" and urges people to "unite" and "join us fighting to bring real education reform to DC's schools." The site, however, reveals few new specifics about the union's proposal itself, although it does briefly argue against the "red and green" merit pay provisions in Rhee's contract. more ›

DCPS teachers who supported D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s contract proposal from the beginning have got to be annoyed. On Monday, Rhee announced that the minimum 28 percent across the board raises offered in July now must be trimmed due to the poor economy. The contract negotiations have reached their 15th month. The District will soon submit a revised offer to the Washington Teachers’ Union, which has thus far resisted the contract. Rhee did state that funding from private foundations for the controversial merit pay provisions in the plan have not been affected. more ›

There's been a lot of back and forth of late between The Washington Teachers’ Union and DCPS about a policy commonly called a 90-day plan. Some within the union have accused Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee of using 90-day plans as a means of targeting older teachers for dismissal. The Washington Post's Bill Turque reported that Rhee spokesperson Dena Iverson denies any age discrimination, arguing that the average age of DCPS teachers who Rhee has placed on 90-day probations is similar to the average age of the total teaching corps (Turque puts that age in the mid-40s.) more ›

One of the drawbacks to having a high-profile figure like Michelle Rhee running the city schools is that so much of the education coverage tends to be about Rhee herself, rather than the work her office is (or isn't) doing. In a column last weekend, Colbert I. King argued that "the issue is not whether the chancellor is a polarizing figure with her take-no-prisoners approach, or is a fearless crusader against defenders of the status quo. At issue is whether public education in the District is being improved." more ›

The Washington Teachers Union (WTU) has been getting a lot of attention lately, much of it a result of the growing rift between WTU president George Parker and vice-president Nathan Saunders. First, there was the ruckus when Saunders, who has long-accused Parker for being “too cozy” with D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, vocally encouraged teachers to reject Rhee’s new program providing transition bonuses for up to 700 teachers at schools slated for closing or re-structuring. Rhee created the program in response to the WTU’s complaints that some teachers were unhappy with the closing and restructuring plans, but Saunders argued, “I'm against workers selling their jobs back to management and for new workers to be hired.” more ›