“I am so pleased to say that we have a deal,” announced Mayor Muriel Bowser this morning, referencing a tentative contract that will give D.C. Public Schools teachers a nine percent raise over three years.
The previous agreement between the Washington Teachers Union and DCPS expired in 2012.
“For too long, our teachers have not been shown the appreciation nor presented the compensation they deserve,” Bowser said, in a release. “But with this agreement, together we will give our teachers their proper due and send a clear signal that we are all in for kids.”
D.C. Public Schools employs about 4,000 teachers at 115 schools. The system currently has the highest first-year teacher salary in the country at $53,000, according to officials.
The proposed contract includes a 4 percent retroactive salary increase this fiscal year, a 3 percent increase in 2018, and a 2 percent increase in 2019.
The pay raises would cost $61.6 million, according to The Washington Post, which reports that another $51.2 million would would go to D.C.’s public charter schools.
The DCPS agreement also includes a new program that will offer teachers opportunities to give input on initiatives such as extended school years.
“We make better decisions when teachers are part of the process, and it is important that teachers feel valued every day as they work in service of young people,” said WTU President Elizabeth Davis, in a release.
Davis told The Post that the long-awaited contract “was demoralizing” for teachers as they received mixed messages that they were highly respected, but “would not get reasonable salary increases.”
At-Large Councilmember David Grosso, chairperson of the committee on education, said in a statement that he looks forward to “working with our teachers, school leaders, my colleagues, and the entire education community to identify additional ways we can support our teachers’ in educating the students of the District of Columbia.”
Union members will vote on the tentative agreement within two weeks. If they affirm the contract, it will go to the D.C. Council for approval.
