WTU REPRESENTATIVE
ASSEMBLY MEETING TOMORROW
McKinley Tech High School
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
4:30pm - 6:30pm
Special Contract Session Topics:
Early Childhood Education, Class Size, Negotiations Special Announcements on National Action Network Demonstration & COPE Political Action ALL MEMBERS ARE INVITED!
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ANGEL TREE PROJECT
17 More Sponsors Needed
ADOPT A CHILD TODAY!
 Sign up for the WTU's Angel Tree project and bring smiles of joy to some DC children this Christmas by purchasing gifts for them.
GIFTS MUST BE RECEIVED AT
THE WTU OFFICE BY DEC. 10
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WASHINGTON TEACHERS' UNION
Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014
6 pm - 10:30 pm
St. Francis Hall
1340 Quincy St. NE, Wash., DC
HOLIDAY CHEER!
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WTU COPE
(Committee on
Political Education)
MEETING
WTU Office
1239 Pennsylvania Ave. SE
Wednesday, Dec. 10 @ 5 pm
TOPICS:
Membership Engagement & Recruitment
City Council Vacancies
Legislative Action
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DCPS CURRICULUM
FEEDBACK SESSION
Wednesday, December 10
Powell ES
4:30-5:30 pm
Give Feedback on the District's Work to Ensure Equity and Rigor
in the Curriculum
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VISIT THE
NEW WTU WEBSITE
Our website has a fresh, bold new look! On it you'll find a wealth of valuable resources, and documents outlining your rights as a D.C. Public School educator. You'll also have access to an ever-growing list of WTU member benefits. Check it out!
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Contract talks is the top issue at
well-attended representative assembly meeting
Contract negotiations, political action and IMPACT were all on the agenda when the WTU held its Delegate Assembly meeting at McKinley Tech High School on Nov. 18. With more than 70 delegates and members in attendance, the meeting, which included a Thanksgiving-style dinner, opened with a report by WTU President Elizabeth Davis on negotiations.
Noting that talks with DCPS officials on a new contract were underway, Davis said the union's bargaining team was prioritizing those issues that members have told the WTU were most important to them.  Two of those issues-the Breakfast in the Classroom program and support for new teachers-were the focus of table discussions and an open forum during the meeting. Concerns about the breakfast program included the loss of instructional time and the unsanitary conditions that have arisen in some schools as a result of serving breakfast in the classroom.
Several of the educators in attendance suggested that new teachers be given access to mentors and instructional coaches.
WTU members had several questions for Michelle Hudacsko, deputy chief of the DCPS IMPACT team, who led a presentation on the teacher evaluation program. Concerns ranged from the rubrics used to evaluate teachers to whether DCPS accounts for the differing abilities of students and the resource inequities among schools when evaluating teachers.
The inappropriate implementation of IMPACT by some local school administrators was another area that WTU members said needed to be addressed. "There is a huge communications gap between the [DCPS] administration and the schools when it comes to the implementation of IMPACT," Davis told Hudacsko.
Both Davis and Laura Fuchs, co-chair of the union's COPE (Committee on Political Education) committee, stressed that, while the elections for mayor and other elected offices in DC may be over, the WTU's emphasis on political action-and its efforts to work with elected leaders on behalf of members-is just beginning.
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 SAVE THE DATE: DEC. 13
March and rally to protest the
police killing of black men
On Saturday, December 13, civil rights advocates from across the country will gather in Washington, DC to protest the recent deaths of black men at the hands of law enforcement. The Washington Teachers' Union and other affiliates of the American Federation of Teachers is supporting this important demonstration of solidarity--and we hope you will, too!
As educators of some of the most vulnerable, underserved children in our nation's capital, I hope you'll agree that the presence of WTU members at this march is critical to building and sustaining our reputation and national image as a solution-driven, social justice organization.
Please join thousands of your colleagues on Saturday, Dec. 13 to say "enough is enough!"
YOU'LL BE RECEIVING MORE DETAILS LATER THIS WEEK
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 REGISTER NOW FOR WTU Spring 2015
PD Courses
Spring into quality professional learning and peer-to-peer professional development courses!
Take advantage of a new price cut and learning scholarships just full-dues members!
Register by December 31
and save 50% on the registration fee!
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WTU Teacher Leaders develop skills, meet with policymakers
The WTU Teacher Leaders Program trains a select group of D.C. teachers in how to take active leadership roles in their school, union and community.  The program's objective is to identify and develop a cadre of teacher leaders who will serve as catalysts to strengthen the union and its connections to the community in order to generate support for public schools.
Teachers in the program, which was launched earlier this school year, develop skills related to creating a collaborative culture in their schools, accessing and using the latest education research, and other important areas.
The WTU's Teacher Leaders recently met with D.C. City Councilmembers Yvette Alexander and David Grosso (pictured) to discuss education policy issues. The Teacher Leaders programs is a creation of the WTU's national affiliate, the American Federation of Teachers, which provides materials and ongoing support for the program.
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IN MEMORIAM
Sallie Littlejohn-Dorsey
Former WTU Treasurer
 A native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, Sallie Littlejohn-Dorsey was an outstanding and highly regarded District of Columbia public school educator for over twenty years, during which time she designed, developed and taught a myriad of career and technical courses.
Sallie's extensive background in accounting and finance served her well as the treasurer of the Washington Teachers' Union, a position she held for five years.
Sallie Littlejohn-Dorsey passed away on November 15, 2014 The WTU presented a resolution to her family during her home going service on November 24. The resolution recognized Sallie for her contributions to both the WTU, and D.C. public schools and its students.
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WTU joins in paying tribute to Marion Barry
Washington Teachers' President Elizabeth
Davis and the union's chief of staff Dorothy Egbufor were part of the labor delegation that attended the celebration of the life of Marion Barry at the Washington Convention Center on December 6. Speaker after speaker noted that Barry's life and political career revolved around fighting for the needs of others and opening the doors of opportunity to African-Americans, women and young people. "His name is on the honor roll of freedom fighters," Rev. Jesse Jackson said in his eulogy.
The WTU will be presenting a resolution honoring the former mayor to Barry's wife, Cora Masters Barry, and his son, Christopher. The resolution salutes Barry for his "steadfast advocacy on behalf of public education, working people, children, the dispossessed and many, many others."
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