The Washington Teachers’ Union reached a tentative deal with the District of Columbia Public Schools on Monday night after a year of talks. The deal would secure pay raises, better working conditions, and other benefits for the union’s 5,000 public school staff.
The teachers advocating the deal have worked under an expired contract for the past year, dedicating themselves to improving their jobs. Union members still need to vote on the deal before it is sent to the Council of the District of Columbia for final approval in the coming weeks.
The contract would last five years and include a 4% bonus for the 2023-24 school year and annual raises through 2028. Teacher salaries will start around $63,000 and increase based on education level and years of service.
Washington Teachers Union President Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, and Chancellor Lewis Ferebee released a joint statement Monday, Sept. 30, on the state of the agreement.
“We have the best teachers in the nation, and the agreement builds on our ongoing commitment to ensure our educators have the best compensation in the country and have the support and resources they need to bring their best to the classrooms and schools in which they serve,” the officials said in the statement. “This agreement shows what can be achieved when we work together with a common goal of putting students first.”
Pogue Lyons said Tuesday, “This one was about working conditions,” and it was important for educators to have a fair workload and to keep their benefits, including dental and vision insurance.
“There was one point we thought we’d lose” that, she added, “meaning teachers would pay out of pocket.”
There are built-in provisions to ensure teachers have time to plan lessons and staff have wellness days separate from their sick days and parental leave. The deal gives an opening for the committees that will be created for healthy school buildings and air quality, as well as for ensuring diversity by hiring more teachers of color.
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The previous D.C. public school teachers contract, approved in Dec. 2022, was in the wake of teachers working three years without a labor deal. The deal came after the pandemic put virtual public education to the test, making the relationship between the union and the city rockier than ever.
On Oct. 1, the union celebrated its Contract Bargaining Team and Contract Action Team in a post on X for never giving up on the union’s teachers and contract goals.
