DC Teachers and Students Need Our HelpI received an e-mail today from the Shirts Off mailing list, via Zoe. It was a compelling cry for help from one of DC’s public schoolteachers:
”…As you might know, the state of the D.C. Public Schools has been in a state of perpetual decay and disrepair. Not only do D.C. teachers have to deal with one of the most disorganized and incompetent systems in the country, we also make approximately $8,000 less a year than teachers in neighboring school systems. The stories we could tell you about the insults and injuries we endure on a daily basis would amaze you!
”After having our union representative, Barbara Bullock, (You might have read about her in the paper. She spent $10,000 of our dues on wigs!) rob us of millions of dollars, we lack a strong union representative. The person representing us is here only temporarily from Connecticut and has no stake in seeing us get a fair shake. As a result, we find ourselves in a terribly vulnerable situation. The mayor and City Council hope to capitalize on our vulnerability by backing out on an agreement they signed on three years ago that promised to raise D.C. salaries in an effort to put them on par with neighboring districts.
”Not only does the city want to deny us this wage increase, which, by the way, would leave us with very modest incomes still below other districts, it also wants to deny us the normal ‘step’ increase that all teachers make for every year of experience they have. Such an assault on the teachers of D.C. would guarantee a dramatic turnover of D.C. teachers, and ultimately a teacher shortage, further disrupting the quality of education D.C. youth receive. So in fact, this assault on D.C. teachers is not an assault so much on the teachers themselves, it is a potentially catastrophic assault on the children of D.C.!
”…Please support us Thursday, April 10, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in front of the Wilson Building downtown (right in front of Freedom Plaza) as we rally to tell the mayor and City Council that this assault will not be tolerated. We need as much community support as possible. Please pass this e-mail on to as many people as you know. It is vital that we get the word out.”
The Wilson building is at 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, near Metro Center.
