Unilateral imposition of extended school year violates school employee’ contracts

Mayor Bowser and DCPS

Sign this petition and tell Mayor Bowser and DCPS to bargain in good faith with unions.

To: Mayor Bowser and DCPS
From: [Your Name]

Sign this petition and tell Mayor Bowser and DCPS to bargain in good faith with unions. While the Washington Teachers’ Union and its members are not against extended learning opportunities for our students, the union is opposed to the manner in which the Mayor and DCPS unilaterally imposed the extended year plan in violation of the collective bargaining agreement between the WTU and the school district—as well as the school district’s CBA with three other unions  (Council of School Officers, Local 4, Teamsters Local 639 and District Council 20).

By ignoring these bargaining agreements and going directly to union members to discuss the extended year plan—and changes in working hours and conditions, and compensation—Mayor Bowser has abused her executive power and Chancellor Henderson has violated the contracts of the four unions representing DCPS employees.

On average, American children are in school 1,100 hours per year in the United States, compared to 701 hours in developed nations. We do a lot of things in school that are good, but aren’t related to learning. Adding time does not necessarily translate into higher achievement. We need to think about how we use the existing time kids already have in school. We need to look at the current school day holistically and educationally instead of merely boiling it down to 'more time. "Education reform, certainly reform that isrevolutionary, cannot be boiled down to just the minutes, hours and weeks of the school calendar. Only when time is used more effectively will adding more of it begin to result in improved learning outcomes." - A report from National Association of Elementary school Principals(NAESP), On the Clock: Rethinking the Way Schools Use Time
 
We urge you to sign this petition insisting that the Mayor and Chancellor bargain in good faith with those unions representing teachers and other DCPS employees any extension of the school year or day.