WASHINGTON — D.C. Public Schools, Washington Teachers Union and Mayor Muriel Bowser have agreed on a new contract for D.C. teachers, their first since 2012.
In a joint statement, Bowser, DCPS Chancellor Antwan Wilson and union president Elizabeth Davis said Monday that the tentative agreement would include a 4 percent retroactive pay raise for fiscal 2017, a 3 percent increase in fiscal 2018 and a 2 percent increase in fiscal 2019.
The contract would also provide for a “structured collaborative engagement” between the school system and the union on various issues, including extended-year schools, where teachers work on 12-month contracts.
Union members will vote on the contract within 14 days. If they approve it, the proposal goes to the D.C. Council.
“Since 2007, the District of Columbia has blazed a trail to better schools — investing more resources in our classrooms, adding exciting new programs for our students at all levels, and pouring billions of dollars into our school buildings,” Bowser said in the statement. “Yet, for too long, our teachers have not been shown the appreciation nor presented the compensation they deserve. 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.”
Davis said she looks forward to working with Wilson on behalf of the teachers.
“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,” Davis said in the statement.
Eleven extended-year schools, mostly in wards 7 and 8, began classes Monday. Classes in those schools will end July 13. Most D.C. schools open Aug. 21, with the last day of classes set for June 13.
More than 4,000 union teachers work in the D.C. public schools, the statement said, adding that the District has the highest teacher starting salary in the country ($53,000) and the fastest path for teachers to make a six-figure salary.
