District Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi on Monday deemed the D.C. teachers’ controversial $140 million contract affordable to the city, calming a monthlong rancorous debate. Gandhi’s decision was a marked shift from his message in April, when he said there was no indication that the schools had the necessary funds, on top of already-expected salary figures. The move required certification of nearly $40 million in savings found by D.C. Public Schools for the current year and next. Those savings include a new and less expensive food service provider, and the continued “right-sizing” of schools — that is, bringing the number of classrooms and teachers in line with decades-long decline in students. The contract, if passed, would also rely upon $19 million in “previously unidentified” federal stimulus dollars, payments, and monies designated for schools with large numbers of impoverished students — nearly all of DCPS schools. “My staff worked closely with [Mayor Adrian Fenty’s] and [Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s] people,” Gandhi said. “We certified that [local funds] are legally available for this purpose.” Controls were put in place, Gandhi said, to ensure the city could meet the contractual obligations through its completion in 2012. Nearly $65 million in private donations to fund the contract are expected to be available within 30 days of the contract’s ratification by the D.C. Council. First, however, the city’s 4,400 teachers must vote for its passage. Washington Teachers’ Union President George Parker said the contract will be mailed to teachers within a week. The final vote will be tallied 15 days afterward. “I think it’s going to pass — it’s a good contract,” Parker said. “This is what we’ve been waiting for — for the CFO to say the city has the funds.” Rhee called the contract one that will treat teachers as “true professionals,” including compensation at some of the highest rates in the country for the top-performing teachers. Teachers would receive a total of about 22 percent in pay raises, retroactive to 2007, and through 2012. The contract also calls for creation of a robust performance-pay program offering salaries up to $130,000. Nathaniel Saunders, who is challenging Parker for the union presidency, said that many teachers are still skeptical about the money coming through. “If they can find money for this, why can’t they find money to bring back the 266 teachers wrongfully terminated last fall?” he added.
