A few of the teachers whose jobs were eliminated by D.C. Public Schools in May are being reinstated at their schools, while the teachers’ union continues to work on “more than a dozen” additional cases of educators crying foul.
It’s an annual dance between the school system and the Washington Teachers’ Union: Due to budget cuts or enrollment shifts, teacher positions are shed, and employees whose Impact evaluation scores aren’t up to snuff are usually among the first “excessed” under a contract negotiated by former Chancellor Michelle Rhee.
This spring, 333 D.C. Public Schools lost their jobs, with about 60 percent expected to find new placements within the school system. The other 40 percent take buyouts, accept their firings, or fight them with the union.
So far, both DCPS and the union confirm that three teachers have been reinstated at three schools: Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, Watkins Elementary School and Truesdell Education Campus.
Many union members view the annual cuts as way to rid the school system of older teachers who may not agree with the new regime. School officials have reiterated that “excessing” is a necessary step to keep schools in line with their budgets and student body sizes.
A third-grade teacher at Truesdell, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, said she was “close to tears” when her principal let her go her after 19 years with DCPS.
“She sat me down kind of apologetically, using couched phrases — ‘our budget this year,’ ‘enrollment,’ ‘competitive Impact scores,'” the teacher said. “I didn’t know Impact was competitive, that we were competing against each other.”
She’ll return to Truesdell next year as a prekindergarten teacher, because she has an early childhood education certificate that was initially overlooked.
A fifth-grade science teacher at Watkins Elementary has a more sinister view of why she was told there was no longer a place for her. Certified in elementary education, she’ll be teaching first or second grade this fall.
“When they want to target a teacher, they get rid of them, so I’m not really excited about coming back to Watkins even though I love the school,” said the teacher, who has worked for DCPS since 1998.
DCPS confirmed the three excess retractions but did not comment further. The Banneker teacher was not available for comment.
Nathan Saunders, president of the union, said he is pursuing “more than a dozen” additional inquiries of teachers who believe their jobs shouldn’t have been cut. Only two or three teachers had their notices retracted last year, spokeswoman Andrea James said.
