Reply to Petition to DC Council for FY 2024 Charter School Budgets

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It's just so perplexing to me that after WTU teachers negotiate and bargain for pay *in exchange for agreeing to other things*, charter teachers feel free to demand the same pay without making any of the tradeoffs, sh*t-talking the union all the while. [/quote]

Perhaps because you are thinking about it in the context of this one decision. However, there is a cascading impact when increases to support things like teachers, text books, and other operating expenses are not equal across sectors (especially in a city like ours with so many of our students in charters). Let's say that charters don't get the pay increase. When compounded over several years, those small pay increases (or back pay) are a much larger inequity and charters can't keep pace with that and still provide children with a quality education.

I don't think you have to believe that they system we have is perfect (or even functional) to understand that having two systems that serve roughly the same amount of students should be in a position where they can't spend the same on teacher salaries. I know this happens in some places still, but I think you would find that most folks that could get a job teaching in DCPS (meaning degreed/certified educators) are paid very near what they would earn at DCPS when they choose a charter.

I have nearly a decade of experience hiring teachers in charter schools...we absolutely put every possible dollar in to recruiting and retaining the best teachers we can. Not all of the boogy-man stories you hear about charter schools are true (or even close to the truth).

So, I guess, your position is just as perplexing to me given the long term impacts of these types of inequities.

Oh, and let's not forget:

1) The law requires operating funds (and there is absolutely no way to say salaries and personnel expenses are not operating) go through the UPSFF. 
2) There is president for charters relying on these funds coming through the UPSFF- why the change when the law is very clear?[/quote]

Honestly, I don't really care about the long-term impacts. Even though I'm a charter parent, it's fine with me if charter schools fade away and DCPS needs to open new schools to replace them. If DCPS out-competes charters, that's what should happen. Yes it would be an adjustment, but it seems fine in the long run. I really don't understand why one set of teachers should bargain and agree to various tradeoffs in exchange for a raise, and another set of teachers should get that same raise for nothing. Doesn't that make DCPS teachers second-class citizens, because they had to bargain for what charter teachers are now obtaining for free? If that happened year over year, wouldn't the concessions of DCPS teachers compound, while charter teachers make no concessions, creating a growing inequality?

1) Which law, do you have a cite?
2) I'm not sure what your second point means at all. Specifically what law? Things don't have to stay the same every year. 
[/quote]

And don’t forget teachers PAY for these union negotiations.  Every paycheck teachers have funds deducted to be a part of the union.  So not only are posters on this thread arguing that DCPS teachers should have to bargain for this contract (which they did, these pay increases don’t just come for free) but also pay money for this representation that now charter school teachers get for free?  Meanwhile charters can continue to do whatever they want while DCPS teachers are beholden to the contract.[/quote]

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