Supporters of Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s two-tiered pay system are planning a demonstration at the union’s headquarters on Oct. 22. They plan to press Washington Teachers Union President George Parker to bring the contract to a vote. And over at D.C. Teacher Chic, there’s a link to a petition to the same end.
In the past, Parker has said he can’t submit the proposal until a tentative contract has been hammered out. Right now, the D.C. contract negotations are at a stalemate.
As Ms. Rhee skyrockets to national attention, the contract is increasingly being viewed as a litmus test for the ability of an urban superintendent to shake up traditional structures (Clay Risen makes this point nicely in his profile of her in the Atlantic Monthly here).
Only a handful of pro-green-tier teachers showed up at the last protest, but with the pressure on, perhaps we’ll see more this go-around.