More than 300 District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) teachers have been targeted for pink skips by the end of the current school term, but they have until August 15 to find alternate posts in the system.
School officials announced on May 4 that notices were issued to 333 teachers, as part of DCPS's annual changes aligned with its budget and enrollment.
However, with about 60 percent of the targeted teachers facing rehiring, it's likely that just a third – or 133-- of the them will lose their jobs, according to Washington Teachers Union president, Nathan Saunders. He also said during an interview Monday that the process could have been handled a lot better.
"It's my job to grow that 60 percent to a higher percentage," said Saunders. "We're all interested in having high quality teachers in our classrooms, but to have hundreds of people exit at the end of the school year is really a shock therapy to the public schools system," je said. "[The layoffs] create a tremendous amount of anxiety and a perception that this is not a stable workforce to become part of or to be retained within."
Teachers who fail to attain other employment by August, or those with high performance evaluations will have the choice of a $25,000 buyout or a "grace year" when placed at a school. Teachers with lower ratings face firing.
While Saunders feels that less than 100 teachers will be affected, he said there are important issues like resume writing, portfolio development skills and job interviewing skills that WTU is currently trying to help members with "in order to manage the annual changes and processes."
Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson was not available for comment as of late Monday.
