Charters and traditional public schools in the District of Columbia both want to provide a high-standard, high-quality public education to students. But when teachers have a say—through a union contract—in how resources are spent, students benefit.
Here in the District of Columbia, out of 133 charter schools, educators at three have unionized with the AFT and just one—Mundo Verde Bilingual Public Charter School—has succeeded in achieving a contract agreement. The union representing educators at DC International and Capital City charter schools have been at the bargaining table for months, without substantial progress. Educators at another charter, Cesar Chavez Public Charter School, had formed a union, but the school actually chose to shut down rather than work with organized teachers as partners.
Union-busting hurts kids, as this example vividly demonstrates. Educators in District of Columbia Public Schools are unionized and though it’s often tough to reach a contract agreement, in the end we know that when management and employees collaborate on important issues at the negotiating table, teachers and students are much better off.
Whether a child attends a traditional public school or a charter school, parents expect their child’s teacher will be treated fairly—that their pay and benefits are competitive, their work rules lay out fair disciplinary measures and that they are given adequate time to collaborate with colleagues and provide input on curriculum and other issues. Teachers’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions.
A study by the University of Washington’s Center for Reinventing Public Education found that charter school teachers felt s and governing boards had lost touch with classroom realities and saw unionization as a way to become part of the decision-making. That’s especially true here in the DC fights for charter school contracts. Teachers and other staff want to be team players, not antagonists, with s. We are in the classroom every day and know from our front-row perch what’s missing, what’s needed and what can be changed to give our students an even better high-quality education than they receive now.
Whether it’s at a DC public school or charter school, s should be terrified by a high turnover rate. That means something’s not right, and they need to sit up and take notice. Without a union and a contract, there’s no opportunity for educators to have a real seat at the table and discuss the problems.
Whether it’s the need for better pay (especially for the lowest-paid staffers), smaller class sizes, more social and emotional assistance for students, more access to professional development for educators or more open dialogue between s and staff, a contract is a document that says: We are in this together and in common cause to provide the best education possible for our students.
DC International and Capital City charters have hired outside consultants to fight the union at the bargaining table. That’s not helpful to move the negotiations along. We need to get to fair settlements right now so that educators and students can know that the 2025-26 school year will start off on good and solid footing.
Kelley Ukhun is president of DC Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff (DC ACTS).
Jacqueline Pogue Lyons is president of the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU).
