All Dressed in Black, Black, Black, Black !

For an unorganized effort, I must say that I was impressed by the number of teachers that were dawned in black for the back to school teacher rally on Friday, August 22nd to demonstrate their displeasure of the Rhee/Parker tentative agreement that attempts to take away long earned job protections. I couldn't help but noticing that Chancellor Rhee was also dressed in black. Could it be that she too got a copy of the email to wear black on Friday ? Perhaps. :)

Many teacher and service provider colleagues expressed dissappointment in Friday's events. A little too much grandstanding for my taste. I think that the time could have been put to better use. From my vantage point in the back , I believe that the No's had it in a showing of teachers hands against the contract proposal. Here is an excerpt from Bill Turque's DC Wire blog on teachers back to school rally :

"This morning's "Welcome Back" rally at the Washington Convention Center for 5,000 returning D.C teachers started with cheers, cash prizes .... But warm-and-fuzzy quickly gave way to bread-and-butter as Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee and union president George Parker turned the subject to the proposed pay package that has roiled the city's teacher corps.

Parker ... is wrestling with whether to bring it to a membership vote, even if it contains provisions -- such as the one-year probationary period -- that he finds noxious. "What this boils down to is...What kind of contract do we bring to you to ratify?" Parker said, before asking for a show of hands -- for and against. The results? Kind of depends on who you ask.

Parker said sentiment appeared to run about 2-to-1 against a vote, roughly mirroring the results of a recent poll commissioned by the American Federation of Teachers. From other vantage points, the margin looked a little closer. Parker said he would call a membership meeting for next week before he makes a final decision." No matter your vantage point, stay tuned for more on the saga of the Rhee/Parker tentative agreement and Parker's promise to hold a WTU membership meeting next week. Posted by Candi.