VOL. 52, NO. 21 • MARCH 9 - 15, 2017
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D.C. Teachers Protest, Demand More Money Union Rejects DCPS Offer By Sarafina Wright WI Staff Writer Dozens of city teachers took to the streets to protest after the Washington Teachers' Union (WTU) members voted unanimously to reject the latest D.C. Public Schools compensation package. In her opening statements on Friday, March 3 at Freedom Plaza in Northwest, WTU President Elizabeth Davis said the offer fell short of the salary increases that D.C. teachers and related service providers want and deserve. "If D.C. wants to stop the teachers churn in our schools and cultivate and retain the best and
brightest teachers, the city needs to play fair and pay fair," Davis said. "Our students, our schools and our teachers deserve better." Davis said city teachers have not had a pay raise in six years. "While school district officials like to claim that teachers in D.C. are among the best-paid in the country, the National Council on Teacher Quality, December 2014 report, Smart Money, shows that the average teacher in D.C. ranks 32nd in pay compared to other cities when you add in the cost of living," she said. "Even when you add in bonuses that are available to a select number of teachers, D.C.
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5 DCPS teachers protest against insufficient salary increases and other issues during a March 3 rally at Freedom Plaza in Northwest. / Photos by Edward C. Jones
Trump Rolls Out New Travel Ban
Marion Barry, Jr. to be Immortalized in Bronze District Shares Plan on Birthday of Former Mayor
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill Dozens of supporters stood marveling at models unveiled Monday, March 6 that will showcase the late Marion Barry, Jr. next year at the John H. Wilson Building in Northwest. District leaders, including Ward 8 Councilman Trayon White, fittingly paid tribute to Barry on the anniversary of his birth, sharing memories about how the former “Mayor for Life” and city councilman influenced their lives. Had Barry lived, he would have been 81. “We would always disagree, contrary to popular opinion. He would always cut me off. I was like, ‘Man, I’m
5 Ward 8 Councilman Tryon White speaks during presentation of celebration and renderings March 6 of the late Marion Barry Jr. at the John A. Wilson Building in
BARRY DAY Page 11 Northwest. / Photo by Mark Mahoney
President Donald Trump signed a new executive order Monday, March 6 banning immigration from six Muslim-majority countries, notably dropping Iraq from January's previous order. The new travel ban comes six weeks after Trump's original executive order was rolled out to chaos and confusion at airports nationwide, and eventually blocked by a federal court. The ban covers Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan
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