Deal on D.C. teachers' contract may be close

WASHINGTON - The D.C. teachers' union is reportedly close to agreeing to give the city more power to remove ineffective teachers.

Washington Teachers' Union President George Parker puts the odds of a deal at 50-50.

The Washington Post reports neither the union nor D.C. Chancellor Michelle Rhee would elaborate, saying negotiations could still collapse.

Rhee characterizes the talks as "down to a couple of smaller issues," according to the Post.

Parker tell the paper, "There are a few very critical issues that both sides have very strong opinions about."

Sources around the bargaining table reportedly say the evolving agreement eliminates Rhee's two-tiered salary plan that would have paid some teachers more while ending teacher tenure.

The proposed pay package is said to offer a 20 percent increase over five years, including 3 percent retroactively for each year teachers have worked without a contract since September 2007. Teachers with good records would be eligible to earn extra money under a pay-for-performance program that would begin in 2010.

Despite Rhee's criticism of tenure provisions as a major obstacle to reform, protections are likely to remain in place

However, teacher and union trustee Candi Peterson in her "Washington Teacher" blog, says the deal would allow the city to remove teachers from schools -- because of "a closing or consolidation, a restructuring, a change in the local school program, or a reduction in force" -- with minimal regard for seniority. Currently teachers with the least amount of service are usually the first to go.

Also under the reported proposal, teachers would be cut according to the previous year's performance evaluation and school community contributions, with length of service a lesser factor.

The plan would give principals more latitude to select staff from the pool of cut teachers.

(Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)