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Wednesday, June 2, 2010

D.C. teachers ratify new contract

D.C. teachers ratify new contract

D.C. teachers ratify new contract



Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 2, 2010; 1:46 PM

District teachers ratified a new contract Wednesday that dramatically expands Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee's ability to remove poor educators, and places D.C. on a growing list of cities and states that have established classroom results, not seniority, as the standard by which teachers are judged.
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Members of the Washington Teachers' Union approved the pact by a wide margin after a two-week voting period, according to a ballot count conducted for the union by the American Arbitration Association. The final tally was 1,412 votes to 425. The agreement now goes to the D.C. Council, where it is expected to gain swift approval.
The contract, the product of nearly 2 1/2 years of contentious negotiations that required intervention by a mediator, combines a rich traditional financial package with unorthodox initiatives historically resisted by