Davis takes office as Washington Teachers Union president
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| Davis (left), Peterson (middle) & Education Advocates @ first WTU Listening Post |
It’s official: Elizabeth Davis is the new president of the Washington Teachers Union and will lead contract negotiations on behalf of 4,000 D.C. teachers.
Davis took office Thursday after unseating incumbent Nathan Saunders in a runoff election last month. Saunders appealed that result in an effort to hold onto his seat, but has now withdrawn his challenge, he wrote in a farewell letter to union members Wednesday.
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“You have made a choice which I shall respect despite some technical nuances,” Saunders wrote, adding that given the challenges the union faces — including an existential threat from the closure of traditional schools and the rapid growth of charters — “leadership is primary and who provides it is secondary.”
Saunders chided his colleagues for apathetic involvement in union issues, a problem he said is symbolized by low turnout in the union election. Of 4,000 teachers, only 65 percent, or about 2,600, are full dues-paying members and therefore eligible to vote, he