ST PAUL, Minn. — A tentative contract agreement has been reached between Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) and its teachers less than one week before educators were set to strike.
The agreement was announced Tuesday afternoon, however, details of the new deal have not yet been made public. According to SPPS, terms of the new agreement will be shared after they're approved by both sides.
“Our union is glad to have had the chance to collaborate with our school board members and settle a fair contract that supports our students and respects and honors the professionalism of our educators,” said Leah VanDassor, president of the Saint Paul Federation of Educators (SPFE), in a statement. “I firmly believe this is a pathway forward to grow that collaboration and make St. Paul the destination district it should be.”
Union members voted overwhelmingly back in February to strike, calling for a new contract that included a spike in salaries as well as more mental health support. Last week, the union set a strike date of March 11 should the two sides not reach an agreement. Negotiations continued throughout the weekend, and carried into Monday and Tuesday before the tentative deal was reached.
“We are incredibly grateful to our district bargaining team as well as the Saint Paul Federation of Educators for working tirelessly throughout the weekend to settle this contract. Our Board members have taken an active role in this process and have worked alongside our team to come to a resolution that supports and affirms our educators while keeping our students at the center,” the Board of Education said in a statement.
This is the second time over the past two years the two sides narrowly avoided a strike in the final days.
“As a district, we are committed to the important work of collaboration and coming together as one SPPS community,” said SPPS Superintendent Joe Gothard in a press release. “Our staff, students, families and administrators all want Saint Paul Public Schools to be the best district it can be, and the only way we can do that is by working together.”
During a press conference Tuesday, union leaders and members of the St. Paul School Board came together to speak about the agreement, calling it a "big step in the right direction."
"No one contract campaign can fix all of the things that we need for our students and for our educators, but I do feel strongly that this is one big step in the right direction, and will get us closer to that work," said Erica Schatzlein, a full-time teacher and lead negotiator for SPFE.
While a tentative deal has been reached, representatives from both sides says there's still work that needs to be done to ensure the district and its educators are equipped to ensure a promising future for its students.
"The conversation and the work does not end at the bargaining table," said Halla Henderson, St. Paul School Board Chair. "It's a commitment from the board, from myself, as a person in this city who cares about the future of our schools, that we are in this fight with you all. We are in the fight to make sure that we're doing what we need to do to make sure that this district has the resources to provide the education that we need for our students."
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter also spoke, praising both sides for their dedication throughout the negotiation process.
"I got a chance to sit with negotiations teams on both sides ... and was struck by the optimism that exists on both sides," said Mayor Carter. "I was struck by this 'stick-to-it-ness, let's get this done' and left with this really profound gratitude that we have a whole lotta folks in our community who are focused on putting our young people first."
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