ST PAUL, Minn. — Nearly 4,000 teachers in St. Paul are prepared to strike after voting overwhelmingly Thursday to authorize the move against St. Paul Public Schools.
According to the St. Paul Federation of Educators, more than 92% of the nearly 3,700 members voted to strike, setting in motion the possibility for a strike. The union has yet to set a strike date, but state law requires the union to give the district at least 10 days' notice before the first day of the strike.
“Nobody wants to strike, but the short-term sacrifice is worth it to give our students the schools they deserve and keep our educators in the profession for years to come,” SPFE president Leah VanDassor said in a statement late Thursday. “Over the past decade, our union has come together with our community to win improvements to our schools like class size limits and student mental health supports. Now is the time to build on that progress while also helping our educators afford their lives and stay in this district.”
As of Thursday, the union and the district are quite far apart in wages, including in the second year that’s nearly 6% higher than what the district is proposing.
The district says nearly half of its teachers already make more than $90,000 a year, but VanDassor says a third of its members are new and make much less. She says a better salary will help retain more teachers as staffing shortages continue.
Add in millions of dollars in funding gaps that the district says still exist, despite historic legislative funding from last year, and budget woes will likely persist.
The union members went on strike in 2020 and almost again two years later, narrowly avoiding it by settling with the district. Overall, negotiations are lagging for hundreds of districts, including Minneapolis, making it the slowest pace of settlements in two decades.
Two more mediation meetings are scheduled for Feb. 23 and March 1.
St. Paul Public Schools responded Friday morning, saying the "vote does not mean there will be a strike, nor does SPPS believe that a strike is necessary in order to meet the needs of our students, families and staff." The SPPS news release added that "even with this funding, SPPS is facing a budget shortfall of approximately $107.7 million for next year."
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