ST PAUL, Minn. — Many teachers across Minnesota have been working without a contract since the deals expired last summer.
In St. Paul, things took a significant turn on Thursday. Members of the teacher's union overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike, just like they did two years ago.
Some sticking points include higher wages and more mental health support.
The two have more mediation sessions scheduled but are still very far apart on the biggest issue for teachers - salaries.
"When that divide looks massive, it is because our student needs are massive," said Erica Schatzlein, the St. Paul Federation of Educator's lead negotiator. "I do not believe it is right and fair to cost those programs and services and skills that our students need against our contract."
The district says it's already facing more than a $107 million budget shortfall, but that it doesn't, "Believe a strike is necessary to meet the needs of our students, families and staff."
The SPFE says 92.4% of members voted to authorize a strike, which is higher than when the union authorized a strike in 2022. It narrowly avoided striking after reaching an agreement with the district the day before the action was scheduled to begin.
It's a pointed move in what's been a contentious season of negotiations.
"It is different," said Education Minnesota President Denise Specht. "A lot of it has to do with the fact that they just can't do it anymore and they need to see some change."
Specht says settling contracts is also moving at its slowest pace in two decades. Her data shows that since Feb. 13, 2024, 200 locals have settled contracts, which is about 61% of the total 328 regular school districts bargaining this cycle.
Specht says there are also more allowable topics to debate than ever before including staffing ratios and policies, along with rising health insurance costs - many of which are sticking points for Education Minnesota Lakeville.
"There's workload and there's finances," said its lead negotiator Johannah Surma. "There are now more vacancies for teaching positions in this state than there are teachers to fill them, so we need to compete in this market and hire the best teachers for our community."
The union has been rallying and packing school board meetings during negotiations. Surma said the union and the district held its first bargaining session on Tuesday which lasted nine hours.
"I don’t see the district as negotiating against us, it’s really negotiating against the market," said Surma, who says class sizes there are some of the highest in the metro.
The union is asking, in part, for a 5% pay increase, which is also what the Anoka Hennepin teacher's union just secured for its first year. It got another 3% the following year.
It approved the contract this week which also includes health insurance district contributions, a one-time bonus and more language changes than any other contract in recent history.
The district said the school board expects to consider approval of the contract at their Monday, Feb. 26. meeting. The contract costs about $64 million, part of which is paid for with last year's session's historic education funding, which Specht says makes up for all the years education was underfunded.
"Whatever tactics they’re taking or decisions they’re making, a lot of it has to do with the fact that they just can’t do it anymore and they need to see some change," said Specht.
As for the St. Paul school district, its spokesperson wrote in a statement, "This 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. SPFE and SPPS have been negotiating these contracts since September and agreed to seek mediation in December. Four full-day mediation sessions have taken place this month, and two more full days of mediation are scheduled for Feb. 23 and March 1.
The main issues that remain unresolved are wages, health insurance, and other proposals that have significant costs. The new funding from the state is helpful, but many requirements dictate how it must be spent.
Even with this funding, SPPS is facing a budget shortfall of approximately $107.7 million for next year. This is due to several factors, including the expiration of COVID relief funds, years of declining student enrollment, increased operational expenses, and other investments that SPPS has made to provide the services our students and families value most, including yellow buses, reading supports, school safety measures and more."
KARE 11 also reached out to the Lakeville School District on Friday but didn't get a response by the time of publication.
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