--- While silent as NYC DOE with assistance from the UFT opens schools wide to variants by unmasking. Other unions won't sit by.
MEDIA NOTE: NEA President Becky Pringle
will be on the ground in Minnesota on Tuesday (March 8) in solidarity
with the educators of Minneapolis who are calling for safe and stable
schools. The National Education Association is the national
affiliate of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers and Education
Support Professionals and represents 3 million educators
nationwide. President Pringle can provide the national perspective and
is available for media interviews. Please contact Richard Allen Smith of NEA Communications at 202-716-6461 or rasmith@nea.org.
CONTACT:
Natasha Dockter
Minneapolis Federation of Teachers and
Education Support Professionals
natasha.dockter@gmail.com
Minneapolis educators to strike Tuesday for safe and stable schools
MINNEAPOLIS, March 7, 2022
– The educators of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers and Education
Support Professionals will go on strike Tuesday for the safe and stable
schools students deserve. Despite days in public bargaining and
mediations, including more than 65 hours in the last week, the district
continues to refuse to work with MFT to create systemic change and
remains entrenched in the unacceptable status quo.
President
Greta Callahan of the MFT teachers chapter, President Shaun Laden of
the MFT ESP chapter and the presidents of Education Minnesota, the
American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association
will attend a news conference at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday outside Justice Page
Middle School, 1W. 49th S., Minneapolis.
The
members of the MFT will begin picketing outside their schools and other
worksites at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. The membership will come together for a
large rally at 12:15 p.m. at the Minneapolis Public Schools Nutrition
Center, 812
Plymouth Avenue North, Minneapolis, before marching approximately 1
mile to the MPS Davis Center, 1250 W Broadway Ave, Minneapolis.
Logistics:
- Picketing begins at schools and other worksites at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday
- News conference with MFT presidents and state and national presidents 7:30 a.m. Tuesday at Justice Page Middle School, 1W. 49th S., Minneapolis
- Rally starting at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday at Minneapolis Public Schools Nutrition Center, 812 Plymouth Avenue North, Minneapolis
Laden
said: “This bargaining campaign started with the very simple idea that
for the education support professionals who are told every day that our
schools can’t run without us, one job should be enough. We’re the most
racially diverse group of educators in a district with administrators
who say they care about racial equity. We have been demanding that the
administrators at the bargaining table put their money where their mouth
is and they have refused. Now is the time for the school board to
intervene and settle a deal that pays ESP a starting wage of $35,000 a
year.”
Callahan
said: “For almost two years, we’ve been trying to reach agreements
around safe and stable schools for students and those closest to them,
but the administration has stubbornly defended an unacceptable status
quo. We are the defenders of public education and we’re not going to
slow down, or give up, until we make real progress addressing the mental
health crisis in our schools, reducing class sizes and caseloads so
students are receiving the individualized attention they need, and
increasing educator compensation so that we don’t continue to lose
staff, especially educators of color, to surrounding districts and other
professions.”
Denise
Specht, president of Education Minnesota, said: “Nearly 90,000
educators across Minnesota are standing with our union family in
Minneapolis because what they’re fighting for is what we’re all fighting
for: Schools that will give every student the chance to pursue their
dreams. The same issues are being negotiated all over the state, from
living wages for ESPs, to more mental health supports for students, to
managing the crushing caseload for SpEd teachers, to recruiting and
retaining more teachers of color, to creating time for educators to
give their students enough individual attention. We’re in a rich state
with a $9.25 billion surplus. No educator should have to fight this hard
for the schools our students deserve, but if that’s what it takes,
we’re with you.”
Becky
Pringle, president of the National Education Association, said: “With
over $250 million in pandemic relief funds, the time is now to invest in
the safe and stable schools that Minneapolis students need now more
than ever. The three million members of the National Education
Association are proud to stand with our siblings in Minneapolis. The
last two years have demonstrated that the status quo is not good enough.
Minneapolis students and their families have weathered a pandemic,
continued police violence, and an economic system that has left
students, their families, and educators behind. These students deserve
class sizes small enough for one-to-one attention as well as investments
in mental health services and social-emotional learning. MPS must also
invest in systematic changes that improve the recruitment and retention
of educators of color as well as a living wage for education support
professionals. Education support professionals represent a critical
workforce in our schools providing essential supports students depend
on. MPS has the resources to make these investments. The question is
whether they value Minneapolis students as much as their educators do.”
Randi
Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said:
“The federal government has provided an unprecedented amount of recovery
funding to school districts to address problems related to the
pandemic, including student recovery, staff shortages and school safety.
There is no excuse for districts to make cuts in light of this historic
infusion of funds. And the economy is showing real signs of growth.
Indeed, Minnesota just announced a $9.25 billion surplus.
“Our
kids, their families and educators have been through tremendous
challenges in the last two years; they have done their share to navigate
the rough seas together. Educators and students should be the
priorities, and districts should provide the conditions and environment
they need to succeed. School districts should respect their educators
and ensure that students have the programs and services they need to
thrive,” Weingarten said.
The union’s safe and stable schools agenda includes:
- Paying
a living wage for education support professionals to stabilize this
critical workforce, because students need the stability of working with
one paraprofessional throughout the school year. For ESPs, this means
raising the starting salary from about $24,000 a year to $35,000 through
increases in hours and rate of pay.
- Making systemic changes to improve the recruitment and retention of educators of color, which benefits all of MPS.
- Improving
student-to-mental health professional ratios because students shouldn’t
have to wait weeks for an appointment with a counselor or social
worker.
- Lowering class sizes because students learn best when their classrooms aren’t overcrowded and underfunded.
- Paying
competitive salaries for licensed staff to stop the exodus of teachers
from MPS. State data show the average salary of Minneapolis teachers is
ranked 28 out of 46 districts in the seven-county metro area.