As teachers and staff in the state’s largest school district approved a new deal, those in the second-largest district have authorized a strike.

More than 77% of educators in the Anoka-Hennepin School District signed off on what they called a “historic” agreement. Officials say that deal includes 5% salary bumps for this school year and 3% for next year while bringing the starting salary for teachers to $50,000.

John Wolhaupter, the lead negotiator for educators in Anoka-Hennepin, called it the largest increase he can remember in his 25 years in the district.

“It includes historic pay and benefit increases that will help Anoka-Hennepin be competitive with other districts in the state as we try to attract and ever shrinking pool of qualified educators,” Wolhaupter said.

Meanwhile, 92% of teachers and staff in St. Paul Public Schools voted to authorize a strike, union leaders announced late Thursday night.

“We had a lot of excitement around that and the enthusiasm we are feeling around that right now with all of our members,” Leah VanDassor, the president of the St. Paul Federation of Educators, said.

VanDassor cited staff pay, class sizes and mental health support as some of the issues that remain in the district.

“We’re trying to protect or improve our members lives and our students lives,” VanDassor said.

SPPS says it has offered 2-3% pay increases this year and a 1.75% increase for next school year, but also noted the budget shortfall that officials say is due to fewer students and expiring COVID relief funds.

“It is essential that we settle contracts that allow all of our employees to have the support they need to serve our students and families, while ensuring that SPPS has a balanced budget this year and into the future,” the district’s lead negotiator Pat Pratt-Cook said.

While teachers have authorized a strike in St. Paul, the union still has to give at least 10 days of notice before a strike can actually start. As of Friday afternoon, that had not yet happened.

Education Minnesota says only around 61% of the 328 regular school districts bargaining this cycle have deals or at least tentative agreements, which the organization says is the slowest pace of settlements in at least 20 years. The group added that at least 50 locals have filed for mediation this cycle.