Minneapolis school district, teachers continue talks as strike reaches Day 6

The presidents of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers and Education Support Professionals gave an update Sunday about the status of their bargaining with the district.

At the press conference, they drove home their sticking points of needing class size caps in the contract, mental health supports in the contract, and what they call living wages for education support professionals.

They also said they were dismissed early from negotiations on Saturday.

Following the Sunday update, negotiations between the district and union resumed.

Minneapolis teachers went on strike on Tuesday, March 8. So far, four days of classroom instruction have been lost. Monday will be the seventh day of the strike.

The school district says it is examining school-by-school data regarding instructional time being lost to the strike and will determine when it is made up. State law requires at least 165 instruction days for students in grades 1-11.

As of Friday, the district wrote that most seventh and eighth grades, as well as some of the high schools, have no extra days or hours on their calendars, so any time lost due to the strike will have to be made up. However, the district adds elementary grades have 170 instruction days scheduled, which means no time needs to be made up if the strike lasts for five days or less.

Time lost due to the strike will be made up either over spring break, extending the school year, reducing professional development days, or other means that meet the state’s requirements.